I'm trying to install a GFI in my kitchen. I also have a florescent light over my sink, So I've put the GFI and it's two outlets in the box and a single switch next to it. I've followed two sets of instructions, one that came with the Leviton product and another online. I've put the black and white wires matching on the same side as the line connections. I've also tried pigtailing the connections but with the same resultant electrical path. Both blow the breaker and with a flash and a bang. I check my resistance , after segregating the power of course and get high resistance between black and white when the switch is off but short circuit when it's on. My best guess is that these ballasts are inductively coupled. what I don't understand however is that if I plug the ballast straight in an extension cord, it works fine. The GFI appears to be the device that causes the short. Any suggestions or insights other than getting my light off that GFI breaker ?
Old Style Florescent Ballast On Load Sid of GFI Tripping Breaker
Aug 22, 2020
4 Replies
It can't be inductive coupling if it's tripping the circuit breaker. It has to be wired incorrectly or far less likely, the GFCI is shorted. The black should go from the switch to the GFCI line side, the neutral to the line side, then the light should be connected on the output side. If that trips the breaker, then just temporarily remove the new GFCI and connect what was on the line side to the load side on both the black and white side. What happens then? If that trips the breaker, then it's your wiring. If it doesn't then the GFCI must be defective.
What was there before? A receptacle? If it was a receptacle, to get everything on the GFCI would require some re-wiring. Also, there is no need for the light to be on the GFCI. You could wire that direct to the switch, with just the receptacle and anything else downstream, eg other receptacles, on the GFCI.
It sounds like the last solution would be the thing to do. GFCI and fluorescent lighting don't mix.
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The lights have capacitors that discharge through the neutrals.
Joe-
That is the way switches work. It sounds like you have the switch wired in parallel with the line, rather than in series with the line.
Suppose you connect the black switch wire to the line's black wire, and the white switch wire to the light's black wire. The light's white wire would connect to the line's white wire.
Fred
That would be a problem too, but it would trip the GFCI, but he says it trips the *breaker* with a bang and a flash. Now that I think about it, what exactly does that mean? I've never seen a breaker trip with a bang and flash. Nor a GFCI, if that's what is really tripping.
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