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#1
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Wiring GFCI help
I have a 30+ year old house.
I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink This is what I have to work with From the breaker box Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through 4 outlets Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing) I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok. Any suggestions?? |
#2
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Wiring GFCI help
On Sep 6, 12:29*am, The dude wrote:
I have a 30+ year old house. I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink This is what I have to work with *From the breaker box Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through 4 outlets Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing) I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok. Any suggestions?? The problem is on the "Load" side of the GFI outlet. You attached the red and neutral going to the next outlet, however the neutral is also feeding the #3 &4 outlets. Since only the nuetral is GFI Protected, but not the black wire, it senses a current imbalance and trips. There are 2 ways to correct this. 1) Run a seperate neutral wire from outlet #1 to outlet #2 ( probably hard to do if walls are closed) Or maybe easier: 2) Connect GFI on outlet #1, but nothing on Load side, and connect another GFI on outlet #2 again with nothing on load side. This leaves the black circuit by itself. |
#3
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Wiring GFCI help
"The dude" wrote in message . .. I have a 30+ year old house. I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink This is what I have to work with From the breaker box Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through 4 outlets Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing) I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok. Any suggestions?? As Mikepier suggested, don't connect anything to the load side of any GFCI. You have an Edison circuit, which makes things a little more complicated. Wherever you want a GFCI outlet, remove the existing outlet, splice the neutral wires together with a pigtail to the GFCI and if there is more than one hot wire on the existing outlet, splice them together also with a pigtail to the new GFCI |
#4
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Wiring GFCI help
Mikepier wrote:
On Sep 6, 12:29 am, The dude wrote: I have a 30+ year old house. I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink This is what I have to work with From the breaker box Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through 4 outlets Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing) I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok. Any suggestions?? The problem is on the "Load" side of the GFI outlet. You attached the red and neutral going to the next outlet, however the neutral is also feeding the #3 &4 outlets. Since only the nuetral is GFI Protected, but not the black wire, it senses a current imbalance and trips. There are 2 ways to correct this. 1) Run a seperate neutral wire from outlet #1 to outlet #2 ( probably hard to do if walls are closed) Or maybe easier: 2) Connect GFI on outlet #1, but nothing on Load side, and connect another GFI on outlet #2 again with nothing on load side. This leaves the black circuit by itself. I cannot run a second neutral wire. So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2. What do you mean by not using the load side? |
#5
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Wiring GFCI help
On Sep 6, 9:44*am, The dude wrote:
Mikepier wrote: On Sep 6, 12:29 am, The dude wrote: I have a 30+ year old house. I want to add a GFCI near the kitchen sink This is what I have to work with *From the breaker box Red - hot breaker 1 Black - hot breaker 2 White - neutral Both breakers share the same neutral - they are chained together through 4 outlets Red Outlet 1 (needs GFCI) Red Outlet 2 (needs GFCI) Black Outlet 3 (needs nothing) Black Outlet 4 (needs nothing) I tried to install the GFCI in outlet 1, but since it just constantly trips. When I isolated the white from breaker 2 and was just using breaker 1, it was ok. Any suggestions?? The problem is on the "Load" side of the GFI outlet. You *attached the red and neutral going to the next outlet, however the neutral is also feeding the #3 &4 outlets. Since only the nuetral *is GFI Protected, but not the black wire, it senses a current imbalance and trips. There are 2 ways to correct this. 1) Run a seperate neutral wire from outlet #1 to outlet #2 ( probably hard to do if walls are closed) Or maybe easier: 2) Connect GFI on outlet #1, but nothing on Load side, *and connect another GFI on outlet #2 again with nothing on load side. This leaves the black circuit by itself. I cannot run a second neutral wire. So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2. What do you mean by not using the load side?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - The load side of a GFCI is used when you want that GFCI to not only protect that outlet, but also other outlets. The other outlets are connected to the load side of the one GFCI. The easiest solution to your Edison circuit problem is to just use two GFCIs in the two outlets and NOT use the load side. |
#6
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Wiring GFCI help
So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2.
What do you mean by not using the load side?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - If you look on the back of a GFI outlet, the top terminals are labeled "LINE" and the bottom terminals are labeled "LOAD". The incoming feed goes to "LINE", then usually to feed another circuit, you connect the outgoing feed to "LOAD". This means any outlet downstream is protected. So if the GFI tripped, the downstream outlets would be dead also. However your situation is different. You have to basically install the GFI's as stand alone outlets, not feeding other outlets. But continue feeding the other outlets by just wire nutting in the box. |
#7
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Wiring GFCI help
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#8
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Wiring GFCI help
Mikepier wrote:
So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2. What do you mean by not using the load side?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - If you look on the back of a GFI outlet, the top terminals are labeled "LINE" and the bottom terminals are labeled "LOAD". The incoming feed goes to "LINE", then usually to feed another circuit, you connect the outgoing feed to "LOAD". This means any outlet downstream is protected. So if the GFI tripped, the downstream outlets would be dead also. However your situation is different. You have to basically install the GFI's as stand alone outlets, not feeding other outlets. But continue feeding the other outlets by just wire nutting in the box. I installed these as stand alone outlets. Everyyhing works perfect now Thanks |
#9
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Wiring GFCI help
So you have more protected outlets using less GFCIs
-- Mikey S. "Blattus Slafaly" wrote in message Why would you ever ever want downstream outlets dead too? |
#10
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Wiring GFCI help
On Sep 7, 8:34*am, Blattus Slafaly
wrote: Mikepier wrote: So I just need to buy another GFCI for #2. What do you mean by not using the load side?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - If you look on the back of a GFI outlet, the top terminals are labeled "LINE" and the bottom terminals are labeled "LOAD". The incoming feed goes to "LINE", then usually to feed another circuit, you connect the outgoing feed to "LOAD". This means any outlet downstream is protected. So if the GFI tripped, the downstream outlets would be dead also. *\ Why would you ever ever want downstream outlets dead too? However your situation is different. You have to basically install the GFI's as stand alone outlets, not feeding other outlets. But continue feeding the other outlets by just wire nutting in the box. -- Blattus Slafaly *? 3 * * *7/8 Why would you ever ever want downstream outlets dead too? I have 3 receptacles in my garage. The "first" is a GFCI, the other 2 are on the load side. I can use any (or all) receptacle and have protection at each one. In my basement bathroom, I have a light fixture over the shower stall. It is on the load side of the GFCI, just in case... |
#11
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Wiring GFCI help
In my basement bathroom, I have a light fixture over the shower stall. It is on the load side of the GFCI, just in case...- Hide quoted text - Actually I think it is required by code that any light or fan inside the shower must be on a GFI. |
#12
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Wiring GFCI help
Mikepier wrote:
In my basement bathroom, I have a light fixture over the shower stall. It is on the load side of the GFCI, just in case...- Hide quoted text - Actually I think it is required by code that any light or fan inside the shower must be on a GFI. Yes I believe it is. What I meant was just to show another reason for using the load side of the GFCI. The "just in case" was the reason - just in case someone comes in contact with the fixture (and it's hot, etc.) |
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