Help prevent electric shocks in your home by installing ground fault circuit interrupters. GFCIs can provide protection against shock from an electrified appliance, from equipment in contact with water and from a damaged or defective appliance.
GFCIs should be installed in areas near water. This includes bathrooms, kitchens, garages, basements and the outdoors. A GFCI detects an abnormal flow of electricity and shuts off the power, preventing shock or electrocution.
Electricity is always looking for a path to ground. A ground fault is an unintentional electrical path from the power source and a grounded surface. Under normal conditions, current flows in a circuit, traveling from the source, through the device it operates and back to the source.
If an electrified appliance gets damaged by water, that flow is broken. Without a GFCI, your body could become that path to ground for the electrical current.