Do you have a GFCI receptacle that does not work anymore? In this video I explain how to test your GFCI receptacle to determine why it isn't working, and how to replace a faulty GFCI receptacle.
Fantastic video . I'm a current hvac student , just finished two basic electrical classes . Spot on , clear and thoroughly explained. Devil is in the details. Using a legit fluke meter, safely with one hand , confirming power is off , using an insulated screwdriver, marking the " line " side of the hot and neutral. Putting that receptacle nice and even with the face plate screws orientated in the same direction. confirming the proper wiring and function of the gfci with the tester . I will be subscribing and looking through your other content. I'm sure I will be able to learn a lot . Thanks
Awesome thanks I have the same problem I didn’t know about that line side and load side I have to recheck it because I’m still having it not resetting I have a outlet outside that should some corrosion but when replaced it with a new outlet the GFI inside still won’t reset maybe I have the line and loan wrong I will recheck thanks your info was helpful
I have 1900’s home that has circuits ungrounded. I replaced the beginning of the circuit with a new gfci outlet. One that has 4 wires 2B 2W I tested and the B and W one that had power I put to the line. The B and W that tested nothing to the load to continue the circuit. No ground wire available. The gfci outlet indicates red. It’s getting power, but plugging in something it won’t work. The next outlet on the same circuit does work. The reset nor test work. Solid red indicator light. I feel I’ve hooked it up correctly. Lost on what to try other than another gfci.
Have you verified that you don't have a hot - neutral reverse on either the line or the load? You'll have to find an alternate ground reference to check this due to the fact that you have no grounding conductor. Use a copper water line if you can for a reference point and see if your black wire is really the hot wire or not.
I got a chuckle out of this in a friendly sort of way. You were a brave man to put everything back together before you tested the finished circuit. You never know when Murphy is going to help.😂
I know this is an old video but I've had to replace the outside GFI recyclable three times in a year ? The ground wire to the houses breaker box are good also I have three wire Romex in the house and it's hooked up correctly to the GFI and its also underneath roofed in porch with a weatherproof case.......
That’s obviously not normal. It needs some hands-on trouble-shooting. What do you use that receptacle for? Is there something that you’re plugging in to it that causing the problems?
@@theinternetelectrician just some LED Christmas lights and one or two blow ups The one that was installed lasted 2 years then this year it took a crap for Halloween then the new one took a crap with a Thanksgiving blow up turkey and now I just installed another new one for the Christmas lights.
Hey Terry, I have a pellet grill that keeps tripping my garage GFCI. The troubleshooting resource said old GFCIs have a "nuisance trip". Is this true? Could it be a sign the outlet is failing? I know it could be a number of things, I don't think I have anything else drawing a load on that circuit, but I'm still double checking. Thanks for the help!
Nuisance tripping is a "thing" for sure. But more likely that there is a fault in the pellet grill and whatever is the electrical component of it. Run an extension cord to another GFCI protected outlet and see if it trips it as well? If not, faulty outlet. If so, faulty component.
This is my exact problem. I have 3 outlets not working (in my kitchen). I thought I'd have to replace the circuit breaker in the panel, but I followed your same steps and I DO have power to the line side of the GFCI. That's good news. Thanks.
I find your video helpful! As ive followed instructions exactly as you showed and replaced the gfci the same was as i took out the other one. But this outlet has 3 hot wires, 3 nuetrals, and a ground and it’s getting power but wont trip. Please help.
You have a power feed in, and two feeds out of that box then. What we need to know is what else is being fed from there and what (if any) of the other devices that you want to be GFCI protected.
I have a question I was having a problem with the low-voltage turn out to be a powerline outside. My house was damaged and the power company replaced. today I discovered in my room, my ceiling, fan and light work the switch to the bathroom also works but the closet light and for outlets do not come on I discovered a GFI switch, and when I press the reset button. It pops out immediately can Bad GFI switch. Really create no power to four outlets and a closet light
Hi Richard. Yes, a GFCI can go bad and need replacing. in all likelihood, whoever wired that circuit connected those outlets to the 'load' side of that GFCI outlet and that's why they are out. This could be corrected. When you change out the GFCI receptacle, you could pigtail the incoming feed and outgoing feeds to the 'line' side of the GFCI and not use the 'load' terminals. If you're not comfortable with doing this, hire an electrician to come take care of it for you. As always, safety first, and make certain the power is off if you take on this project yourself.
Thank you Terry, the way you explained it was perfect for those of us that are not experts. Problem fixed on this end Thanks to you. (Load and line were reversed...DOH!). Thanks again.
I didn’t get it. What did you do with those cables? You flipped them? Or you changed to new ones? Please explain in simple words step by step what did you do regarding the positions of these cables!
Hello Renan. I'm not sure what you don't understand, but I can try to explain. You have a cable coming in that is the power source. That goes to the "line" terminals, white (neutral), and black (hot). Then you have a cable that goes out to the rest of the circuit that you would want to be protected downstream of this GFCI, and you would connect those wires from that cable to the "load" terminals. The ground wires get spliced together along with pigtails to go to the box ground terminal (if applicable), and to the green grounding terminal of the receptacle. If this doesn't clarify things for you, I am available on PalTap for live video consultation at paltap.me/internetelectrician
UK electrician. We do 5 tests on gfci. 1x current, 5x current both sides of wave curve checking operating time. Then manual trip test. Never seen any testing USA, do you test & record any results. Plus unshielded probes on Fuke tester, taking a chance.
Good catch! But the code allows for this. If it was a single receptacle (not a duplex outlet as is this one), then the device would have to be rated at 20A and be a 20A 120V configuration, or at the very least, a T-slot, 15/20A 120V. But being it's duplex, the rationale behind it is that your are really "sharing" the supply of 20A between 2 potential connection points, thus 15A duplex receptacles are allowed on a 20A circuit.
If the green light button keeps popping out after u push it in to work what does that mean I have a pool filter hooked up to it it goes on then pops after a couple seconds or minutes
I have two GFI's that went out for 2 upstairs bathrooms, is that normal that if one GFI goes out that the other one will go out also? The bathrooms were built back to back to each other so I'm guessing they share the same wiring somehow?
Just a note, it's always a good idea to remove metal jewelry before working on electrical work. Also don't work with sweaty hands as salt water is a much much better conductor than dry skin. This last one I learned the hard way. :)
Good advice. I always forget to take off my rings for my videos and have been called out on it many times. Also good advice; shut off the power so there’s no chance of a shock at all, regardless of rings, sweat, nuttin!
Thanks, Terry. I have a question. You turned off the power break in the first step. Why there is still 120V from the lines coming into the GFCI outlet?
My GFCI outlet in my bathroom won't turn off. Everytime I touch the Reset button it pops right back out. Also the light on the GFCI won't turn off. It stays orange. Also the area where the orange light is is kind of hot. The outlet is not hot but just the area where the orange light is at. My house isn't going to catch on fire right? Lol.... Is the light being on a bad thing?
The tiny orange indicator light will put out some heat, so that may be normal, but your GFCI needs to be replaced or it is somehow connected wrong with a line/load mix-up. It could also just plain be faulty. I’ve had them not work properly right out of the box. Not exactly a “dangerous” situation, but get it remedied.
My bathroom GFCI quit working (it is getting power, I have a voltage tester "pen" that flashes and beeps indicating power). I bought a new GFCI and installed. Only one wire leading to it, so made sure it was hooked up to "line" (and confirmed one I took out was wired to "line"). After turning breaker back on, checked the outlet and the red light was blinking indicating an "end of life" condition per the instruction sheet???? Pressing test and reset buttons did nothing. Plugged in a receptacle tester and no lights. What are the odds of buying a bad GFCI? Guess I will return it and try another one. I put the old one back in and it was still dead. Suppose if another new GFCI doesn't work, there is a bigger issue going on and may need to call someone. Though no clue what that issue could be. A light switch in the same wall box works fine.
Those non-contact voltage testers are way too unreliable to properly trouble-shoot this problem. Rub it through your hair and you'll see that you have the same indication of power in your head! You need a voltage tester, even a 2-wire neon tester at the least, but a multimeter would be best. I would guess that you have lost the neutral in the circuit? But it also could be the hot. Either in a bad connections or splice somewhere upstream, or at the breaker panel if this is the only device on the circuit. Get a proper tester, and I'll help you trouble-shoot this via photos and email, or with facetime or some video type call. internetelectrician@gmail.com and we can go from there.
@@theinternetelectrician Turns out it was a bad GFCI. Before taking it back to the store, I wired it up at another outlet and it still showed the blinking red light. Exchanged it for another GFCI and that one worked fine once I wired it up. Thank you for the offer to help. I do have a multimeter (came in a set with the pen and outlet tester) but when I tried using it as you show in the video, the display would jump around between random numbers and made no sense to me. Did this on another outlet I experimented on as well. I think there was a low battery indicator on the display so I'm guessing that had something to do with it. I didn't have another 9-volt to replace it with.
Yes, you are correct. But I seem to always forget to remove them! However, the careful electricians still have all their fingers (and toes) as do I! (Touch wood, 58 years and counting)
There have been issues for sure with these devices. I personally have had new, out of the box GFCI receptacles show as working, wired correctly, but not respond to a test, either with the built-in test button or a field test.
I have a similar receptacle tester with a button for testing GFCI's. At home; where all the GFCI's are no more then 3-5 years old they all pop when I push the tester button but at a rental apartment, although the two GFCI's supply power & will pop with their test buttons; they do not with my tester. So the question; is it possible for GFCI's to be bad yet test good with their test button ?
Of coarse , they are a breaker just like the breakers in panel but no failt recepticals or breakers trip by short not temp. As all normal breakers trip by heat. So all your tester doing is shorting out the np falt, if your tester good not shorted out , posibly your tester bad , some one shorted that part of tester out and it ruined it by melting the. Wire peice on the test botton. So check your recetical by volt meter , mash tbe receptical red botton, then test voltage in receptical with volt meter. If it still 120 v or 60v it a bad no fault receptical. But if it reads 0 v and nothing else on same circuit , use volt tester and check it again. If 0 v , reset receiptical and test it again with volt meter. If 120 v it working, if 60v or 0 it bad. 60 volt means there other recepticals or a light on same circuit on neutral side. That why your neutral reads 60 v add or take away 3-5 volts. If it says 63 or higher your wiring is to small and causing a power drop. That raises power bills plus causes ref, ac's, etc to drop out and restart after relays and coils cool off or some stay off snd gives few more volts on your circuit it come back on because voltage drop corrected above 3 volt drop then when other kick on, your circut drops out because the 3 volt drop again. All tbat is because wire to small for service or circuits. Remember all circuits from msin service breaker must be 100 feet distance or less for circuit . If between 101-199 feet distance use next size bigger eire for that circuit, if 200-299 feet distance use 2 size biger wire on tbe circuit. Continue as further distance , the biger wire size.
@@theinternetelectrician when my garage gfci trips, all the outlets behind it go down. I assuming the electrician who wire my garage put them in series instead of parallel.
Hi and thank you for the video. I changed out our GFCI receptacle but it's not passing power through it still but power is going to it. What could be tripping it and how would we find out?
Not sure? Did you ensure your "line" and " load" terminals have the correct cable sets going to them? And that you didn't cross the neutral wires? Both neutral and hot supply must connect to the line, and same for the load.
@@theinternetelectrician Thank you Very much ! I just did a quick look see and yeah. I put the load on the line and etc. You saved me brother! Peace °•○●□■
Some receptacles have their line terminals on the top and some are on the bottom. Even Leviton has reversed the locations over the years so you have to read the markings carefully when replacing old gfci receptacles and you may have to reverse the wires coming out of the box to match up the line to the line terminals on the new receptacle.
I have a treadmill on a GFCI circuit. It has worked for a number of years. Recently, the GFCI outlet broke and I replaced it. The circuit tester shows that I wired it correctly and the test and reset buttons work and I have power. I can turn on the treadmill, but as I increase the speed, the GFCI trips. Any thoughts?
@@theinternetelectrician thanks for the reply. Although the first GFCI was 20amp, it’s been sitting in the original box in my drawer. Don’t know if they go bad but I replaced it with a brand new one and it’s working fine.
@@laneemley5865 Yes, they can and do go bad. I've had faulty ones right from the factory. Both ones that don't trip on a ground fault, and ones that are too sensitive. You must have got the latter.
Hi Terry I have a saluspa Coleman hot tub. The gfci plug will not show red light on which means all good to use power wise/ safe! I have tested and reset this plug still no red light . Can u help me ?
@@kimscalera6154 I would be inclined to believe that only the indicator light failed, and that the GFCI protection is still working then. But to be sure I would contact technical support at Coleman to see if they think it's a concern. Maybe they will send out a replacement cord? The other thing you could do would be to cut off that GFCI plug from the cord, put on a regular cord cap (plug), and then plug in to a GFCI receptacle. This is a solution if the tub is off warranty now as this would void your remaining warranty. I have a couple of those GFCI plug and cord units that I have accumulated from using inexpensive pool pumps to circulate my old hot tub that I had a propane heater on. I'd ship you out one if you'd like?!?
Hi terry thank you so much for your help ! The hot tub gfci plug is plugged into a gfci receptacle already. Initially this red light was working at prior uses . How important is it to have a breaker in our home breaker box dedicated to the hot tub ? My husband says it should not matter .
Kim Scalera then you are doubly protected for ground-fault so I wouldn’t worry about that. Those GFI plugs provide the protection so you don’t need to be plugged into a GFCI receptacle as well. It would be best if the tub was on its own circuit but if there’s not much else for loads on that circuit, then it’s ok. If it was a heavily used circuit, it would trip the breaker in the panel.
Great video. Thanks. Funny another video I watched from someone else they fast forward it through taking the wires off and hooking the wires up. That was dumb of them. It was great that you mentioned the line and the load differences and to Mark the line and the loads. Very important. Also, as someone else commented other people said that when replacing an older model sometimes that lines and loads position on the receptacle and reverse order from top to bottom so you want to read and pay attention to which wires are line and loads when you remove them and where it is marked on the new receptacle line and loads.
After 8 years I had to replace my GFCI as it wasn't working. I only had B & W Lines wires coming in and no lLOAD going out. Simple fix. But the green proof light does not glow on the receptacle. I tested the outlet with a Klein brand receptacle tester and got two orange lights to glow proving all is correct. So why doesn't the green proof light glow on the receptacle? THUMBS UP!!!
Need to read the instructions to the receptacle. They all operate differently and the lights mean different things on different brands. (Yes, it's a pain - they aren't standardized).
I have multiple gfci outlets in my house that constantly trip. Like if you use it, 75% of the time its gonna trip. It trips at the outlet, not the breaker box. The outlets are on different breakers, 1s in kitchen, 1s in garage, 1s in bathroom. Light bulbs in my house go out constantly to. House is only 10 years old. Any idea what might be causing this? Thanks alot for any info
That's a strange one, but it must be due to a connection problem, and likely in your panel on the main wires coming in. You need to get in a good trouble-shooting electrician and have them check and test, check all connection lugs on the main breaker, the neutral connections, and maybe then you will need the utility supply to pull the meter and check in the meter socket and / or the connections at the transformer. To affect multiple circuits and outlets, this is all I can think of.
Thanks for the video I am an automotive technician and am quite familiar with with DC electrical systems but AC is just a bit different. I had a GFCI outlet that tripped and buzzed after I reset it. I got the smell of something burning/hot, which is quite terrifying to me because I've had an electrical house fire before years ago. The process you described is essentially what I came up with on my own but I feel much better having someone familiar with it explain it, to confirm my thought process. I also decided to replace my existing GFCI with a afci/ GFCI receptacle... I figured I might as well.
Hello, just replaced a 20yr Gfci in garage. A little green light appears when I hook it up ,but it provides no power,or tripping ability. Thought i hooked up black wire as hot and white a gnds. Is it possible that the hot wires were hooked up incorrect.any input appreciated
Some receptacles have their line terminals on the top and some are on the bottom. Even Leviton has reversed the locations over the years so you have to read the markings carefully when replacing old gfci receptacles and you may have to reverse the wires coming out of the box to match up the line to the line terminals on the new receptacle.
@@hotwheel6663 Sounds like a moisture issue. If it happens again, use a hair dryer to speed up the drying and then you'll know if it was moisture or not.
I replaced two failed gfci outlets on our cabin, they were still giving power to the outlets on the device itself and one downstream outlet each. They just couldn’t trip or be reset.
Yes, I should have. But the 'line' and 'load' terminals are always identified, and new devices are sold with a bold colored tape covering the 'load' terminals.
It appears you not know what a earth ground and a neutral is. As a current line also you call a hot wire. Did you not know a neutral is a traveler wire as a currect wire is ? Both can kill you by electricution. Current wire to the no fault circuit you on is 120 v ac. Since it a ac not a dc line the neural is 60 v ac. In usa the speed of pole service current is 60 times per second called 60 hertz. In most other nations its 50 hertz . Ok every 1/60th. Of a second when this circuit is in use , the current line is 120 v ac. And the neutral line is 60 v ac.the earth ground is ehat makes the no fault receptical. Withoit earth ground you have no , no fault period. The earth ground trips the breaker in receptical by a short in circuit. Saves lives by being faster to trip than panel box breakers. Panel box breakers if not got the wire attached to the breaker that goes to a earth ground bar Only. It is a no fault panel breaker mostly cost 3 times higher. The regular panel breakers eithout earth ground wire trips by heat only to melt the mercury to release breaker and it trip. Now the heat is very hot , way over 120 degrees so if you get on it, you must get as hot as the breaker before breaker trips. Most people catch on fire brfore it trips. So see how no fault saves lives ???? Very important , must be around water. It fatal.
605 Central Time Chicago Illinois, I just put in a new gfci in my basement bathroom, it's 2wire black is hot side white land side, turned the power back on,I get the green light that comes on,green light stays on try to test and reset it won't reset button won't push in, both button won't push in
You have to do the testing with the wires all apart and off of the device. There's no simple way. If the device was installed correctly you just check what terminal pairs the wires on and make note of that and replace the same.
I have 2 gfci's on the same circuit.both have stopped working and reset buttons do not work and no circuit breakers are out.I checked the outlets and they both say open hot.
You need to open up those outlets and look for the problem. Safety first, shut off the power. You will likely find a poor termination on one of the receptacles.
Terry, gfi outlet trips in garage when sprinkler goes on. 2 separate circuits. Sprinkler on 1 & garage on other. Garage dr opener is on garage circuit. Has been wired this way from when house was new. If u can, please help or do I need to call a electrician.
What if you have one cable for load hot (black) and one neutral (white) will the gfi work. Also should test n reset buttons work before installing. The outlet itself is blocking the ability to plug anything in.
I just replaced a gfci in my bathroom. The outlet test and reset work and the green light comes on, however anything I plug in does not work. Any ideas?
Hi my gfci is not working and it has a color yellow light. I pushed the reset button and test button and it doesnt click. I turn off the gfci on the main breaker and still not working.
I install two new outlets in my welding machine they show a constant red light but they don't work, they also don't reset or nothing, do you know what could it be? I install them the same way they were wired
You need to carefully check that you have the line and load pairs wired correctly, and make certain that you didn't switch the neutrals so they aren't with the correct hot wire, line or load. This is a frequent mistake that we all have made at one time or another!
I noticed my GFCI in the bathroom be making a buzzing noice it has a night light plugged into it and it doesn’t do it all the time but I’m concerned I don’t want it to catch my house on fire😳
This video was clear and simple. I followed your instructions word for word and changed out my GCFI receptacle without a hitch and didn’t get electrocuted doing it!! Thank you!!!!
my patio recepticle is loose(moisture could have entered the box) so I will see if it works but my main issue is neither the bath or kitchen gfi recepticle will not click if I press either the test or reset button like above and both the indoor gfi outlets however they will both light up a lamp for me, when press the top button (red-reset) on the gfi, the lamp goes out and when I release pressure on the top (red-reset) button the lamp gets power again and relights. So I hope its as simple as replacing the cfi's. They are probably 30 yrs old.
First of all this GFCI receptacle is designed for ONLY 15A circuit and 15A breaker NOT 20A. As “electrician “ you should know basic rules. Second before you remove GFCI you have to test receptacle by pushing “test” button or using receptacle tester to see according to lights on tester what is the condition of the receptacle, after that you can remove GFCI from box and measure voltage. Do not wear any jewelry when you working around electricity.
Well, first of all, you're wrong. GFCI receptacles are duplex types (2 receptacles in one device), so a 15 A GFCI can be installed on a 20A circuit with no issue. The only time that a 20A GFCI must be used is where a device with a 20A plug will be connected. So, as an electrician of 40+ years, turns out that I do know basic rules after all. Second, I did fully test that receptacle, that is why I replaced it. Third, you are correct that I shouldn't wear jewelry when working with electricity. I frequently forget, and some keener will point that out to me. But the fact that I have all of my fingers would say that I'm pretty careful and don't have too many accidents where I insert my ring into a live circuit, but yes, I should know better. 58 years old and counting so hoping the streak continues. Thanks for watching.
You shut off the breakers but it still shows 120AC across the line. Is there something I'm missing? Shouldn't it be 0? Or did you turn it back on for your multimeter test?
It should be 0, or close to it. I'll have to watch again to see what you mean, but this is the first observation of this that I've seen in my comments.
GFCI receptacles are duplex types (2 receptacles in one device), so a 15 A GFCI can be installed on a 20A circuit with no issue. The only time that a 20A GFCI must be used is where a device with a 20A plug will be connected. Thanks for watching!
You have what we call a faceless GFCI. Yes, if the test and reset work and the pump stops, that's a sufficient test, and is what you're supposed to do on a monthly basis. Keep up the good work! Thanks for watching.
My GFIC tripped today for the first time in years. The only things on it are some outlets and an outdoor light. My Washing machine is plugged into one outlet. It is the outdoor light that is tripping it. When I turn the light switch off the GIFC doesn’t turn off. I checked everything from the light switch to the light bulb. All connections are good and there is no moisture. What now?
The instructions in this video only work if you already know which breaker supplies power to the failed outlet. Many houses are not clearly labeled at the breakers. Here is an alternate procedure that works better: Take the outlet cover off while the power is still turned on at the breaker. Stick a non-contact voltage tester into the box to locate the hot live wire from the breaker. Have a second person go turn off the breaker while you watch the voltage tester to see when power is cut. Continue the remaining steps as shown in this video.
Yes, turning off the main breaker is a bulletproof way to ensure your safety. Often, individual circuit breakers are mislabeled. Of course you should always use a volt meter to check if you are just turning off an individual circuit breaker. And for that matter, even if you turn off the main, double check with a voltage meter. They cost under $10.
I think I have a bad GFCI in my little RV trailer. I pulled it out of the box but it looks different. It is a sealed box with five wires coming out of it. Green wire for ground, a red (load) wire on the left side, a grey (load) wire on the right side, and a black and white wire coming out of the center. What does each wire do? It is marked as a dual pole.
Hi Terry, thank you for your informative video. My question is why my GFCI outlet is not working; it has a solid red LED on. When I plugged a GFCI tester, nothing light up. The Circuit Line is hot when I tested it with a non-contact AC Voltage Detector. I even disconnected the Load line from the outlet. I greatly appreciated for any pieces of advice.
Be careful that does not always work! Some receptacles have their line terminals on the top and some are on the bottom. Even Leviton has reversed the locations over the years so you have to read the markings carefully when replacing old gfci receptacles and you may have to reverse the wires coming out of the box to match up the line to the line terminals on the new receptacle.
I ran across this situation: If the reset button doesn't go in and makes a clicking noise, it's because there is water or a lot of moisture in the receptacle. Blow dry it for 5 minutes (or leave it alone for a week) until it's dry, and it will reset.
This maybe why my bathroom ones not working. Had to apply lots of soap water to remove wallpaper, which most likely got into the unit Should I just replace it with a new one?
Anyone have a comment related to the problem of 'gfci youth suicide'? Wont reset has feed power. This mf'er costs $20 and was about 1 year old and then just nothing out of it. I tested it, its the first outlet of 2 on a short run in the basement and only 20 foot of wire all accessible. I replaced it with another $20 and yesterday i found the 2nd one was dead after being installed Nov 2nd so almost 6 months old. Feed looked good 123.3 volts. Same at the circuit breaker, same down stream at the 2nd and last outlet on the circuit. I say screw it no gfci there anymore.
Very useful video. I used the procedure in this video to determine that my GFCI receptacle is indeed defective. This suggests that I can probably DIY the project myself.
I have come to suspect that a lot of owners of old houses have DIY-installed GFCI outlets in place of the old 2 or 3 prong standard outlets, in rooms like a kitchen or bathroom, thinking that just that replacement will give the safety of GFCI protection, when in fact the wire to the outlet is an old 2 wire (no ground) cable (a bogus GFCI outlet). 1-How can I use an outlet tester to confirm or deny that a GFCI outlet has valid GFCI protection???? 2-A GFCI outlet can give GFCI protection to other outlets wired off of its neutral and hot LOAD terminals. But, is it necessary to also connect a ground from the LINE side to a ground in the cable leading to those (LOAD side) down-line ordinary receptacles? ................................ [I bought an old house and want to at least convert the 2 prong outlets to 3 prong. I'm finding either no ground wire in the outlet boxes (obsolete 2 wire, no ground cable)or an incoming cable whose ground wire was cut un-usably short; I'm not even looking for GFCI protection there, just a way to have the equivalent safety of a valid 3 prong (i.e. grounded) outlet]...................... 3- Can I just replace the breaker with a GFCI breaker if there are only a hot and neutral (no ground wire) in the cable?
Your suspicions are justified. What you are experiencing is what is an acceptable solution to wiring with 2-wire cable without a ground wire, and making it as safe as you can given the circumstances. By putting a GFCI receptacle on these 2 wire circuits, you are providing personal protection from an electrical shock. The principle of GFCI protection is to monitor the current in both the hot and the neutral, the intended path of current flow. If there is 5 Amps on the hot, 5A on the neutral, all good! But if there is 5A on the hot, 4.9980A on the neutral, it will trip. So if all is well, the circuit works just fine, and until there is a short circuit (in which case, the over-current protection will open the circuit. But if there is a leakage of current, for example, through your body, or water in an outlet, drop an electric tool in the sink, pond, pool, etc., the GFCI will detect this imbalance and trip. So unless you want to re-wire the home with grounded cable, this is what is done. If you need to discuss this further, email me at internetelectrician@gmail.com with "follow-up GFCI" in the subject.
I recently noticed the gfci in my bathroom was making a faint buzzing noise. Pressing Test stopped it and it wasn't doing it after I reset. First time that's happened. The bathroom tends to get humid. Should I replace it? Is it a fire hazard?
Yes it does. The live (hot) wire and its associated neutral go to the Line and the other ones go to the Load, if you want to protect downstream outlets. If not, they all go to the Line.
Terry!! You DA MAN!!!! Thank you so much for your step by step video! I successfully replaced the GFCI in our RV and this video helped me! You just gained a subscriber!
Mines trips breaker but turns power on the lower plug. When I press the reset then it trips the breaker?? Took it off and when I press the reset, it sounds like there’s a loose spring noise??
Hi there ,good video .Can fgi get weak and sometimes they trip ? i have a recirculating pump on my bathroom and sometimes i find the gfi tripped , reset it and it works but a couple of days later same thing. thanks
They are very sensitive, so more than a 'weak' device, I would say that the pump has a bit of leakage, maybe when the moisture and / or humidity is high enough to affect the pump is when you get this nuisance tripping?
