The issue I'm having is this:
I'm selling the house, and during inspection it was noted that there is a regular outlet in the guest bathroom rather than a GFCI outlet. The owners asked us to repair this. I accepted this request assuming I could get out with a $20 trip to my hardware store and just replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet.
When determining what circuit this bathroom outlet was on I realized that the outside power receptacles and indoor smoke alarms are all on the same circuit. I installed the GFCI with line and load properly inserted at the back...all worked fine (test and reset functioned) and all other outlets and smoke alarms functioned.
The problem started when I went outside the next day to fire up my leaf blower. The blower came on for a second then went dead. I went to check the GFCI figuring it had just tripped only to find it wouldn't reset (no power coming to it any more). I went to the breaker box and it wasn't tripped either. Just to be safe I fully reset the breaker switch off and back on. Now I have one smoke alarm (of 2) on that circuit that works and 3 outlets that do not. I tested all of the outlets and have found that I have 120 from black to ground but not from black to neutral. When I turn the circuit off I have 0 between any of them.
Is it possible that the one working smoke alarm has failed in the process and is no longer passing neutral? How do I go about troubleshooting this issue? Furthermore, if I can restore power to the outlets, can I pigtail power to the GFCI so that it isn't "in-line" with the other units? That way, if it tripped it would only trip itself and not everything that sits after if on that circuit?
Attached is a diagram of the situation (as I know it)
I'm selling the house, and during inspection it was noted that there is a regular outlet in the guest bathroom rather than a GFCI outlet. The owners asked us to repair this. I accepted this request assuming I could get out with a $20 trip to my hardware store and just replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet.
When determining what circuit this bathroom outlet was on I realized that the outside power receptacles and indoor smoke alarms are all on the same circuit. I installed the GFCI with line and load properly inserted at the back...all worked fine (test and reset functioned) and all other outlets and smoke alarms functioned.
The problem started when I went outside the next day to fire up my leaf blower. The blower came on for a second then went dead. I went to check the GFCI figuring it had just tripped only to find it wouldn't reset (no power coming to it any more). I went to the breaker box and it wasn't tripped either. Just to be safe I fully reset the breaker switch off and back on. Now I have one smoke alarm (of 2) on that circuit that works and 3 outlets that do not. I tested all of the outlets and have found that I have 120 from black to ground but not from black to neutral. When I turn the circuit off I have 0 between any of them.
Is it possible that the one working smoke alarm has failed in the process and is no longer passing neutral? How do I go about troubleshooting this issue? Furthermore, if I can restore power to the outlets, can I pigtail power to the GFCI so that it isn't "in-line" with the other units? That way, if it tripped it would only trip itself and not everything that sits after if on that circuit?
Attached is a diagram of the situation (as I know it)