[Tessa Lane]

I was about to trim the edges of my lawn this morning and the grass was still wet from the sprinklers. My extension cord has a little reset button on it, but I’m not sure if that’s the same as a GFCI. The manual just says to use one but doesn’t explain what it actually does. I don’t want to get zapped over some weeds. Can someone explain what the heck a GFCI is supposed to do?

[Mike Harry]

The reset button on your cord might be a GFCI already if it’s one of those bulky plug ends with test and reset buttons. I’ve got a couple of those and they trip pretty easily if any moisture gets in, which is kind of the point I guess. But here’s where I’ll go against the grain a bit. I don’t bother with mine for quick trim jobs in damp grass. If the cord is in good shape and I’m not standing in a puddle, I just run it. Been doing that for years without issue. That said, my neighbor damn near lit himself up with a cheap cord that had a cracked end, so a lot of it comes down to the condition of your cord more than anything. My personal preference is just to keep my cords stored indoors and check the ends before I plug in. That’s the habit I actually stick to. The GFCI thing is fine if you’ve got it, but I’m not going out of my way for one.

[Sara Beast]

The reset button on the cord is not automatically the same thing, so I would not trust that alone. A GFCI cuts power fast when current starts leaking somewhere it shouldn’t, like through wet grass and you. Mine has tripped a few times in damp conditions and it was annoying but I was glad it did.

[Mike Steel]

If that reset button is on the plug head itself, odds are it’s a GFCI. Mine has one and it’s saved me a couple times when water got where it shouldn’t. The manual says to use one because the thing cuts power before it can cook you. Skip it and you’re gambling on luck.

[Hannah B.]

I just wouldn’t run the trimmer while the grass is that wet. GFCI or not, it’s one of those things that isn’t worth finding out about the hard way.

[Mike38]

I just swap to a battery trimmer when the grass is wet. Not because of the shock risk exactly, I just got tired of dragging a cord through mud and wet clippings. For the corded stuff I only bother when it’s dry.

[L_Parker]

A GFCI is basically there to trip before the current can do anything nasty to you, so it’s not just some gimmick. My take is the opposite of swapping to a battery trimmer, though. I’ve used a corded one in wet grass for years and the GFCI has never once tripped on me, so I just keep the plug end out of puddles and get on with it.

[Kate 87]

I always thought those little buttons on the cord were the same thing too until someone told me they aren’t always. Mine has the test and reset buttons right on the plug head and it’s tripped a few times when things got wet, so I figure that one is the real deal. Without it I probably wouldn’t be running a cord tool on soggy grass at all.

[emily_r]

It trips when current leaks to ground.

[Mike Turner]

Wet grass plus a corded trimmer is exactly the situation where I don’t care what the manual says, I’m plugging into a GFCI outlet. Those little reset buttons on cords can be a GFCI or can just be a cheap breaker, and the difference matters when you’re standing in a puddle. Mine has tripped more than once from damp ground and I’m still here to complain about it.

[Daniele Rossi]

The little reset button is usually a GFCI built into the cord, so you probably already have one. I still wouldn’t mess with a corded trimmer on soaked grass though. That’s why I switched to battery for the edges.

[Tom Briggs]

Mine has the little buttons on the cord end too, and it has tripped a few times over the years when things got sloppy out there. That tells me it’s doing something, but a wet yard is still a wet yard. I just wait an hour or trim later in the day now.

[Luis_A91]

The whole point of the GFCI is that it’s watching for current going somewhere it shouldn’t, like through you or through wet grass, and it cuts power fast enough that you hopefully just get a scare instead of a real shock. A regular breaker protects the wiring, not you, which is the part that took me a while to actually get. I’ve had one trip on me a couple times when I was doing stuff outside and it was annoying at the moment, but I’d rather reset a button than find out the hard way. That said, I’m with you on not wanting to get zapped over weeds. If I’m doing anything corded around wet grass I just plug into the outlet with the buttons and deal with the occasional trip.

[Mike in NYC]

It’s not just about getting zapped, it’s about the current path. If you’re standing on wet grass and something goes wrong, you become the easiest path to ground. The GFCI’s whole job is to cut power before that path through you becomes a problem.

[Jess Carter]

A reset button isn’t automatically GFCI.

[Jackson_H]

That little button doesn’t always mean GFCI.

[Liam Cross]

The button on the cord could just be a reset for the breaker in the plug, so it’s not automatically the same thing. I’d check the little label near the plug end before trusting it. If it doesn’t actually say GFCI somewhere on there, I’d treat it as not one.

[Mar__kus]

If it has a reset button, look for the letters GFCI on the housing. If it doesn’t say that, assume it’s just a regular cord and don’t trust it near wet grass. I’ve had one cord where the button was only for a built in breaker and it did nothing for ground faults.

[LauTop]

I’ve got one of those cords with the reset button too and I always assumed it was the same thing until I actually looked at it. Mine says “GFCI” right on the plug head, small letters near the test button. So it can be the real deal, but only if the label actually says so. The button alone doesn’t tell you much.

What made it click for me was thinking about it like a leak detector. Normal breakers trip when there’s too much current. A GFCI trips when current is escaping somewhere it shouldn’t, which is basically what happens when a wet cord touches you or the ground. Doesn’t take much to trigger it either.

That said, I still don’t trim wet grass. Not because I think the cord won’t do its job, I just don’t see the point. Waiting an hour costs nothing and the grass isn’t going anywhere. The GFCI is a backup, not a reason to push it.

[Ben Harlow]

It’s a safety switch, not magic.

[Jess Runner]

I’d just wait for the grass to dry.

[Nina K.]

Eh, I wouldn’t rely on a reset button as proof of anything. Half the cords out there have one and it’s just for the plug, not the person holding the trimmer. What a GFCI actually does is cut power the second current starts leaking somewhere it shouldn’t, like through you standing in wet grass. That’s the whole point of it.

[Nina_gadget]

A GFCI is supposed to cut the power fast if electricity starts leaking somewhere it shouldn’t, like through you or wet grass. That little reset button on its own doesn’t tell me much, so I’d rather use a cord or outlet that actually says GFCI on it. I keep a short GFCI adapter plugged in for anything outdoors and it’s been simple enough.

[Tessa Lane]

Fine, I’ll just wait for the grass to dry.

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