Jason-

You may be aware of this, but just remember to not try to run several high wattage appliances off the power strip at the same time, since you will still be limited in total watts to whatever the in-wall wiring can support before you trip a breaker. A 14 gauge circuit is protected by a 15 amp breaker, and can handle a total of about 1800 watts, while a 12 gauge circuit will be protected by a 20 amp breaker and can handle about 2400 watts. A toaster and a microwave could demand a total of, perhaps, 3000 watts if both are used at the same time.

Thanks! @Ron - I'm wondering, if the outlet i'm plugging into is GFCI protected, wouldn't that make any power strip I plug into it GFCI protected too?

Anything plugged into a GFCI outlet is protected, whether it's plugged in directly or plugged into an extension cord or power strip.

Yes, Kudzu is right.

"Anything plugged into a GFCI outlet is protected"

"Anything" is too absolute a term.

"Anything" with a transformer will not be GFCI protected on the load side of the transformer. I have seen. Many sprinkler control boxes and outdoor lighting controls that are plugged into a GFCI, where the owners have wrongly assumed that the load side wiring is therefore GFCI protected as well.

Fred-

1. I'll admit that's news to me. Can you give more of a technical explanation about that?

2. For the purposes of the OP, the use of a power strip doesn't change anything as it it essentially an extension cord. So would you would agree with this revised statement?: "Anything plugged into a power strip that is connected to a GFCI outlet has the same protection it would have as when it is directly plugged into the GFCI receptacle." I gave the original response I did because it appeared the OP wanted to make sure he wasn't losing anything by having a power strip plugged in to the GFCI receptacle.

3. Lastly, do you agree that any typical device running off a transformer is going to be dc powered and, thus, not pose a significant shock hazard to the user?

I don't wish to argue with you on this. I just want to make sure we all understand the full import of what you are saying.

1) a transformer, sometimes called an isolating transformer, does not "share" a current from the line side to load side. There can be a ground fault on the load side, and the current on the line side will still follow its normal path and not trip a GFCI.

2) It is normally correct, but so was your original statement.

3) "Lastly, do you agree that any typical device running off a transformer is going to be dc powered and, thus, not pose a significant shock hazard to the user?" --- NOT EVEN CLOSE.

A transformer does not change the current from AC to DC. For practical purposes, the current on the load side will match the hertz, wave form, and every little power surge (proportionately) that the line side has. Doorbells, sprinkler systems, and normal landscape lighting are all AC, just lower voltage.

Per the distance requirements in the NEC for both low voltage and line voltage lighting around swimming pools, a 120V GFCI protected luminaire can be closer than a standard low voltage system.... because the low voltage is not as safe.

If you study pools and spas (680.22), and low voltage lighting (411), you will see that a 120 volt, GFCI protected luminaire can be closer to a swimming pool than normal low voltage landscape lighting. This is because low voltage lighting has its own unsafe drawbacks due to the transformer. The breaker will not trip if the current is shorted to ground on the load side like a standard 120V circuit would, and it will not trip a GFCI either. There are some special transformer/control boxes that can be used for low voltage lighting closer to swimming pools. They basically have their own separate over-current/short circuit protection integrated into the unit for the load side, along with load a load side GFCI.

Thanks. What I meant by "any typical device" was in the context of this thread: devices powered by transformers that one would typically expect to be plugged in in the kitchen, like a cell phone charger, a home base for a wieless phone system, a digital picture frame, an Amazon Echo device, etc.

Here is a "typical" transformer for "typical" under cabinet lights bought by a "typical" homeowner" at a "typical" big box store, that are "typically" sold with a plug on the end of the cord, and meant to plug into a receptacle which will "typically" be a countertop receptacle even though lighting is not supposed to be on that circuit by code.

It is not DC, nor would it matter if the body of water was a swimming pool or a sink to the electrons going through your body. The only difference is the likelihood of how much of your skin is wet, and how well grounded your body would "typically" be in each situation.

DC vs AC does not make any difference worth talking about. I know a few people who have been lucky to get away with just severely branding themselves (severely/permanently burnt skin) with a 12V DC car battery, and slight disruption of heartbeat.