|
Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here.
|
|
|
|
If you were Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
|
Posted by Timur Tabi on July 26, 2008, 5:38 pm
I have a GFCI outlet installed in one room, and it shares the circuit
with two other outlets and two closet lights. Both closet lights have
the same kind of fixture and use the same kind of CF bulbs.
When I switch on one of the closet lights, the GFCI trips and power is
cut to all outlets and lights on that circuit. However, if I switch
on the other light, the GFCI does nothing and the light turns on.
I've examined the wiring for each closet switch, and they both look
identical. I'm not an electrician, however, so I'm not really
familiar with how the wiring works. I see green wires (ground), white
wires, and black wires. The black wires are connected to the light
switches, and the white wires are connected to each other. Each light
switch has three of each color. I presume one set comes from the
previous outlet/switch, another set goes to the next outlet/switch,
and the third goes to the bulb itself.
So I presume that light fixture in the closet is mis-wired. Can
someone tell me what to look for?
|
|
Posted by Nate Nagel on July 26, 2008, 5:44 pm
Timur Tabi wrote:
> I have a GFCI outlet installed in one room, and it shares the circuit
> with two other outlets and two closet lights. Both closet lights have
> the same kind of fixture and use the same kind of CF bulbs.
>
> When I switch on one of the closet lights, the GFCI trips and power is
> cut to all outlets and lights on that circuit. However, if I switch
> on the other light, the GFCI does nothing and the light turns on.
>
> I've examined the wiring for each closet switch, and they both look
> identical. I'm not an electrician, however, so I'm not really
> familiar with how the wiring works. I see green wires (ground), white
> wires, and black wires. The black wires are connected to the light
> switches, and the white wires are connected to each other. Each light
> switch has three of each color. I presume one set comes from the
> previous outlet/switch, another set goes to the next outlet/switch,
> and the third goes to the bulb itself.
>
> So I presume that light fixture in the closet is mis-wired. Can
> someone tell me what to look for?
black goes to the hot terminal, or the center terminal in the socket (if
it's an Edison base; I don't know about the new two-pin CFs.) White
goes to the neutral, or shell of the socket. Ground goes to the case.
Black and white should be touching nothing but what I mentioned above.
You *could* have a neutral fault to ground that wouldn't show up as
anything unusual to a circuit breaker, but would to a GFCI.
good luck
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
|
|
Posted by Dave on July 26, 2008, 8:04 pm
Swap the light bulb and see if the fault moves with it. Simple things first!
>I have a GFCI outlet installed in one room, and it shares the circuit
> with two other outlets and two closet lights. Both closet lights have
> the same kind of fixture and use the same kind of CF bulbs.
>
> When I switch on one of the closet lights, the GFCI trips and power is
> cut to all outlets and lights on that circuit. However, if I switch
> on the other light, the GFCI does nothing and the light turns on.
>
> I've examined the wiring for each closet switch, and they both look
> identical. I'm not an electrician, however, so I'm not really
> familiar with how the wiring works. I see green wires (ground), white
> wires, and black wires. The black wires are connected to the light
> switches, and the white wires are connected to each other. Each light
> switch has three of each color. I presume one set comes from the
> previous outlet/switch, another set goes to the next outlet/switch,
> and the third goes to the bulb itself.
>
> So I presume that light fixture in the closet is mis-wired. Can
> someone tell me what to look for?
|
|
Posted by RBM on July 26, 2008, 9:02 pm
>I have a GFCI outlet installed in one room, and it shares the circuit
> with two other outlets and two closet lights. Both closet lights have
> the same kind of fixture and use the same kind of CF bulbs.
>
> When I switch on one of the closet lights, the GFCI trips and power is
> cut to all outlets and lights on that circuit. However, if I switch
> on the other light, the GFCI does nothing and the light turns on.
>
> I've examined the wiring for each closet switch, and they both look
> identical. I'm not an electrician, however, so I'm not really
> familiar with how the wiring works. I see green wires (ground), white
> wires, and black wires. The black wires are connected to the light
> switches, and the white wires are connected to each other. Each light
> switch has three of each color. I presume one set comes from the
> previous outlet/switch, another set goes to the next outlet/switch,
> and the third goes to the bulb itself.
>
> So I presume that light fixture in the closet is mis-wired. Can
> someone tell me what to look for?
You may have a ground fault on the one light. You may also have an anomaly.
Why do you have a ground fault protecting closet lights in the first place?
|
|
Posted by David Nebenzahl on July 26, 2008, 9:12 pm
On 7/26/2008 6:02 PM RBM spake thus:
>
>>I have a GFCI outlet installed in one room, and it shares the circuit
>> with two other outlets and two closet lights. Both closet lights have
>> the same kind of fixture and use the same kind of CF bulbs.
>>
>> When I switch on one of the closet lights, the GFCI trips and power is
>> cut to all outlets and lights on that circuit. However, if I switch
>> on the other light, the GFCI does nothing and the light turns on.
>>
>> I've examined the wiring for each closet switch, and they both look
>> identical. I'm not an electrician, however, so I'm not really
>> familiar with how the wiring works. I see green wires (ground), white
>> wires, and black wires. The black wires are connected to the light
>> switches, and the white wires are connected to each other. Each light
>> switch has three of each color. I presume one set comes from the
>> previous outlet/switch, another set goes to the next outlet/switch,
>> and the third goes to the bulb itself.
>>
>> So I presume that light fixture in the closet is mis-wired. Can
>> someone tell me what to look for?
>
> You may have a ground fault on the one light. You may also have an anomaly.
> Why do you have a ground fault protecting closet lights in the first place?
Ackshooly, it's not clear that the lights, etc., are on the protected
side of the GFCI outlet.
OP, can you tell us exactly how this whole deal is wired? You say that
the GFCI outlet "shares the circuit" with two other outlets and two
lights. This could mean one of two things:
1. That it "shares the circuit" in that everything is connected to the
same circuit (i.e., connected to the same breaker in your service
panel), but that the two other outlets and lights are *not* protected by
the GFCI outlet.
2. That everything (the two extra outlets and two lights) are protected
by the GFCI.
How to tell? Simple: the GFCI has two sets of terminals, one labeled
"Line", the other "Load". If these other things (outlets and lights) are
connected to the "Load" terminals, then they're protected by the GFCI.
If not, then they're not.
This'll help a lot in diagnosing your problem.
--
"Wikipedia ... it reminds me ... of dogs barking idiotically through
endless nights. It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it.
It drags itself out of the dark abyss of pish, and crawls insanely up
the topmost pinnacle of posh. It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and
doodle. It is balder and dash."
- With apologies to H. L. Mencken
|
Page 1 of 2 1 2 > last >>
| Similar Threads | Posted | | Fridge and GFCI trips | July 9, 2008, 10:19 pm |
| Re: Fridge and GFCI trips | July 12, 2008, 12:43 am |
| Bathroom fan trips GFCI which doesn't protect it | December 23, 2007, 4:03 pm |
| Need help - My range trips the breaker if I touch the indictator light | February 17, 2008, 12:46 pm |
| Why won't this light turn on? | March 5, 2006, 11:22 am |
| How to turn on a light switch? | July 12, 2008, 1:20 pm |
| Why Bathroom Outlet Is Dead When I Turn Off the Light? | October 26, 2007, 12:51 pm |
| Yard Light dont turn on in Cold weather | October 12, 2007, 6:07 pm |
| pool light GFCI | July 27, 2005, 12:44 pm |
| GFCI In Line on Fan & Light Switch | September 4, 2006, 12:56 pm |
|
|
|
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap