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Simple Q - wiring GFI Mamba 11-26-2007
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Posted by Mamba on November 26, 2007, 4:13 pm
Well, having wired several of these in the past, I am embarrassed to say
that I don't know why my current setup won't work.

I have a 20 amp circuit shared by several switched lights and a couple of
outlets. The load on this circuit is minimal. I recently added a new
outlet to this circuit, just upstream of a switched light. So the circuit
goes to the outlet, then to the light switch.

When I originally added the outlet, I used a standard outlet, and everything
worked great. This past weekend I decided that the outlet should have been
a GFI (damp basement, etc), and pulled the existing outlet and replaced it
with a new 15A GFI. I wired the supply wires to Line, and the
wires-to-the-light-switch to Load. (black wires to gold screws, white wires
to silver). The GFI lit up (the green indcator glowed), and I had juice on
both of the GFI plugs. The GFI test/reset buttons appeared to work
correctly. However, I had no juice going to my light switch. The hot wire
on the GFI Load connector appeared to have juice on my pencil style tester,
but the switch did not turn on the lights.

So I figured I must have messed up the light switch while playing around.
Hard to imagine, but I replaced it anyways, also with a new one. Still no
luck.
I ended up pulling the GFI and putting the original outlet back, and
everything works fine again.

Any clues as to why my "downstream" switch won't work when the GFI is in
place?

BrkrBox -----------> Outlet -------------> Switch -----------> Lights



Posted by Jeff Wisnia on November 26, 2007, 3:42 pm
Mamba wrote:

> Well, having wired several of these in the past, I am embarrassed to say
> that I don't know why my current setup won't work.
>
> I have a 20 amp circuit shared by several switched lights and a couple of
> outlets. The load on this circuit is minimal. I recently added a new
> outlet to this circuit, just upstream of a switched light. So the circuit
> goes to the outlet, then to the light switch.
>
> When I originally added the outlet, I used a standard outlet, and everything
> worked great. This past weekend I decided that the outlet should have been
> a GFI (damp basement, etc), and pulled the existing outlet and replaced it
> with a new 15A GFI. I wired the supply wires to Line, and the
> wires-to-the-light-switch to Load. (black wires to gold screws, white wires
> to silver). The GFI lit up (the green indcator glowed), and I had juice on
> both of the GFI plugs. The GFI test/reset buttons appeared to work
> correctly. However, I had no juice going to my light switch. The hot wire
> on the GFI Load connector appeared to have juice on my pencil style tester,
> but the switch did not turn on the lights.
>
> So I figured I must have messed up the light switch while playing around.
> Hard to imagine, but I replaced it anyways, also with a new one. Still no
> luck.
> I ended up pulling the GFI and putting the original outlet back, and
> everything works fine again.
>
> Any clues as to why my "downstream" switch won't work when the GFI is in
> place?
>
> BrkrBox -----------> Outlet -------------> Switch -----------> Lights
>
>

Almost impossible for me to believe that the GFI outlet itself was
defective, but it sure looks like that's the most likely answer.

Any chance of your springing for another GFI outlet and trying again?

Too bad you didn't have a conventional analog multimeter with two leads
on it that you could have used to see if there was voltage between the
black and white wires on the Load side of the GFI. Those pencil style
testers can mislead you real good.

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.


Posted by Jeff on November 26, 2007, 5:49 pm
Is there a jumper between the screws on both the hot and neutral side.
There also should be another hot connector that is downstream hot can be
wired to if you want GFI protection downstream as well.


> Well, having wired several of these in the past, I am embarrassed to say
> that I don't know why my current setup won't work.
>
> I have a 20 amp circuit shared by several switched lights and a couple of
> outlets. The load on this circuit is minimal. I recently added a new
> outlet to this circuit, just upstream of a switched light. So the circuit
> goes to the outlet, then to the light switch.
>
> When I originally added the outlet, I used a standard outlet, and
> everything
> worked great. This past weekend I decided that the outlet should have
> been
> a GFI (damp basement, etc), and pulled the existing outlet and replaced it
> with a new 15A GFI. I wired the supply wires to Line, and the
> wires-to-the-light-switch to Load. (black wires to gold screws, white
> wires
> to silver). The GFI lit up (the green indcator glowed), and I had juice
> on
> both of the GFI plugs. The GFI test/reset buttons appeared to work
> correctly. However, I had no juice going to my light switch. The hot
> wire
> on the GFI Load connector appeared to have juice on my pencil style
> tester,
> but the switch did not turn on the lights.
>
> So I figured I must have messed up the light switch while playing around.
> Hard to imagine, but I replaced it anyways, also with a new one. Still no
> luck.
> I ended up pulling the GFI and putting the original outlet back, and
> everything works fine again.
>
> Any clues as to why my "downstream" switch won't work when the GFI is in
> place?
>
> BrkrBox -----------> Outlet -------------> Switch -----------> Lights
>
>



Posted by Doug Miller on November 26, 2007, 7:28 pm
>Is there a jumper between the screws on both the hot and neutral side.

Not on a GFCI receptacle.

>There also should be another hot connector that is downstream hot can be
>wired to if you want GFI protection downstream as well.

That's what he means when he talks about wiring to the Load connectors on the
GFCI.

I agree with Jeff Wisnia: sounds like the OP has a defective GFCI.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Posted by RBM on November 26, 2007, 8:21 pm
Sounds like a bad unit. Just be sure you didn't transpose the line and load
neutrals


> Well, having wired several of these in the past, I am embarrassed to say
> that I don't know why my current setup won't work.
>
> I have a 20 amp circuit shared by several switched lights and a couple of
> outlets. The load on this circuit is minimal. I recently added a new
> outlet to this circuit, just upstream of a switched light. So the circuit
> goes to the outlet, then to the light switch.
>
> When I originally added the outlet, I used a standard outlet, and
> everything
> worked great. This past weekend I decided that the outlet should have
> been
> a GFI (damp basement, etc), and pulled the existing outlet and replaced it
> with a new 15A GFI. I wired the supply wires to Line, and the
> wires-to-the-light-switch to Load. (black wires to gold screws, white
> wires
> to silver). The GFI lit up (the green indcator glowed), and I had juice
> on
> both of the GFI plugs. The GFI test/reset buttons appeared to work
> correctly. However, I had no juice going to my light switch. The hot
> wire
> on the GFI Load connector appeared to have juice on my pencil style
> tester,
> but the switch did not turn on the lights.
>
> So I figured I must have messed up the light switch while playing around.
> Hard to imagine, but I replaced it anyways, also with a new one. Still no
> luck.
> I ended up pulling the GFI and putting the original outlet back, and
> everything works fine again.
>
> Any clues as to why my "downstream" switch won't work when the GFI is in
> place?
>
> BrkrBox -----------> Outlet -------------> Switch -----------> Lights
>
>



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