Comments by "SmallSpoonBrigade" (@SmallSpoonBrigade) on "How Japan Made Their Outlet Safe" video.

@Lam Also, keep in mind that GFCI doesn't provide any protection against arc faults, hence the more recent AFCI breakers that will probably be standard in the US in the future. From what I understand, they're still not super reliable about false positives, but they should create safety that GFCI just doesn't in areas that don't have water.
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@jovetj That's wrong. You can potentially use an ungrounded GFCI because many devices only have 2 prongs to begin with and for those there is probably no real difference. However, for 3 prong devices, they may well not have another layer of insulation, so that lack of a ground pin is a very big deal. So, to say that GFCIs don't need to care is a load of crap, they only don't need to care if they don't have a 3rd place for the ground pin to go. You're risking getting shocked as it does take a longer period of time for the power to shut down coming through the outlet than it does for current to be diverted down a ground. If you need GFCI protection, you also need the protection that comes from a properly installed ground unless the outlet only takes 2 pronged devices. Which is really the only reason they have been able to get away with that. Their stuff is double insulated and is used/installed generally with the understanding that there is no ground to rely on if something goes wrong.
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A detail that he failed to mention is that devices with a ground are often single insulated, whereas ones with only 2 prongs are typically double insulated to make it that much less likely that you'd be shocked by them. Even in the US where it's standard for outlets to have 3 prongs, a good chunk of the stuff we plug into those outlets has only 2 prongs. Probably for the same reason that most of our stuff has the ability to run on 115/230v an 50/60hz, a good chunk of the stuff these days is designed to work anywhere in the world with as few modifications as possible.
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@jovetj Why would they be? Japan uses basically the same power standard as the US and Canada do, at least with respect to amperage and voltage, and most modern electronics are designed to handle both 50 and 60hz. Anything in any of those countries with just 2 plugs is supposed to be double insulated as there's no ground to direct stray current to other than through the body.
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@tirkentube A GFCI breaker will cut power to everything on that circuit. A GFCI outlet will cut power to everything past that point. If for some reason you want to have it just protect itself, there's normally a place to connect the wires so that they bypass the outlet on their way to the next outlet. That's not necessarily something that's always a big deal, as sometimes you just want that one to throw and let the rest remain on, and sometimes you really do want to throw all of them. If for some reason, you're using the same power to light the overhead lights in a bathroom, you probably want the lights to bypass the GFCI as you don't want to be left stumbling around in what could well be a puddle of water after the GFCI triggered.
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@adriankoch964 It's a stupid design decision. In the US, anything that has only 2 prongs is supposed to be double insulated to protect against shocks. Things with a 3rd prong don't require the extra insulation as the ground should intercept any of that current and direct it out of the building via the ground wire. Having GFCI is nice, but it doesn't protect against shocks as the video indicates, so you still need the extra insulation if you don't have the ground. In the US, GFCI is typically required in the locations that are most likely to benefit from them, mostly kitchens, bathrooms, garages and other areas likely to have moisture. You can install GFCI berakers if you like, but then you have issues related to figuring out where the fault was that triggered it, when the more typical US practice is to just include the GFCI at the outlet which helps greatly in terms of figuring out which one did it. The one that makes a bigger difference is AFCI, and that is still coming, but that protects against far bigger concerns related to arc faults that can lead to fires. As far as earthquakes go, that's BS, the west coast of the US regularly gets earthquakes and the likelihood of having any power coming in when none can get out is a rarity, to say the least, assuming it's even possible.
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It kills power to the entire circuit, that won't usually cut power to the whole house, but it's enough to be really annoying as now you've got not just one outlet to check, but possibly all of the outlets on that circuit and you can't just walk up and look to see if there's a light and some incriminating object next to it like you would if they were putting GFCI into the outlets.
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@ I missed the word central. Yes, if it's central, it's going to cut the power to everything. That sort of thing is why it's best to think a bit about whether everything needs to be behind the same GFCI circuitry. Personally, I keep a thermometer in the refrigerator to help me know if it's been unplugged too long, but it would be nice to have something to warn me if that's the case. If I ever add GFCI protection to that circuit. Which isn't a priority as the outlet for that is well away from water sources and at eye level.
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@thedavesofourlives1 One of the nice things about GFCI is that it's something that's often times easy to retrofit without being an electrician. It just requires the ability to replace the impacted outlets with GFCI ones, assuming you've got the necessary 3 wires to do it. If I understood correctly, for best results AFCI really wants to be in the circuit breaker and that's likely best done by an electrician, especially if you're breaker box is like mine and lacks a method of powering it down.
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