Wiring GFCI help

[The dude]

I have a 30+ year old house. I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink

This is what I have to work with From the breaker box

Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral

Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through

4 outlets

Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing)

I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok.

Any suggestions??

[Mikepier]

The problem is on the "Load" side of the GFI outlet. You attached the red and neutral going to the next outlet, however the neutral is also feeding the #3 &4 outlets. Since only the nuetral is GFI Protected, but not the black wire, it senses a current imbalance and trips. There are 2 ways to correct this.

1) Run a seperate neutral wire from outlet #1 to outlet #2 ( probably hard to do if walls are closed) Or maybe easier: 2) Connect GFI on outlet #1, but nothing on Load side, and connect another GFI on outlet #2 again with nothing on load side. This leaves the black circuit by itself.

[RBM]

As Mikepier suggested, don't connect anything to the load side of any GFCI. You have an Edison circuit, which makes things a little more complicated. Wherever you want a GFCI outlet, remove the existing outlet, splice the neutral wires together with a pigtail to the GFCI and if there is more than one hot wire on the existing outlet, splice them together also with a pigtail to the new GFCI

[The dude]

I cannot run a second neutral wire.

So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2. What do you mean by not using the load side?

[trader4]

The load side of a GFCI is used when you want that GFCI to not only protect that outlet, but also other outlets. The other outlets are connected to the load side of the one GFCI.

The easiest solution to your Edison circuit problem is to just use two GFCIs in the two outlets and NOT use the load side.

[Mikepier]

If you look on the back of a GFI outlet, the top terminals are labeled "LINE" and the bottom terminals are labeled "LOAD". The incoming feed goes to "LINE", then usually to feed another circuit, you connect the outgoing feed to "LOAD". This means any outlet downstream is protected. So if the GFI tripped, the downstream outlets would be dead also. However your situation is different. You have to basically install the GFI's as stand alone outlets, not feeding other outlets. But continue feeding the other outlets by just wire nutting in the box.

[The dude]

OK

I see now.

Thanks

[Blattus Slafaly]

Why would you ever ever want downstream outlets dead too?

[The dude]

I installed these as stand alone outlets. Everyyhing works perfect now Thanks

[Mike S.]

So you have more protected outlets using less GFCIs

[DerbyDad03]

re: Why would you ever ever want downstream outlets dead too?

I have 3 receptacles in my garage. The "first" is a GFCI, the other 2 are on the load side.

I can use any (or all) receptacle and have protection at each one.

In my basement bathroom, I have a light fixture over the shower stall. It is on the load side of the GFCI, just in case...

[Mikepier]

Actually I think it is required by code that any light or fan inside the shower must be on a GFI.

[DerbyDad03]

Yes I believe it is.

What I meant was just to show another reason for using the load side of the GFCI. The "just in case" was the reason - just in case someone comes in contact with the fixture (and it's hot, etc.)