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colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 08:41 AM

I am finishing my basement... installing a GFI outlet at the beginning of the chain for some outlets... having an issue with GFI... I have the load and Line wire correctly identified and installed into the repsective places on the GFI Outlet...

When I turn on the break with an device plugged in, and push the rest button it never activates or turns on the lamp that is plugged into it... it some times occasionaly flashes after pushing the reset button multiple times...

If I connect the 2 hot wires together and 2 neutrual wires together with a wire nut, all the outlets down line are active... and grounded correclty...

It is a 20 amp circuit, and a 20 amp GFI outlet... what am I doing wrong ?

labman · Jan 12, 2006, 09:18 AM

Do you have another GFI outlet going elsewhere? Try installing it. If it works, the first one is bad. Try the outlet with just the line terminals connected. If it now works, you have a problem in the wiring to to the rest. If even a second outlet doesn't work, you have a problem in the wiring back to the box. Go back and carefully inspect all the wiring.

colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 09:27 AM

This is my 2nd GFI outlet I have tried... I will try just the "lines" connected and see what happens...

I can get all outlets down the line active by just twisting the wires togeather for testing purposes

colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 09:45 AM

I tried it with just the "lines" into the GFI outlet, pressed the reset and the lamp came on...

Now... do I hook up the blacks and neutrals together again with a wire nut and check each outlet with my tester ? I am pretty sure all of those were OK before.

labman · Jan 12, 2006, 10:27 AM

Progress! Yeah, it wouldn't take long to recheck them. If you don't find anything that way, you might reconnect the GFI go half way down the line and disconnect an outlet and try again. Keep it up until you isolate the problem to one run. Then go over it very carefully looking for a damaged or out of place wire. As you disconnect each outlet, look it over for a problem.

colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 10:39 AM

OK... hooked all wires up in the gfi outlet with wire nuts... tested each outlet down the line with the tester... 2 green lights on every outlet...

Are you saying now to hook up the GFI with all wires, and then disconnect an outlet down the line to see if the power keeps getting to the outlet before the one unhooked ?

labman · Jan 12, 2006, 11:09 AM

Yes. The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.

colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 11:18 AM

Ok, I see what you mean... as I have disconnected one of them, and the power was still flowing up to the outlet before that one, and the GFI was functioning... so I'l move further down the line...

I'll keep you posted

Derek

colomoon · Jan 12, 2006, 02:35 PM

After looking at a few outlets... I found one that had a bit too much exposed on a neutral wire... I disconnected the power into that outlet... turned on the breaker and everything worked up to that outlet...

I made an adjustment to that neutral wire, reconnected the power, and turned on the breaker... and everything came on... all the way down the line...

Thanks for your time and guidance... I learned a bunch today !

Derek of Denver