which GFCI to buy?

DangerMouse

My thoughts exactly.....

DM

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mike932

Yes, I am sure about the difference between line and load. Line comes from the circuit breaker. Load goes to outlets in other rooms that need to be protected by the GFCI.

I just bought a sniffer, and I am very glad that I did. Every wire is dead except near the back of the box.

So I will disconnect the GFCI (after labeling the wires), and then use the sniffer to see exactly where the hot line dies.

My guess is that one of the wire nuts is loose.

I still don't understand why the GFCI has 2 neutral wires connected to neutral line.

DangerMouse

Or another connection is loose or completely open.

DM

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Saturday Cowboy

Neither do we. But it is probably a splice of many blacks in the back and they used the device to splice their neutrals.

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


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mike932

I disconnected and tested all the wires......



Wire A is a white wire but has current running through it. It was connected to GFCI "line" silver (not gold) screw when the house was built!

Wire B is a black wire with no current. It was connected to GFCI "load" gold screw when the house was built which seems correct.

Wire C is a white wire with no current. It was connected to GFCI "load" silver screw when the house was built which seems correct.

Wire D is a black wire with current running through it. It was connected to GFCI "line" gold screw when the house was built which seems correct.

Wire E is a white wire with no current. It was connected to GFCI "line" silver screw when the house was built which seems correct.

Wire F is the ground wire. It was connected to GFCI green screw when the house was built which is correct.

Wire G is black with current running through it. It is wire nutted to wire H.

Wire H is is red with current running though it. It is wire nutted to wire G.

Notice that Wire A and Wire E were both connected to GFCI "line" silver screw even though Wire A has current!

Please tell me how to solve this.

mike932

When I use a multimeter, white wire A paired with white wire E produces 120 volts.

But black wire D paired with white wire E produces zero volts even though black wire D has current according to the sniffer.

Saturday Cowboy

NO!! NEVER do that. If you need to discontinue use of a wire put a wire nut on it and tuck it in the back of the box.

It is not uncommon to have whites used as hots(they are supposed to be marked but that rarely happens)

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


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mike932

Okay then, I guess I should put a nut on black wire D and discontinue using it?

And then I will wrap black tape along the length of white wire A to label it as hot?

Then I will use wire A as "line" hot? And wire E as "line" neutral?

Saturday Cowboy

umm probably not. We need to figure out what is happening here. I think I see three cables entering this box. one of which is a 3wire. Can we determine where they go? It might be important


which of the above lettered wires are in the same cables?

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


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mike932

Well, the breaker has been off for many days, and I am not noticed any loss of electricity anywhere in the house besides 2 outlets in another bathroom. Those 2 outlets have not worked since the GFCI produced smoke.

Saturday Cowboy

which of the above lettered wires are in the same cables?

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


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Saturday Cowboy

Hot whites tells me that lights are involved some how.

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


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mike932

A and G are from the left cable and are both hot.

D and E and H are from the middle cable.

B and C are from the right cable.

Saturday Cowboy

how are you measuring "hotness" ? with a DMM or a non contact voltage pen?

and ur measuring to ground

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Saturday Cowboy

well I really think we need to insure where the cables go. What I suggest is to open box that you think it goes to, and temp tie neutral and black together using wire nut, back at trouble box teat for contuinity between wires of questioned cable.

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Ragged Trousered Philanthropist


Please follow the code - its there for your safety no matter how inconvenient.