Installing GFCI outlet with 6 wires in wall
 

I have installed GFCIs in my house before but on this one outlet there
are six wires, not four. What do I do with the extra wires? there are
three cables total.

In article . com,
wrote:

I have installed GFCIs in my house before but on this one outlet there
are six wires, not four. What do I do with the extra wires? there are
three cables total.

I think I am gonna need a little more help here. Can you
describe it, or draw an ascii picture? I think you have one
feed coming in, and two leaving. If so, you have to connect
the power side of the GFI to the feed, and then pig-tail the
other two cables together and connect it to the load side
of the GFI. But without knowing what you really have, that
is little more than a wild guess.

-john-

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John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
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With three cables, you should have 9 wires not 6. There should be a
ground wire with each cable. Will a GFCI even work without a ground
wire??

Harry K

In article .com, "Harry K" wrote:
With three cables, you should have 9 wires not 6. There should be a
ground wire with each cable. Will a GFCI even work without a ground
wire??

Yes, it will. A GFCI senses the currents on the hot and neutral, and trips if
the difference exceeds a preset threshold for a preset duration. IIRC, the
threshold is typically 20mA for 10ms.

Thanks, I had always wondered about that and will be putting one in the
shed (it is wired with the old 2-wire cable).

Harry K

Harry K wrote:
With three cables, you should have 9 wires not 6. There should be a
ground wire with each cable. Will a GFCI even work without a ground
wire??

Yes, in fact a GFCI is the NEC approved method of providing
a 3 prong outlet in a circuit with no ground wire. Really.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.