Yet Another GFCI Problem

I borrowed a GFCI tester to test a GFCI receptacle in my house that was a bit too sensitive to my liking. Here is what I found

1) I could trigger the GFCI from a downstream receptacle , so far so good 2) I could not trigger the GF from the GFCI receptacle , not good

Figuring the receptacle was at fault, I purchased a new Leviton GFCI. Hooked it up the *EXACTLY* way the old one was wired (2 load pairs, 1 line pair) and when I turn the circuit breaker back on, the new GFCI did not work and It could not be reset with the reset button. The Leviton's have this feature that keeps the receptacle disabled if it is not hooked up properly, but I doubled check that I had the wiring the way it was so I'm guessing it was originally set up incorrectly or the Leviton was DOA out of the box.

I checked all the other GFCI circuits in my house and 1 other one exhibited the same behavior. I am not surprised since I was the first owner of this 5 year old house and IIRC I had a couple of other electrical related problems that the builder had to correct when I first moved in.

Any detail guesses what is wrong?

thxs

Reply to
Sir Topham Hatt
Loading thread data ...

Sounds like it is wired wrong. Separate all of the wires from the GFI. You need to determine which is the feed hot wire and neutral. Once you know that connect them to the proper terminals on the GFI. Then turn on the juice and see if it operates correctly. If it does, then connect the load wires to the proper terminals and check again to see if it operates correctly..

Reply to
John Grabowski

yeah wired wrong, consider yourself lucky you found it.

I would check or get inspected the entire electrical system in case there are more no GFCI issues in your home

Reply to
hallerb

The testers and the button test the GFCI differently.

You may have ground connected between the GFCI and downstream but not between the GFCI and the breaker box. An outlet tester will help make that determination.

formatting link
See second paragraph this page
formatting link

Reply to
PipeDown

I had the same problem a while ago - I think it was the same brand. It was the wiring, I had to keep trying different combinations until it worked. A real pain in the ass.

Reply to
Kurt Gavin

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.