GFCI lifespan only 10 years?

[newbury]

I'm redoing some bathrooms which did not have GFCI and ran across this statement

All GFCI outlets have one little-known flaw: their circuitry eventually wears out, usually after about 10 years, at which point they no longer function properly.

on Testing GFCI Outlets | The Family Handyman and found the similar statement on other web sites.

This reads like an electrician employment act.

Since GFCI's have been required now for years a few questions:
Can anyone recommend "good" brands?

Is this an investment opportunity in GFCI stock?

 

[davesl708]

I think you will find most stuff is getting shorter life expectancy to prompt repeat purchases. The NEC is designed to promote work for electricians. That is why it is constantly adding new requirements. You would think after >100 years of electrical wiring in houses they would have figured it out by now. Wait till you look at the latest code requirements.

 

[Rock knocker]

The NEC is designed to promote work for electricians. That is why it is constantly adding new requirements.

If you look at the code writing committees, you would see that most of them have nothing to do with labor, and many are professors, inspectors or manufacturers. Your assertion is just plain silly

Making claims based on a poorly written blog from Family Handyman magazine?

 

[davesl708]

If you look at the code writing committees, you would see that most of them have nothing to do with labor, and many are professors, inspectors or manufacturers. Your assertion is just plain silly

Making claims based on a poorly written blog from Family Handyman magazine?

Having Master Electricians in the family and having worked in the field myself does not make my assertion silly. Phd's are the last to have real world experience. NEMA has a very large influence in code. Local codes are not written by Phd's. They are written by politicians who are sponsored by business owners who have influence with NEMA as well.

 

[GregbkH]

As a Master Electrician, I find your statement completely absurd. As for the 100 plus years of house wiring........ News flash: Technology changes daily.

 

[davesl708]

As a Master Electrician, I find your statement completely absurd. As for the 100 plus years of house wiring........ News flash: Technology changes daily.

So does the quality of the products. Designing products for short life expectancy means more revenue.

 

[Gary Fowler]

So does the quality of the products. Designing products for short life expectancy means more revenue.

That has nothing to do with NEC. Poorly/cheaply made products are a result of our obsession for paying less for products which results in lower quality thus shorter lifespan. Sadly, in today's circle of life, paying more still doesn't always guarantee a better or longer lasting product even though lots of folks think it does and will pay a bigger price for something with a big name brand at a specialty store that much of the time is made in the same factory as the discounted item in the big box stores.
As GregbkH states, technology changes daily that sometimes makes our lives safer (sometimes not so much) so building Code requirements change to include new technology. However many of the changes in the Code are done to correct a mistake that cost someone their life. The same thing happens with the OSHA safety regulations, a change is usually the result of some persons unfortunate death.

 

[KennyG]

There is always a cost/benefit evaluation in designing products. It makes no sense to add cost to something to make it last 100 years when most people will replace it at 10 years. Safety products bring in a new factor. What is the acceptable failure rate? GFCIs have mechanical components and some will fail earlier than others. Is the lifespan when you would expect 10% to fail, 5% to fail or 1% to fail. I don't know the answer but those of us that work with industrial quality components know how much more expensive it is to design for higher reliability. There is probably a limited residential market for $25 to $50 GFCIs

 

[Rock knocker]

As a Master Electrician, I find your statement completely absurd. As for the 100 plus years of house wiring........ News flash: Technology changes daily.

But, but, but.....Dave has a MASTER ELECTRICIAN IN THE FAMILY

 

[jrclark]

The code may have been written by highly educated people who have little or no relevant field experience, but it's also enforced by an army of inspection personnel who have much less intelligence and far fewer qualifications. Honestly, how many times have the words "man that inspector really knows his stuff" ever been uttered on a job site.

All kidding aside, if you confirm the correct load/line wiring and test the GFCI outlets to make sure they work then why replace them?