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I replaced a GFCI plug and the new one has power 'in' but not power 'out'.
Already Tried: I have tried replacing the GFCI plug several times and reconnected the wires exactly as they were taken out.
Welcome. My name is XXXXX XXX would be glad to assist.
How do you have it wired? Like the diagram below?
Yes, except there are '2' black wires & '2' white wires on the Load sections
Ok, and all the wires are matched pairs from the same cable?
Does the front of the GFCI have power? Can you plug something into tit and it works?
I'm not sure about the cable; there are just 3 black and 3 white wires coming in thru the back of the box. It's the original wiring from when the house was built 11 yrs ago. I detached & re ttached the wires exactly from the the old GFI plug to the new plug. This is my 3rd plug today. There appears to be power in the small/hot opening, but when I plug something into it like a hair dryer it doesn't work.
Each black and white are in their own cable, that is why they must be matched in order to install properly. The HOT pair must connect tot he LINE side terminals. The rest will not matter, because they both go on the LOAD side.
I think you may have them crossed
Can you see where each wire goes?Into a cable?
I have the 2 black & 2 white in the 'Load' and 1 blk & 1 white in the 'Line'
Understand, but the 2 in the LINE, are they a matched pair and HOT?
If they were, the receptacle would work.
you have 3 cables in that box. Each has a white and black wire. You have to find the only 2 that go together with power and connect those 2 into the LINE terminals.
there are 3 sets of cables coming into the box. So you are saying that '2' must be in the 'Line' and only 1'1 in the 'Load'?
No
3 cables, each has a white and black wire inside
Only 1 pair is power
you have to find that pair
ok I'll try moving the '2' from the Load back into the Line
Only one white and one black go in the LINE
So, if I turn the power back 'on' and use my non-contact voltage tester and get close to each blk wire, would I then know what blk wire was "hot"?
Yes, but you have to find the white also that is in the same cable as the black
I have located the 'hot' wht & blk pair/cable and they are both in the LINE on their proper sides as they were previously and the other 2 Blks & Whts are in the LOAD as they were previously.
ok, and you have power on?
Yes, but nothing is working. does the order (top & bottom) of the wires in the # X & #3 cables in the plug matter? looking at the diagram I see that the white # X is at the top hole but the Blk#2 is in the bottom hole and wht #3 is in the bottom hole and Blk#3 is in the top hole.
The others do not matter
you have no power on the GFCI
if you have power on and the GFCI does not work. Only 2 options of what is wrong: 1. The wrong white wire is on the LINE side connection. 2.The neutral (white wire is loose somewhere before it gets to the GFCI. Before it can work, it must have a HOT and NEUTRAL both.
You need a 2 lead voltage tester to troubleshoot
digital with readout
Do this for a test
Where do the other wires go?
I don't have a 2 lead voltage tester. I have no idea since the Fuse Box only says garage GFI and lights
so what is off?
besides the receptacle, what is NOT working right now?
1 tbhrm & 1 bedrm up stairs
1 bath & 1 bd room upstairs
Forget about the receptacle right now. Join all 3 whites together and all 3 blacks together. See if anything works
If nothing still works, the wire is loose before this receptacle.
The problem is some place else.
so, turn the pwr 'off', twist the 3 wht together and then the 3 Blk wires together and then turn the pwr bck 'on'?
correct
ok, give me a few minutes
no problem
ok, now the 2 upstairs bedrm lights are on and the plug in the updtairs hallway is working
Ok, thanks
That means you are not getting the matched pair of wires to connect to the LINE
it appears that the power cable is in the bottom left of the plug box, the other 2 cables are in the top left & right of the plug box
do this: only connect one pair of white and black to the LINE on the GFCI. Leave the rest disconnected. See if the GFCI works
I took the wht and Blk wire from the same cable and put them in the LINE part of the plug
the test you just did proved otherwise
I take it I have to turn the pwr 'off' to do this
yes, power off. The connect ONLY one pair
which ever one you think is power cable
It worked with the Blk & wht 'hot' pair, then when I put the 2 remaining blks and whts wires in the LOAD , turned the power back on and the reset button "popped-out". I tired to push it back 'in' but with just pops back out
oknow you have the proper wires on the LINE side, great.
so lets see the others
Hello?
there is something that is tripping the GFCI, so first does it go to any other receptacles?
think you lost connection. You back now?
yes
ok
power is good, so that is over and wired correctly, excellent
Now, lets see what is tripping the GFCI
are there any receptacles besides the GFCI?
only that one in the garage. I have a 3 outlet plug plugged into it for the past 10 years to use for the fridge and a small pencil sharpener
I am using the same 3 plug thingie right now on an extension cord running from the kitchen
is this the one you are working on? or another one?
no
another plug in the kitchen
that is controlled by this GFCI?
lets back up
what all is without power right now?
every single item
2 bed rooms up stairs, 1 bath rm up stairs and 1 plug in the hallway upstairs, as well as the GFI problem plug
ok, and there is a receptacle in the bath?
yes recepticle works in bath, but not the light or fan
Ok, is the bath receptacle on another GFCI?
correction. the switches on the fuse box are labeled wrong. the lights and plus all work upstairs. only the GFI plug is not working
Lets back up again
what is NOT working right this minute?
besides the GFCI
walk around the house and find out
plug something into the receptacles and turn on switches
I just did that in every room and hallway puld in the house and everything works
plug
so you have 2 cables in the box that do not go to anything else in the entire hose?
that is not what you stated before
they may go to the 2 sets plugs in the ceiling of the garage...
test
we have to know
I was turning off 2 of the fuse box switches b/c they were mis labled
ok, only the one to the GFCI, should know which one now
so I had the one for the 2 bdrms & bath upsatirs turned 'off'. it is now 'on' and the lights, fans and outlets up staris work
I will try to find the 6ft ladder for the ceiling plugs, but nothing has ever been in them
ok, we just have to know where the other cables go to fix the problem'
the 2 plugs in the ceiling do have power
ok, then the cables go somewhere else.
Outside receptacles?
I checked the front, I'll check the back in a minute
ok, something is out, 2 cables?
back outside is woking
ok, well you have 2 cables in the box. You cannot find the problem without know where they go
I have checked every outlet and light switch in the house and everything appears to be working.
can I just keep the '2' know Blk & Wht (hot/in) wires connected to the GFI and do something with the other 2 sets of wires?
Your only option is to connect all 3 whites together, then add a short jumper wire about 6" long to them. Do the same for the blacks. The connect those short jumpers to the LINE terminals of the gFCI. It will work and wherever the other 2 caboles go, it will work also.
cannot find the issue if you cannot find where the cables go
where do I get a "jumper wire?
you have to make one
how long are the wires in the box? can you cut one shorter and still make connections?
about 6" long should work
they are each about 6" long
at the most
????????
each of the Blk & Wht wires are about 6" long at the most
ok, well you have to make a short wire for connection. If you have to buy some. I cannot see what you have to make any determination
Let me see if I got this right: if I get a 6" long piece of Blk & Wht 12 gage wire, strip 1/2" on both ends, put 'that' with the other 3 wires of each color, twist together with a wire nut with the new 6" of Blk & Wht coming out and plug 'that' into the LINE connection on each side of the plug. I don't have to worry about the LOAD connection. Correct?
That is correct
The load side is normally only used for outside receptacles, bath receptacles, garage , basement, crawl spaces.
nothing else needs to be GFCI protected
so everything has worked fine for 10 years and then *poof* it blows... nothing new was plugged in, so I'm puzzled.
wherever those wires go is the problem tripping the GFCI. Find where they go and you find the problem. It is still there.
So what you are say is thast unless I can find-out where the two other sets of wires go I'm SOL
You are connecting the wires together, remember?
so everything will work
a GFCI is for protection from electrical shock only
one simple loose connection will trip a GFCI
That is all it takes
you wont have anything off, all will be connected and working
Ok. Im not the electrical expert by any stretch so I'll defer to you
a GFCI will trip with 6-8 milliamps of leakage, that is all it takes
so probably wherever the 2 cables go, there is a loos connection that will trip the GFCI. But connecting them straight, all is fine.
if there was a short, it would still trip the breaker, so you are fine and protected
Thought: by process of elimination can I connect '1' pair of the wires and then the other, one at a time and see what "pair" trips the GFI??
sure, but again, if you dont know where they go, what will it matter?
and you dont know that wherever they go, needs to be on the gFCI.
Do Ineed to tie all '3' sets together or can I just connect the known 'good' Blk & Wht wires and then tie off the other two sets by themseleves with a wire nut? Blk with Wht or Blk with Blk and Wht with Wht?
You can do that, the others wont have power and maybe you find where they go eventually.
connect the HOT to the LINE and forget the others
do I keep the sets together (Blk & Wht) or keep Blk with Blk and Wht with Wht?
sorry for he questions; like I said I don't have a lot of experience with electrical stuff
blk to blk and white to white
no problem, have to ask to know
see my post? Black to black, then white to white
Gotcha. I'll use the small orange caps for the tie-offs and plug the 'hot wires into the LINE of the plug.
sounds like a plan
I do like 'learning' this stuff so I don't feel foolish when I ask for help trying to do something. I appreciate your time and patience
glad to help, you are welcome
ok, I've used enough of your time. what do I do now so you can get your 'rating?
Click a smiley, like 3 and higher is the best
Experience: Contractor-40 Years in the ElectricalTrade