Okay, my sister-in-law has a wired dedicated branch circuit (120V / 20 A) Tiki Hut in the back yard.

The feed is on dedicated breaker feeds a GFCI receptacle (which protects all of the downstream outlets in the Tiki Hut) and then underground in PVC conduit over to the hut. The conductors are 12 AWG wires, not cables.

Problem: The GFCI receptacle kept tripping as soon as it was energized.

A feed wire from the overhead outlet supplies two post mounted switches - SW1 to the light on the fan. - - SW2 Rotary light switch for fan.

Problem: The feed from the outlet box to SW1 was stripped and horseshoed bent to the SW2 screw post and then to feed SW2. However it came loose and arched, blowing the switch (SW blew to an open condition) and the rotary switch and taking the GFCI with it every time power is reset.

I replaced both the SW1 and SW2 (now a 3 speed fan switch)

New problem: The SW1 now operates properly, but the light does not come on, nor does the rotary switch activate the fan. Also there are several receptacle outlets arranged under the Tiki Hut's canopy that are also dead and have been all along.

What could the SW1 to the light take out that killed everything else?

There is a nasty looking hive near the fan base overhead outlet box and I have no real desire to see if it is active just to get into that outlet box. Any creative ideas?

Wasp and hornet spray foam from home depot. Works GREAT!

Unfortunately the answer is correct but wrong. :) The creative ideas I'm looking for are with the wiring, not the hive.

I guess it's "Up the ladder I go." I just don't understand how a switch failure can take out the whole circuit yet not continue to trip the GFCI or the breaker. Oh, well, dirty words. I guess I'll hope for warm, pleasant weather.

I know, tracing wires looking for fault conditions is NO fun. Hard to be creative about tedious work you cannot see.

Lightning!! I suspect a lightning flash killed the circuit. I'll know for sure tomorrow when I can get into the canopy.

If the NEUTRAL Or Hot Touches Ground it will trip, Are the Light/Fan On Line or Load side of GFI? Some will trip when first applying power, if it doesn't reset, remove load wires, If it still doesn't reset, it is a bad GFI.(Verify Hot and neutral are on Line Side) I am repeating a lot of what you know, you seem knowledgeable, Don't mean to repeat what I know you already know.

Attachment 48913Attachment 48914Strat - Unbelievable!

At the post J-Box, the feed from the GFCI is cut and pig-tailed to supply both switches and then continues up to the overhead. Each switch has a red wire as a return which goes to the overhead.

At the overhead, the red wires go to receptacles up under the eves instead of to the fan as I first thought. (SW1 snap switch for light / SW2 rotary for fan) NOPE. The fan and light kit are connected to a black which also feeds a receptacle.

Here are some pics.

I wonder if the previous owner had the rheostat to control some receptacles for "mood" lighting and the switch to turn other receptacles off. Still makes no sense to me.

Any Luck?

Bingo!! As of today. The original owner (may he rot and have limbs fall off) set it up with the toggle switch for 4 separate duplex receptacle outlet boxes up under the eves and two receptacle boxes vertically behind a counter top.

The rotary switch controlled one duplex receptacle at the top of a shelf. Neither switch had anything to do with the fan or the fan's light, yet both pull chains on the fan were cut off at the fan.

Anyway, I rewired the toggle switch for the fan's light kit and marked the wire from the switch with blue tape. The new fan rotary switch is marked with black tape. Then I connected all of the receptacles so they stay hot.

The failure was the blown toggle switch and I found a nicked insulation on a conductor behind the switch.

Following behind someone can be such a PIA!

Good Deal, I run into a Lot of bad wiring techniques about every day it seems.