Re: Capacitor to bypass GFI outlet?

["Chris Shearer Cooper" <chrisnews@xxxxxxx>]

Yes, the GFCI is a 4-terminal device, so I can give it a shot!

Thanks.

"Dennis Brothers" <mysurname@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:41nuelF1ff95rU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Chris Shearer Cooper" <chrisnews@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:11rdc4ulchilk45@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> The official word from X10 Customer Support is that one way to get the
>> X-10 signals to hop from one phase to another is by "installing a 0.1
>> microfarad, 600VDC capacitor across the two phases in the panel, i.e. by
>> connecting the capacitor across any 220V breaker."
>>
>> Can a similar trick be used to get the signal across a GFI outlet?  That
>> is, what would happen if I attached a 0.1 uF 600V cap from the line to
>> the load?
>> Would the X-10 signal get through?
>> Would it affect the ability of the GFI outlet to detect ground faults?
>
> The reactance of the cap is 1 / (2 * Pi * f * C), or roughly 1 / (400 * C)
> at 60 Hz, so it has a reactance of approximately 25K ohms.  If you assume
> the current sense circuit in the GFCI drops one volt (I have no idea how
> good an assumption this is, but you could measure it), the cap would put
> 40 microamps of unbalanced current into the load circuit (or looked at
> another way, it would "steal" 40 uA from the hot-side current sensor).
> Dunno if that's enought to trip the interrupter, but it's a pretty easy
> experiment to try.
>
> I haven't really looked at GFCIs, but isn't it a four-terminal device? I
> would guess so, since it needs to monitor current on the neutral as well
> as the hot side.  If that's the case, put an identical cap across the
> neutral side as well, and things will be back in balance.
>
>    - Dennis Brothers
>
>