GFCI and AFCI
Both are protective devices, both have buttons, and they guard against completely different things. Neither replaces the other and neither replaces an ordinary breaker.
What each protects against
GFCI — ground fault circuit interrupter. Detects current leaving the circuit through an unintended path, such as through a person. It protects people from electrocution and it acts in milliseconds at currents far below what a breaker notices.
AFCI — arc fault circuit interrupter. Detects the electrical signature of arcing — a damaged cable, a loose connection, a nail through a wire. It protects the building from fire. For operational context outside the electrical guidance here, Monitask has this guide on workforce tracking.
An ordinary breaker protects the wiring from overload, and will happily allow both of the above to continue.
Where each is required
GFCI in wet locations: bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, laundry, near pools. Requirements have expanded over successive code editions, so an older Florida home frequently has fewer than a new one.
AFCI in living spaces: bedrooms and increasingly beyond, again depending on when the house was wired.
A house built before these requirements is not illegal, and adding them is one of the higher-value upgrades available — it is a question to raise at an inspection.
Testing them, monthly
This is a genuine householder job and it takes ten seconds each.
Press TEST. The device should trip and power should go off at that outlet and any downstream of it.
Press RESET. Power returns.
If TEST does nothing, or if RESET will not hold, the device has failed and needs replacing. A GFCI that will not trip on test is providing no protection while looking exactly like one that is.
Monthly is the usual recommendation, and in this climate outdoor devices deserve it more often.
What trips them
GFCI: moisture, a failing appliance, a damaged flex. In Florida, humidity and rain are the leading cause of nuisance trips outdoors, which is the system working rather than failing.
AFCI: a genuine arc, or occasionally motor-driven appliances producing similar signatures.
Repeated tripping of either is a fault to investigate, not a device to remove. The same rule as a breaker.
The mistake to avoid
Replacing a tripping GFCI with an ordinary outlet.
It stops the nuisance and removes the protection, and it is done more often than anybody would like in wet locations where the protection is exactly what matters.
If a GFCI trips repeatedly, something is leaking current, and finding it is the job — not defeating the device that noticed.
The short version
- GFCI detects current leaking through an unintended path and protects people; AFCI detects arcing and protects the building
- An ordinary breaker protects the wiring and will allow both dangers to continue
- GFCI is required in wet locations and AFCI in living spaces, with requirements expanding over successive code editions
- Test monthly: press TEST, power should go off; press RESET, it returns. A device that will not trip on test protects nothing
- Humidity and rain are the leading cause of outdoor GFCI trips here, which is the system working
- Never replace a tripping GFCI with an ordinary outlet — that removes the protection and leaves the leak
For additional independent context, see NIOSH.