Electrical Safety Ground Fault protection

Every outdoor outlet should be on a ground fault protected circuit breaker. Basement outlets, and any outlet near a kitchen or bathroom sink should also be protected.

A ground fault happens whenever electricity escapes the confines of the wiring in an appliance, light fixture, or power tool and takes a shortcut to the ground. When that short cut is through a human, the results can be deadly. About 200 people in the U.S. alone die of ground faults each year, accounting for two-thirds of all electrocutions occurring in homes.

To prevent such accidents, Charles Dalziel, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, invented the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), in 1961.

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Before Home depot started selling commercially available Ground Fault Protected extension cords, I made a couple of my own. It changes a single outlet extension cord into a duplex ground fault protected one. Really handy for using more than one tool or for playing the radio while working with electricity. I also use one with my outdoor lighting decorations etc.

can you tell the difference between mine and the commercially available one?

That's right... mine has been used a lot more.