Surge Protector Vs GFCI (In-Depth Difference Guide)

You often do hear about much electrical power failure which causes severe damage to the home, offices, etc. there are various ways to avoid these types of situation and there is various term you do hear for avoiding these situations at your home such as grounding, surge protectors, and Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters. There are a lot of people who get confused between the most common term surge protectors and GFCI.this article will guide you about Surge Protector Vs GFCI.

Key takeaways:

  • The GFCIs are used in the electrical system to protect yourself from getting any shock in wet areas of your home, especially in the kitchen and bathroom.
  • The surge protector is used to protect your home appliances and electronics from any sort of increase in voltage.

For detailed information like benefits, definitions, and working process differences of Surge Protector Vs GFCI is explained below.

Surge Protector Vs GFCI:

The following point shows the difference between surge protectors and Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters:

Definition and working difference of Surge Protector Vs GFCI:

Surge protector:

  • The purpose of designing a surge protector was to avoid the damages which were caused due to sudden increases in voltage power or power surges by keeping the appliances safe.
  • If we compare the working process a surge proctor basically regulates the voltage and current within the appliances and electronics used in the home by the process of grounding or blocking due to which the appliances are saved from sudden power surges and helps to increase the life of the appliances as power surges may damage the device and cause fire to them.
Surge Protector Vs GFCI
Surge Protector Vs GFCI

GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters):

  • The main cause of the ground fault is the breaking in the low resistance grounding path from the electrical system because of which the electrical current will travel with another route to the ground resulting in which may kill someone.so, to avoid all these problems GFCIs are used which are like a circuit breakers that will shut off the electrical powers when there is a ground fault and will protect you from getting any shock and also protect the appliances.
  • The working process of GFCIs is very different from surge protectors as it will compare the total current which is going to the circuit conductor and the current returning from it and from the device and if there is a difference between them approximately 5 mA then the GFCIs will interrupts the current.
Surge Protector Vs GFCI
Surge Protector Vs GFCI

Benefit difference of Surge Protector Vs GFCI:

Surge protector benefits:

The following points explain the benefit of installing a surge protector:

  • Reduced Maintenance Costs:

If a person is not installing surge protectors then they will have a great risk of the appliances getting damaged and due to this, you have to spend more on maintenance expenses. So installing a surge protector in your home will reduce the maintenance cost that you spend per year.

  • Reduce the repair and replacement costs:

Having a sudden increase in the power voltage or Power searches will decrease the lifetime of your appliances or electrical devices but a house that has installed the search protector will have no effect on power surges to the appliances which will automatically reduce the costs of any repairing or replacement of the appliances as the lifetime of the electrical devices increases. 

  • Affordable:

The last benefit of installing surge protectors is that they are not very costly and will save you maintenance, repair, and replacement cost. You just have to spend about $100 for installing it in your home. You can install the surge protector within one day and start securing the electrical devices which you are using.

GFCIs benefits:

The following points explain the benefit of installing a GFCIs:

  • Prevent electrical shocks:

The GFCI outlet I used to compare the flow of electricity going and returning from the electrical conductor and even if it is a Negligible Amount of the current passing through the outlet is being censored as an unexpected current. it will make sure to divert the current into the ground through the three-prong outlet. It will help you from getting electrical shock due to ground faults which is very dangerous for human beings. The GFCI outlet will shut off the electrical power as soon as the sensor detects any inconsistency in the current and will protect the people of the house from getting any shock due to power spikes, defective equipment, etc. 

Surge Protector Vs GFCI
Surge Protector Vs GFCI

An electrical fire is caused due to the power search happening in the loose wiring of the electrical system which will start a fire within the wall of the house. Installing a GFCI outlet will help you to prevent any leakage of current. The benefit of using a GFCI outlet is that it will protect you from fire hazards. 

Surge Protector Vs GFCI
Surge Protector Vs GFCI

Conclusion:

Hence can you conclude here that Surge Protector Vs GFCI has its own benefits but both will help you to protect yourself and your home from severe damage.

FAQ’s

Should I need to use a surge protector if I have a GFCI outlet:

The role of these devices is different and you need to install a search protector in a way to protect the appliances and electronics from the high voltage of current as installing  GFCI  will not compensate for the protection given to the electrical devices by installing a surge protector.

What are the types of surge protector?

There are main types of surge protectors such as power strips and single outlet protectors. 

Rick Costa

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