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I bought a snow thrower with 13.5A power. One area of my house is close to a GFCI outlet but the other side of the house is not. It's just a regular outlet. So I am not sure it can be safe to use with the normal outlet.

Addition Info: The Model is Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 13.5 AMP Electric Snow Thrower with Light - SJ621

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3 Answers 3

I think your question is about safely using your snow blower with a non-GFI protected outlet. As a rule of thumb, any appliance used outdoors should be plugged into a GFI outlet. In your case specifically, I think you will find that your snow blower handles and controls are well insulated electrically from the source voltage and motor. The case is probably all plastic. The risk of shock is very low, but possible if you were handling the base unit for some reason. The proper answer would then be to always use a GFI protected power source for all items used outdoors.

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If you check the electrical department at your local home center you can purchase a portable GFI. It looks like a small extension cord with a box mounted between the plugs. It will protect you while using the snowthrower. It will offer protection while connecting the snow blower to the power cord, however you will not be protected while plugging the portable GFI into the power outlet. Use common sense while making this connection, don't stand in water,dry hands, etc.

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Good call. I own two of them I use on job sites all the time. –  shirlock homes Nov 11 '12 at 23:28

You can use a GFCI outlet adapter to get ground fault protection from a normal outlet. That's what I would advise for anything that mixes moisture with electricity.

Of course the risk of shock is low as long as you're not pouring water on the machine, but the whole point of GFCI outlets is to protect your life in the unlikely event that a ground fault forms. I wouldn't consider using an electric appliance around snow without one. Particularly if you have salt on the ground—that will melt snow and the salinity will increase the conductivity of puddles.

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