Just got done changing out a GFI outlet on the box next to my pool. It looks like everything is working okay, but the circuit tester indicates an open nuetral. Anything I need to look for or can I safely ignore it?
Have you plugged anything in the socket that uses a reasonable ammount of current and does it work ?
If it works, the neutral can not be open and the tester is wrong.
If it does not work, the neutral can be open and you have not wired it correctly, assuming it was wired correctly to start with.
I don't know how the tester reacts to a switched ground and neutral, ie if it can detect it or not. But you could wire an outlet, connecting the ground instead of the neutral and it would pass the above test, but still not be correct. Doubt a cheap tester is going to find that though.
I'd also try the tester in some other outlets.
I plugged in the pool cover pump and it worked. That is probably the thing that draws the most current of things I plug in there. Does that qualify? The only other thing would be edger. Would that be a better test?
It worked for 20+ years and I moved the wires from the old one to the new one individually so it should be okay.
Circuit tester. You mean the thing that plugs in, and has three bulbs?
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I plugged in the pool cover pump and it worked. That is probably the thing that draws the most current of things I plug in there. Does that qualify? The only other thing would be edger. Would that be a better test?
*Assuming that it is wired correctly, check to make sure that the ground wire is not touching the neutral terminal.
What does the tester do on other outlets? What kind of tester is it? The kind with the 3 lights? I don't see how that kind of simple tester could show a missing neutral and have the outlet work, which it obviously does. The GFCI and outlet would work with the ground and neutral reversed upstream of the GFCI. However I don't see how the basic 3 light tester would figure that out.
If the tester does the same thing on outlets on other circuits, then it's a bad tester. If not, then we have a mystery.....
The pool pump is fine to run the test. I was thinking something very low, like a clock.
As others mentioned, I was thinking the tester you are using is one of the 3 light bulb types. If it works correctly in other outlets, I don't see how it can show an open neutral.
One other thing to check is plug the tester into both sides of the outlet. If it works in one and shows open on the other side, your pump will probably only work on one side. This may mean the connection strip is broken on the neutral side.
If the outlet works, it's wired properly. Go to the hardware store and buy another tester. They're under $10. If that one shows the same defect, something is wired wrong, such as reversing the hot and the neutral wires. Hot should go to gold screws, neutral to silver ones. GFI boxes normally show the correct wiring. I suspect the tester is bad. If it's not the tester, you can always give the spare tester as a gift. I can guarantee that if the neutral was open, nothing would operate on that outlet. (unless you got the ground wire connected to the neutral screw, which is unlikely since the ground is either bare or green, and you'd have to almost do it intentionally).
This apparently solved the problem. It shows open neutrals on three other circuits on three different floors of the house. So, apparently sometime in the 3 months since I used it last, something broke. Thanks to all for the help.
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