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- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.031
-
-
-
- Also note that, contrary to popular belief in the U.S. (and in
- some parts of Canada), Canada is not a wholly-owned subsidiary
- of the U.S. Consequently, the NEC does not apply in Canada.
- Lots of things are the same, including voltages, line
- frequencies, and the laws of physics. But there are a number
- of crucial differences in the regulations. Where we can, we've
- noted them, flagging the relevant passages with ``NEC'' or
- ``CEC''.
-
- Remember that the CEC and NEC are minimal standards. It is often
- smart to go beyond their minimal requirements.
-
- Subject: What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy?
-
- The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the
- National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group.
- It's revised every three years. The 1993 version will be
- released in September, 1992. You can buy a copy at a decent
- bookstore, or by calling them directly at 800-344-3555. The
- code exists in several versions. There's the full text, which
- is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged edition, which
- has only the sections likely to apply to most houses. And
- there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized
- commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the
- recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for
- the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive --
- US$65 plus shipping and handling.
-
- Subject: What is the CEC? Where can I get a copy?
-
- The Canadian Standards Association is an organization made up
- of various government agencies, power utilities, insurance
- companies, electrical manufacturers and other organizations.
- The CSA publishes CSA Standard C22.1 which is updated every two
- or three years. Each province adopts, with some amendments,
- this standard and publishes a province-specific code book.
- Since each province publishes its own slightly modified
- standard, it would be somewhat confusing to obtain the CSA
- standard itself. In this FAQ, "CEC" really means the
- appropriate provincial standard. In particular, this FAQ is
- derived from the Ontario Hydro Electrical Safety Code, 20th
- edition (1990). Which is in turn based on CSA C22.1-1990 (16th
- edition). While differences exist between the provinces, an
- attempt has been made to avoid specific-to-Ontario detail.
-
- The appropriate provincial code can be obtained from electrical
- inspection offices of your provincial power authority. In
- Ontario, it's Ontario Hydro. The Ontario Hydro book isn't
- overly fat. It's about C$25, and includes mailed updates. I
- hear that these standards are somewhat easier to read than the
- equivalent NEC publications.
-
- Don't bother asking in Quebec - DIY wiring is banned throughout
- the province.
-
- Subject: Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers?
-
- In most places, homeowners are allowed to do their own wiring.
- In some, they're not. Check with your local electrical
- inspector. Most places won't permit you to do wiring on other's
- homes for money without a license. Nor are you permitted to do
- wiring in "commercial" buildings. Multiple dwellings (eg: duplexes)
- are usually considered "semi-commercial" or "commercial". However,
- many jurisdictions will permit you to work on semi-commercial
- wiring if you're supervised by a licensed electrician - if you can
- find one willing to supervise.
-
- If you do your own wiring, an important point:
-
- Do it NEAT and WELL! What you really want to aim for is a better
- job than an electrician will do. After all, it's your own home,
- and it's you or your family that might get killed if you make
- a mistake. An electrician has time pressures, has the skills
- and knows the tricks of the trade to do a fast, safe job.
- In this FAQ we've consciously given a few recommendations that
- are in excess of code, because we feel that it's reasonable,
- and will impress the inspector.
-
- The inspector will know that you're an amateur. You have to
- earn his trust. The best way of doing this is to spend your
- time doing as neat a job as possible. Don't cut corners.
- Exceed specifications. Otherwise, the inspector may get extremely
- picky and fault you on the slightest transgressions.
-
- Don't try to hide anything from the inspector.
-
- Use the proper tools. Ie: don't use a bread knife to strip
- wires, or twist wires with your fingers. The inspector
- won't like it, and the results won't be that safe. And it
- takes longer. And you're more likely to stick a hunk of
- 12ga wire through your hand that way.
-
- Don't handle house wire when it's very cold (eg: below -10C
- or 16F). Thermoplastic house wire, particularly older types
- become very brittle.
-
- Subject: What do I need in the way of tools?
-
- First, there's the obvious -- a hammer, a drill, a few
- screwdrivers, both straight and Phillips-head. If you're
- lucky enough to live in Canada (or find a source of CSA-approved
- devices) you need Robertson ("square recess") screwdrivers
- (#1 and #2) instead of phillips.
-
- For drilling a few holes, a 3/4" or 1" spade bit and 1/4" or
- 3/8" electric drill will do. If you're doing a lot, or
- are working with elderly lumber, we recommend a 1/2" drill
- (right-angle drills are wonderful. Can be rented) and
- 3/4" or 1" screw-point auger drill bits. These bits pull
- you through, so they're much faster and less fatiguing, even
- in 90 year old hardwood timbers.
-
- Screw-driver bits are useful for drills, expecially if you
- install your electrical boxes using screws (drywall screws
- work well).
-
- For stripping wire, use a real wire stripper, not a knife or
- ordinary wire cutters. Don't buy the $3 K-mart "combo stripper,
- crimper and bottle opener" types. You should expect to pay
- $15 to $20 for a good "plier-type" pair. It will have sized
- stripping holes, and won't nick or grab the wire - it should
- be easy to strip wire with it. One model has a small hole in the
- blade for forming exact wire loops for screw terminals. There
- are fancier types (autostrip/cut), but they generally aren't
- necessary, and pros usually don't use them.
-
- A pair of diagonal side cutter pliers are useful for clipping ends
- in constricted places. Don't use these for stripping wire.
-
- You will need linesman pliers for twisting wires for wire nuts.
-
- You should have a pair of needle-nose pliers for fiddling
- inside boxes and closing loops, but it's better to form wire
- loops with a "loop former hole" on your wire stripper - more
- accurate.
-
- If you're using non-metallic cable, get a cable stripper for
- removing the sheath. Or, do what some pros do, they nick the
- end of the sheath, grab the ground wire with a pair of pliers,
- and simply rip the sheath back using the ground wire as a
- "zipper", and cut the sheath off. You shouldn't try to strip
- the sheath with a knife point, because it's too easy to
- slash the insulation on the conductors.
-
- For any substantial amount of work with armored cable, it's well
- worth your while to invest in a rotary cable splitter (~US$ 18).
- Hack saws are tricky to use without cutting into the wire
- or the insulation.
-
- Three-prong outlet testers are a quick check for properly-wired
- outlets. About $6. Multimeters tell you more, but are a lot more
- expensive, and probably not worth it for most people. A simple
- voltage sensor, which can detect potential through an insulated
- wire not supplying any devices, is extremely helpful; they cost
- about US$ 10 at Radio Shack.
-
- You should have a voltage detector - to check that the wires are
- dead before doing work on them. Neon-bulb version are cheap ($2-3)
- and work well. If you get more serious, a "audible alarm" type is
- good for tracing circuits without a helper. (Though I've been known
- to lock the drill on, and hit breakers until the scream stops ;-)
-
- For running wires through existing walls, you need fish tape.
- Often, two tapes are needed, though sometimes, a bent hanger or
- a length of thin chain will suffice. Fish tapes can be rented.
-
- Electrical tape. Lots of it ;-) Seriously, a good and competent
- wiring job will need very little tape. The tape is useful for
- wrapping dicy insulation in repair work. Another use is to wrap
- around the body of outlets and switches to cover the termination
- screws - I don't do this, but drywall contractors prefer it (to
- prevent explosions when the drywall knife collides with a live outlet
- that has no cover plate).
-
- Subject: What is UL listing?
-
- The UL stands for "Underwriters Laboratory", which is a
- insurance industry organization that tests electrical
- components and equipment for potential hazards. When something
- is UL-listed, that means that the UL has tested the device,
- and it meets their requirements for safety - ie: fire or shock
- hazard. It doesn't necessarily mean that the device actually does
- what it's supposed to, just that it probably won't kill you.
-
- The UL does not have power of law in the U.S. -- you are
- permitted to buy and install non-UL-approved devices. However,
- insurance policies sometimes have clauses in them that will
- limit their liability in case of a claim made in response to
- the failure of a non-UL-approved device. Furthermore, in
- many situations the NEC will require a device ``listed'' for
- some purpose. What they mean is a device that UL has approved.
- There is thus the indirect force of law.
-
- Subject: What is CSA approval?
-
- Every electrical device or component must be certified by the
- Canadian Standards Association before it can be sold in
- Canada. Implicit in this is that all wiring must be done
- with CSA-approved materials. They perform testing similar to
- the UL (a bit more stringent), except that CSA approval is
- required by law.
-
- Again, like the UL, if a fire was caused by non-CSA-approved
- equipment, your insurance company may not have to pay the
- claim.
-
- In Canada, there is a branch organization of the UL, called ULC
- (UL of Canada). ULC does not have power of law, and seems to
- be more a liason group between the CSA and insurance
- companies.
-
- Subject: Are there any cheaper, easier to read books on wiring?
-
- USA: The following three books were suggested by our readers
-
- Residential Wiring
- by Jeff Markell,
- Craftsman Books,
- Carlsbad CA for $18.25. ISBN 0-934041-19-9.
-
- Practical Electrical Wiring
- Residential, Farm and Industrial, Based on the National
- Electrical Code ANSI/NFPA 70
- Herbert P. Richter and W. Creighton Schwan
- McGraw-Hill Book Co.
-
- Wiring Simplified
- H. P. Richter and W. C. Schwan
- Park Publishing Co.
-
- Try to make sure that the book is based on the latest NEC
- revision. Which is currently 1990.
-
- Canada: P.S. Knight authors and publishes a book called
- "Electrical Code Simplified". There appears to be a version
- published specific to each province, and is very tied into the
- appropriate provincial code. It focuses on residential wiring,
- and is indispensible for Canadian DIY'ers. It is better to get
- this book than the CEC unless you do a lot of wiring (or answer
- questions on the net ;-).
-
- It is updated each time the provincial codes are. This book is
- available at all DIY and hardware stores for less than C$10.
-
- Subject: Inspections how and what? Why should I get my wiring inspected?
-
- Most jurisdictions require that you obtain a permit and
- inspections of any wiring that is done. Amongst other more
- mundane bureaucratic reasons (like insurance companies not
- liking to have to pay claims), a permit and inspections
- provides some assurance that you, your family, your neighbors
- or subsequent owners of your home don't get killed or lose
- their homes one night due to a sloppy wiring job.
-
- Most jurisdictions have the power to order you to vacate your
- home, or order you to tear out any wiring done without a
- permit. California, for instance, is particularly nasty about
- this.
-
- If fire starts in your home, and un-inspected wiring is at
- fault, insurance companies will often refuse to pay the damage
- claims.
-
- In general, the process goes like this:
- - you apply to your local inspections office or building
- department for a permit. You should have a sketch or
- detailed drawing of what you plan on doing. This is
- a good time to ask questions on any things you're not
- sure of. If you're doing major work, they may impose
- special conditions on you, require loading
- calculations and ask other questions. At this point
- they will tell you which inspections you will need.
- - If you're installing a main panel, you will need to
- have the panel and service connections inspected
- before your power utility will provide a connection.
- This is sometimes done by the local power authority
- rather than the usual inspectors.
- - After installing the boxes and wiring, but before
- the insulation/walls go up, you will need a
- "rough-in" inspection.
- - After the walls are up, and the wiring is complete,
- you will need a "final inspection".
-
- Subject: My house doesn't meet some of these rules and regulations.
- Do I have to upgrade?
-
- In general, there is no requirement to upgrade older dwellings,
- though there are some exceptions (ie: smoke detectors in some
- cases). However, any new work must be done according to the
- latest electrical code. Also, if you do ``major'' work, you
- may be required to upgrade certain existing portions or all
- of your system. Check with your local electrical inspector.
-
- Subject: A word on voltages: 110/115/117/120/125/220/240 (NEW)
-
- One thing where things might get a bit confusing is the
- different numbers people bandy about for the voltage of
- a circuit. One person might talk about 110V, another 117V
- or another 120V. These are all, in fact, exactly the same
- thing... In North America the utility companies are required
- to supply a split-phase 240 volt (+-5%) feed to your house.
- This works out as two 120V legs. However since there are
- resistive voltage drops in the house wiring, it's not
- unreasonable to find 120V has dropped to 110V or 240V has dropped
- to 220V by the time the power reaches a wall outlet. Especially
- at the end of an extension cord or long circuit run. For a number
- of reasons, some historical, some simple personal orneryness,
- different people choose call them by slightly different numbers.
- This FAQ has chosen to be consistent with calling them "110V" and
- "220V", except when actually saying what the measured voltage will
- be. Confusing? A bit. Just ignore it.
-
- | 208V is *not* the same as 240V. 208V is the voltage between
- | phases of a 3-phase "Y" circuit that is 120V from neutral to any
- | hot. 277V is the voltage between hot and neutral of a 3-phase
- | "Y" circuit that's 480V between phases.
-
- Subject: What does an electrical service look like?
-
- There are logically four wires involved with supplying the
- main panel with power. Three of them will come from the utility
- pole, and a fourth (bare) wire comes from elsewhere.
-
- The bare wire is connected to one or more long metal bars pounded
- into the ground, or to a wire buried in the foundation, or sometimes
- to the water supply pipe (has to be metal, continuous to where
- the main water pipe entering the house. Watch out for galvanic
- action conductivity "breaks" (often between copper and iron pipe)).
- This is the "grounding conductor". It is there to make sure that
- the third prong on your outlets is connected to ground. This wire
- normally carries no current.
-
- One of the other wires will be white (or black with white or
- yellow stripes, or sometimes simply black). It is the neutral wire.
- It is connected to the "centre tap" (CEC; "center tap" in the
- NEC) of the distribution transformer supplying the power. It
- is connected to the grounding conductor in only one place (often
- inside the panel). The neutral and ground should not be connected
- anywhere else. Otherwise, weird and/or dangerous things may happen.
-
- Furthermore, there should only be one grounding system in
- a home. Some codes require more than one grounding electrode.
- These will be connected together, or connected to the neutral
- at a common point - still one grounding system. Adding additional
- grounding electrodes connected to other portions of the house
- wiring is unsafe and contrary to code.
-
- If you add a subpanel, the ground and neutral are usually
- brought as separate conductors from the main panel, and are
- not connected together in the subpanel (ie: still only one
- neutral-ground connection). However, in some situations
- (certain categories of separate buildings) you actually do
- have to provide a second grounding electrode - consult your
- inspector.
-
- The other two wires will usually be black, and are the "hot"
- wires. They are attached to the distribution transformer as
- well.
-
- The two black wires are 180 degrees out of phase with each
- other. This means if you connect something to both hot wires,
- the voltage will be 220 volts. If you connect something to the
- white and either of the two blacks you will get 110V.
-
- Some panels seem to only have three wires coming into them.
- This is either because the neutral and ground are connected
- together at a different point (eg: the meter or pole) and one
- wire is doing dual-duty as both neutral and ground, or in some
- rare occasions, the service has only one hot wire (110V only
- service).
-
- Subject: What is a circuit?
-
- Inside the panel, connections are made to the incoming wires.
- These connections are then used to supply power to selected
- portions of the home. There are three different combinations:
- 1) one hot, one neutral, and ground: 110V circuit.
- 2) two hots, no neutral, and ground: 220V circuit.
- 3) two hots, neutral, and ground: 220V circuit + neutral,
- and/or two 110V circuits with a common neutral.
-
- (1) is used for most circuits supplying receptacles and
- lighting within your house. (3) is usually used for supplying
- power to major appliances such as stoves, and dryers - they
- often have need for both 220V and 110V, or for bringing several
- circuits from the panel box to a distribution point. (2) is
- usually for special 220V motor circuits, electric heaters, or
- air conditioners.
-
- [Note: In the US, the NEC frequently permits a circuit similar
- to (2) be used for stoves and dryers - namely, that there
- are two hot wires, and a wire that does dual duty as neutral
- and ground, and is connected to the frame as well as providing
- the neutral for 110V purposes - three prong plugs instead
- of four (*only* for stoves/dryers connected to the main panel.
- When connected to most sub-panels, 4 prong plugs and receptacles
- are required). In our not-so-humble opinion this is crazy, but
- the NFPA claims that this practice was re-evaluated for the 1992 NEC,
- and found to be safe. Check your local codes, or inquire as to
- local practice -- there are restrictions on when this is
- permissible.]
-
- (1) is usually wired with three conductor wire: black for hot,
- white for neutral, and bare for grounding.
-
- (2) and (3) have one hot wire coloured red, the other black, a
- bare wire for grounding, and in (3) a white wire for neutral.
-
- You will sometimes see (2) wired with just a black, white and ground
- wire. Since the white is "hot" in this case, both the NEC and CEC
- requires that the white wire be "permanently marked" at the ends
- to indicate that it is a live wire. Usually done with paint, nail
- polish or sometimes electrical tape.
-
- Each circuit is attached to the main wires coming into the
- panel through a circuit breaker or fuse.
-
- There are, in a few locales, circuits that look like (1), (2)
- or (3) except that they have two bare ground wires. Some places
- require this for hot tubs and the like (one ground is "frame ground",
- the other attaches to the motor). This may or may not be an
- alternative to GFCI protection.
-
- Subject: "grounding" versus "grounded" versus "neutral".
-
- According to the terminology in the CEC and NEC, the
- "grounding" conductor is for the safety ground, i.e., the green
- or bare wire. The word "neutral" is reserved for the white when
- you have a circuit with more than one "hot" wire. Since the white
- wire is connected to neutral and the grounding conductor inside the
- panel, the proper term is "grounded conductor". However, the
- potential confusion between "grounded conductor" and "grounding
- conductor" can lead to potentially lethal mistakes - you should
- never use the bare wire as a "grounded conductor" or white wire
- as the "grounding conductor", even though they are connected
- together in the panel.
-
- [But not in subpanels - subpanels are fed neutral and ground
- separately from the main panel. Usually.]
-
- In the trade, and in common usage, the word "neutral" is used
- for "grounded conductor". This FAQ uses "neutral" simply to
- avoid potential confusion. We recommend that you use "neutral"
- too. Thus the white wire is always (except in some light
- switch applications) neutral. Not ground.
-
- Subject: What does a fuse or breaker do? What are the differences?
-
- Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to interrupt the power
- to a circuit when the current flow exceeds safe levels. For
- example, if your toaster shorts out, a fuse or breaker should
- "trip", protecting the wiring in the walls from melting. As
- such, fuses and breakers are primarily intended to protect the
- wiring -- UL or CSA approval supposedly indicates that the
- equipment itself won't cause a fire.
-
- Fuses contain a narrow strip of metal which is designed to melt
- (safely) when the current exceeds the rated value, thereby
- interrupting the power to the circuit. Fuses trip relatively
- fast. Which can sometimes be a problem with motors which have
- large startup current surges. For motor circuits, you can use
- a "time-delay" fuse (one brand is "fusetron") which will avoid
- tripping on momentary overloads. A fusetron looks like a
- spring-loaded fuse. A fuse can only trip once, then it must be
- replaced.
-
- Breakers are fairly complicated mechanical devices. They
- usually consist of one spring loaded contact which is latched
- into position against another contact. When the current flow
- through the device exceeds the rated value, a bimetallic strip
- heats up and bends. By bending it "trips" the latch, and the
- spring pulls the contacts apart. Circuit breakers behave
- similarly to fusetrons - that is, they tend to take longer to
- trip at moderate overloads than ordinary fuses. With high
- overloads, they trip quickly. Breakers can be reset a finite
- number of times - each time they trip, or are thrown
- when the circuit is in use, some arcing takes place, which
- damages the contacts. Thus, breakers should not be used in
- place of switches unless they are specially listed for the
- purpose.
-
- Neither fuses nor breakers "limit" the current per se. A dead
- short on a circuit can cause hundreds or sometimes even
- thousands of amperes to flow for a short period of time, which
- can often cause severe damage.
-
- Subject: Breakers? Can't I use fuses?
-
- Statistics show that fuse panels have a significantly higher
- risk of causing a fire than breaker panels. This is usually
- due to the fuse being loosely screwed in, or the contacts
- corroding and heating up over time, or the wrong size fuse
- being installed, or the proverbial "replace the fuse with a
- penny" trick.
-
- Since breakers are more permanently installed, and have better
- connection mechanisms, the risk of fire is considerably less.
-
- Fuses are prone to explode under extremely high overload. When
- a fuse explodes, the metallic vapor cloud becomes a conducting
- path. Result? from complete meltdown of the electrical panel,
- melted service wiring, through fires in the electrical
- distribution transformer and having your house burn down.
- Breakers don't do this.
-
- Many jurisdictions, particularly in Canada, no longer permit
- fuse panels in new installations. The NEC does permit new
- fuse panels in some rare circumstances (requiring the special
- inserts to "key" the fuseholder to specific size fuses)
-
- Some devices, notably certain large air conditioners, require fuse
- protection in addition to the breaker at the panel. The fuse
- is there to protect the motor windings from overload. Check the
- labeling on the unit. This is usually only on large permanently
- installed motors. The installation instructions will tell you
- if you need one.
-
- Subject: What size wire should I use?
-
- For a 20 amp circuit, use 12 gauge wire. For a 15 amp circuit,
- you can use 14 gauge wire (in most locales). For a long run,
- though, you should use the next larger size wire, to avoid
- voltage drops. 12 gauge is only slightly more expensive than
- 14 gauge, though it's stiffer and harder to work with.
-
- Here's a quick table for normal situations. Go up a size for
- more than 100 foot runs, when the cable is in conduit, or
- ganged with other wires in a place where they can't dissipate
- heat easily:
-
- Gauge Amps
- 14 15
- 12 20
- 10 30
- 8 40
- 6 65
-
- We don't list bigger sizes because it starts getting very dependent
- on the application and precise wire type.
-
- Subject: Where do these numbers come from?
-
- There are two considerations, voltage drop and heat buildup.
- The smaller the wire is, the higher the resistance is. When
- the resistance is higher, the wire heats up more, and there is
- more voltage drop in the wiring. The former is why you need
- higher-temperature insulation and/or bigger wires for use in
- conduit; the latter is why you should use larger wire for long
- runs.
-
- Neither effect is very significant over very short distances.
- There are some very specific exceptions, where use of smaller
- wire is allowed. The obvious one is the line cord on most
- lamps. Don't try this unless you're certain that your use fits
- one of those exceptions; you can never go wrong by using larger
- wire.
-
- Subject: What does "14-2" mean?
-
- This is used to describe the size and quantity of conductors
- in a cable. The first number specifies the gauge. The second
- the number of current carrying conductors in the wire - but
- remember there's usually an extra ground wire. "14-2" means
- 14 gauge, two insulated current carrying wires, plus bare ground.
-
- -2 wire usually has a black, white and bare ground wire. Sometimes
- the white is red instead for 220V circuits without neutral. In
- the latter case, the sheath is usually red too.
-
- -3 wire usually has a black, red, white and bare ground wire.
- Usually carrying 220V with neutral.
-
- Subject: What is a "wirenut"/"marrette"/"marr connector"? How are they
- used?
-
- A wire nut is a cone shaped threaded plastic thingummy that's used
- to connect wires together. "Marrette" or "Marr connector"
- are trade names. You'll usually use a lot of them in DIY wiring.
-
- In essence, you strip the end of the wires about an inch, twist them
- together, then twist the wirenut on.
-
- Though some wirenuts advertise that you don't need to twist the
- wire, do it anyways - it's more mechanically and electrically
- secure.
-
- There are many different sizes of wire nut. You should check
- that the wire nut you're using is the correct size for the
- quantity and sizes of wire you're connecting together.
-
- Don't just gimble the wires together with a pair of pliers or
- your fingers. Use a pair of blunt nose ("linesman") pliers,
- and carefully twist the wires tightly and neatly. Sometimes
- it's a good idea to trim the resulting end to make sure it
- goes in the wirenut properly.
-
- Some people wrap the "open" end of the wirenut with electrical
- tape. This is probably not a good idea - the inspector may
- tear it off during an inspection. It's usually done because
- a bit of bare wire is exposed outside the wire nut - instead
- of taping it, the connection should be redone.
-
- Subject: What is a GFI/GFCI?
-
- A GFCI is a ``ground-fault circuit interrupter''. It measures
- the current current flowing through the hot wire and the
- neutral wire. If they differ by more than a few milliamps, the
- presumption is that current is leaking to ground via some other
- path. This may be because of a short circuit to the chassis of
- an appliance, or to the ground lead, or through a person. Any
- of these situations is hazardous, so the GFCI trips, breaking
- the circuit.
-
- GFCIs do not protect against all kinds of electric shocks. If,
- for example, you simultaneously touched the hot and neutral
- leads of a circuit, and no part of you was grounded, a GFCI
- wouldn't help. All of the current that passed from the hot
- lead into you would return via the neutral lead, keeping the
- GFCI happy.
-