Outlets and Wire Gauge? - Please help!

I remember before arc fault protection came along that GFI was a ground fault breaker and that GFCI was a ground fault receptacle.

@evelyn1 The same feature (GFCI) is available in either a breaker or outlet. It’s more convenient as an outlet if you are in the kitchen and trip it. Dry your hands and reset the outlet. I use the term interchangeably and I think most do as well (see below).

It’s less useful to have a GFCI outlet for a fridge or range because you have to pull the unit out to get to it. 🤣 This is why GFCI breakers are convenient. However the behavior is 100% the same.

(PS - I just checked the Siemens site and they call them GFCI breakers too)

@erik_squires 

 

Typical MOV based surge protectors use the ground as a drain. At high surge voltages they attempt to short to ground and sometimes the neutral as well. Using a GFCI as a 2 to 3 pin adaptor won't create a magical ground path.  That is, there would be no ground to short to.

With any appliance the surge protector is trying to keep surges which (hopefully) are coming down the hot wire.  So, you have 600V suddenly on your hot. Where do you put it?  Neutral is 1 conductor, but having 2 conductors is better.  What if the surge happens on both neutral AND hot?  You need ground as your option.

A voltage, even a surge voltage, must be between two points. If all you have is line and neutral because you have a 2 prong plug, then those are the only wires the surge can come in on. If there is no other path to ground, than the ground connection of a surge protector can't help you.

@thespeakerdude

Congrats man, you’ve just proven surge protectors can’t work. :) You are on your own now, and ignoring the fact that ground and neutral are bonded at the service entrance as well as basic MOV surge protection design. 

If you want to have those arguments you are on the wrong site.

is 10awg existent inside your amp or inside your speakers, once you're past the binding posts?  

seems like overkill, but whatever floats your boat

the relatively inexpensive outlets that provide solid plug connection seem reasonable

but like I said, whatever you feel will "work" for you

A run of 12 awg (yellow romex), an audioquest nrg edison receptacle, 1 20 amp breaker, this is all you need to do. It’s what I’ve done (installed myself) and did not break the bank. Plugged into the audioquest receptacle is an audioquest Niagara 1200, and a Furman pst-8. This has served me well for the last 4 or five years.