GFI not tripping

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JDB3

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Location
San Antonio, Texas
Doing some work on a friend of a friend's house built in 1950s. House is under contract to close middle of next month.
Inspection report (by buyers man) called to verify receptacles & GFIs to be working. Replaced GFI in kitchen by sink area, it then feeds downstream to another receptacle. Turned power on, that feeds from 4 wire feed sub-panel. Original wire has no ground. The new GFI does not trip. 🧐
Isn't a GFI receptacle suppose to work without a ground? The GFI that I took out had a jumper from the neutral screw to the ground screw !!

Thanks a heap!;)
 
+1...as I recall from a recent discussion...the simple polarity testers with GFCI push to test button will not properly test a non-grounded GFCI.
 
JDB3 said:
The new GFI does not trip. 🧐
Isn't a GFI receptacle suppose to work without a ground? The GFI that I took out had a jumper from the neutral screw to the ground screw !!
Click to expand...
You answered your own question. The jumper (aka "bootleg ground") was put in so the GFCI (or any receptacle) would test as if it was properly grounded.

A GFCI's built-in test circuit works by mimicking a shock with a resistor with one end on the neutral ahead of the current sensor, and the hot after the sensor.

A plug-in tester has no access to the neutral ahead of the GFCI's current sensor, to it has to mimic a shock by connecting its resistor to the ground instead.
 
Analysers will definitely not trip a two wire GFCI
 
Thanks!
Circuit analyzer is showing different incorrect wiring. I will take something (perhaps a fan) to see if it works, and see if the test button on the GFI works.
 
On a different note: The present owner says that now a light doesn't work that did before. I will check the bulb first. The inspector noted some ground wires on the neutral bar & some white wires on the ground bar. Turned out that some grounds were too short, so they were extended using white THHN. I moved the ground (bare) wires (that were on the neutral bar) to the ground bar. WONDER if there was something going on there?
I should have walked from the job, to begin with. Today the lady owner asked why I was doing some things & why that way. Another RED FLAG !
 
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