Date:         Wed, 19 Dec 2001 20:12:03 -0900
Reply-To:     Mike Moery <mike.moery@ACSALASKA.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Moery <mike.moery@ACSALASKA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Long, but true, saga of Galley Space
In-Reply-To:  <F270f0Stamg6dfEm58z0000195a@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Important note here: a GFI (ground fault interrupter) outlet is not a
circuit breaker!  It will not save you from an electrical meltdown (or
fire) if you overload your 115 volt circuit.  What a GFI does do is
check to make sure that the outgoing current on the black (or hot) wire
is exactly the same as that passing through the white (or neutral) wire.
If any current finds a path to ground by any other route, such as
through your body, the GFI senses a disparity in current between hot and
neutral, and opens the circuit within a small fraction of a second,
protecting you from electrocution.
Short story: you still need a 15 amp breaker.
    -Mike Moery
     Anchorage, AK
         -------------------
        ||E[__] [__]|[_]\\
        | =======| -   ||
* * * *( o )---------( o )*
*'Ol Bessie  '82TD Westy
<<Thanks to the member (Jim?  Bill?) who suggested using a G.F.I. outlet
($7.99 for contractor grade) instead of trying to find a suitable
circuit breaker replacement (Boater's World carries a similar-looking
15A c.b. for $6.99, but it's rated at 250VAC/28VDC, and would still be
vulnerable to breakage if mounted in the stock Westy location.>>