[RFI] Galaxy Grow Light Ballast Update

[Hare, Ed W1RFI]

A GFCI will protect against a shock that would result from the hot wire conducting current to the ground conductor or external ground, but it will not protect against a shock from the hot to the neutral wires. One can still be seriously shocked in a GFCI-protected circuit.

Ed, W1RFI



-----Original Message-----
From: RFI [mailto:rfi-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2016 12:43 AM
To: Rfi List
Subject: Re: [RFI] Galaxy Grow Light Ballast Update

On Mon,2/1/2016 7:50 PM, DWKANEPE at aol.com wrote:
> Just a point of information...a fuse or circuit breaker will NOT and 
> is not intended to prevent electrical shock.

That is WRONG.

> Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter protection will! 

GFCI's protect against a very different mechanism, namely leakage current.  GFCI's sample current in the phase (hot) and neutral conductor, and open the circuit if they are out of balance by more than
6-10 mA, which means that current must be flowing on the Green wire, and producing enough IR drop between the Green wire and other grounded objects (like plumbing).

> Fuses, breakers and other OCPD's are intended to protect wiring and, 
> in some cases, utilization equipment.

AND human life.

Fuses/breakers protect us in the case of a FAULT -- that is, something causes a short between phase and exposed equipment, causing the exposed equipment to be hot with respect to ground.

BTW -- I've been paid to TEACH and write tutorials on this stuff for more than ten years.

73, Jim K9YC

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