GFCI Circuit Troubleshooting

[ActionDave]

I may be missing the obvious, but I still don't see why reverse polarity will trip GFCI.

I can hook old 2/wire romex to GFCI receptacle and nothing to ground screw. If I have reverse polarity will it trip? If not, and I then add ground, will it now trip?

You are right. They don't.

If you hook up line and load backwards they will not work since sometime around 2002.

 

[readydave8]

You are right. They don't.

If you hook up line and load backwards they will not work since sometime around 2002.

Ok so reversed polarity will not trip a GFCI receptacle, reversing line and load (on both the black and white or either one individually) will.

That's what I thought.

Reversed polarity will not trip a GFCI receptacle. No.

 

[kwired]

I don't know much about latest generation, but I think most changes have been about locking the device out should the electronics fail and there is no more effective protection.

Otherwise the previous generation my observations have been that you need to have 120 volts on the line side terminals in order to reset it. Hot/neutral polarity doesn't matter to the device.

If it is set and you reverse line/load it continues to operate, but once it trips it will not reset if there isn't 120 volts on the line side terminals.

You can not reset them if there is no power, the reset button may physically hold in but will not stay in when power is restored, there must be some electromechanical action involved as part of resetting it.

 

[GoldDigger]

But if you reverse line and load the receptacles will still be powered after it trips.

 

[ActionDave]

But if you reverse line and load the receptacles will still be powered after it trips.

That is not the case with the newer GFCI recpts.

 

[kwired]

With the previous generation of GFCI's from what I recall reversing line/load will allow power to the receptacle and to the (reverse fed) line side terminals, but only while the device remains in a "reset" condition. Once you trip it it will not put power out to the receptacle or the line side terminals and will not reset until it sees power on the line side terminals.

 

[NO MORE ELECTRIC]

gfci tripping

gfci tripping

the most common thing from my experience was in the kitchen small appliance circuits where the garbage disposal switch and small appliance circuit outlet would be in the same 2 gang box and one of my guys would splice all the neutral wires from both circuits togheter tus causing the gfci to trip (only on the load side).

 

[badbanano]

Common neutrals or daisychained grounds can cause havoc where multiple GFCI's are used. Simple deduction, but often come across it in the field.

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