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GFCI outlet troubleshooting cowboy67 03-10-2008
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Posted by cowboy67 on March 10, 2008, 6:44 pm
Howdy all,

I am looking for some info on troubleshooting a GFCI outlet. I have
two baths in my home. I believe they are both hooked to one GFCI. The
master bath has the outlet and it tripped and will not reset. I have
replaced the outlet and also replaced the 2nd bath with a GFCI outlet
but still not working.

I have gone to all the outlets in the house and the breaker box but
still no luck.

This is driving me crazier than I all ready am(LOL). Anyone have any
ideas as where to look?

Thanks in advance!


Jim

Real Goods Solar, Inc.
Posted by RBM on March 10, 2008, 7:12 pm

> Howdy all,
>
> I am looking for some info on troubleshooting a GFCI outlet. I have
> two baths in my home. I believe they are both hooked to one GFCI. The
> master bath has the outlet and it tripped and will not reset. I have
> replaced the outlet and also replaced the 2nd bath with a GFCI outlet
> but still not working.
>
> I have gone to all the outlets in the house and the breaker box but
> still no luck.
>
> This is driving me crazier than I all ready am(LOL). Anyone have any
> ideas as where to look?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
>
> Jim

The original gfci outlet had two sets of wires on it. The feed or line, and
the output or load. Be sure that you connect the wires properly. Loose the
second GFCI outlet and reinstall a standard duplex there. Once this is done,
check to see if the outlet resets. If not, you should be looking for another
outlet that is also protected by the first GFCI. Depending upon when the
house was built, it could be an outside outlet, a garage outlet, another
bathroom outlet, or a basement outlet. Once you've determined every outlet
protected by the original GFCI, you can disconnect each one, one at a time
until you find where the fault is



Posted by Charlie Bress on March 10, 2008, 8:23 pm

> Howdy all,
>
> I am looking for some info on troubleshooting a GFCI outlet. I have
> two baths in my home. I believe they are both hooked to one GFCI. The
> master bath has the outlet and it tripped and will not reset. I have
> replaced the outlet and also replaced the 2nd bath with a GFCI outlet
> but still not working.
>
> I have gone to all the outlets in the house and the breaker box but
> still no luck.
>
> This is driving me crazier than I all ready am(LOL). Anyone have any
> ideas as where to look?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
>
> Jim

It is also possible that the GFCI has failed. I had one fail a few months
ago.

Charlie



Posted by Tom Horne on March 10, 2008, 8:51 pm
cowboy67 wrote:
> Howdy all,
>
> I am looking for some info on troubleshooting a GFCI outlet. I have
> two baths in my home. I believe they are both hooked to one GFCI. The
> master bath has the outlet and it tripped and will not reset. I have
> replaced the outlet and also replaced the 2nd bath with a GFCI outlet
> but still not working.
>
> I have gone to all the outlets in the house and the breaker box but
> still no luck.
>
> This is driving me crazier than I all ready am (LOL). Anyone have any
> ideas as where to look?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
>
> Jim

When you replaced the first GFCI are you sure that you connected the
wires from the panel to the line terminals and no to the load terminals?
If even one of the wires is wrong the GFCI will not reset from the
tripped condition that it left the factory in. Also the new GFCIs take
a lot more pressure on the reset button then the old ones did in order
to reset them.

Since you now have two separate GFCIs I'd suggest that you wire nut a
pigtail to all of the hot wires and all of the white wires in the GFCI
outlet box then connect the pigtails to the line terminals only. Check
first to find any outlet that is now dead. If it's in a bathroom,
kitchen, garage, unfinished basement, or outdoors it will also need to
be a GFCI receptacle. Connect the white to the silver line terminal and
black to the brass line terminal. Do the same thing in the second bath
and at each place were a GFCI is needed. That way only a load connected
to the GFCI receptacle can trip it. Once you have done that if a GFCI
trips the reset will always be at the dead outlet.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

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