GFCI vs AFCI Outlets:
What You Need to Know

A GFCI monitors the current flowing out on the hot wire and returning on the neutral wire. In a healthy circuit, those two numbers match. If even a tiny amount of current (as little as 5 milliamps) takes a different path, like through your body to the ground, the GFCI cuts the power in about 1/30 of a second.

That's fast enough to prevent electrocution. Before GFCI protection became standard, hundreds of people died every year from ground faults in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor areas. That number has dropped by over 80% since GFCI requirements were introduced.

GFCI protection can come from a GFCI outlet (the one with the test and reset buttons) or a GFCI breaker in your electrical panel. Either one protects the circuit. The outlet version is more common in residential work because it's easier to test and reset without going to the panel.

An AFCI detects electrical arcing. Arcing happens when current jumps across a gap, usually because of damaged insulation, a loose connection, or a wire that's been nicked by a nail or screw. The arc generates intense heat at a single point, which is enough to ignite wood framing or insulation inside a wall.

Standard breakers don't detect arcing. A standard breaker only trips on overcurrent (too many amps) or a short circuit. An arc fault can happen at current levels well below the breaker's trip threshold. That's why the NEC started requiring AFCI protection, first in bedrooms in 2002, and now in almost every living space.

AFCI protection is almost always provided by a breaker in the electrical panel, not at the outlet. AFCI outlets do exist, but they're less common and more expensive than the breaker version.

Washington State adopted the 2023 NEC effective April 1, 2024. The requirements expanded from previous code cycles. If you're modifying circuits or doing a remodel in the Vancouver WA area, these are the rules your electrician has to follow.

Before dual-function breakers existed, protecting a kitchen circuit meant having an AFCI breaker at the panel and a GFCI outlet at the counter. That worked, but it could create nuisance tripping because the two devices sometimes interfered with each other.

A dual-function AFCI/GFCI breaker handles both in one device. It installs in the panel and protects the entire circuit against both ground faults and arc faults. Newman Electric uses these on kitchen and laundry circuits in new work and remodels because they're cleaner, more reliable, and eliminate the compatibility issues.

The cost is higher than a standard breaker ($40 to $80 per dual-function breaker vs $5 to $10 for a standard breaker), but it's a one-time cost and it simplifies the circuit. Ryan recommends them anywhere the code requires both types of protection.

A GFCI that trips once is doing its job. A GFCI that trips constantly has a problem somewhere on the circuit. The most common causes Newman Electric sees in the Vancouver WA area:

Washington State does not require you to retroactively bring your entire home up to the 2023 NEC. If your house was built in 1985 and you haven't touched the wiring, you don't have to rip out every outlet and replace it with GFCI or AFCI versions.

But the moment you modify a circuit, the updated portion has to meet current code. If you add an outlet in your bedroom, that circuit now needs AFCI protection. If you remodel a kitchen, the countertop outlets need GFCI and the branch circuit needs AFCI. Any time Newman Electric does work in a living space, Ryan's crew installs the appropriate protection as part of the job. It's not optional.

Even where code doesn't require it, adding GFCI outlets in older bathrooms, kitchens, and garages is one of the cheapest safety upgrades you can make. A GFCI outlet costs about $15 at the hardware store. Having Newman Electric install it professionally costs $150 to $300 per location. That's inexpensive insurance against a shock hazard.