GFCI Outlet dead....electrician input????

[Julian]

OK...I know we have some electricians on the forum.....need some advice here.

Yesterday I was replacing a light switch on the 3rd floor and started off by finding the breaker (our fing breakers are poorly labeled...a job for another day....and it is always another day!) which meant I tripped a bunch before finding the breaker.

I replaced the switches I was working on, and everything is good.

Then my wife says...hey....this outlet in the kitchen is dead? I look at it, and sure enough the GFCI is tripped and it wont reset. Another outlet with a GFCI is also dead, but not tripped (and won't trip). I have hunted the whole damn house in search of another GFCI that could be the culprit but found nothing. My next step is to go to the hardware store and buy an new GFCI outlet.....

Any other suggestions on how I diagnose this puppy? And keep it really simply....(I've not been to a holiday inn express in ages)!

 

[Julian]

@buckbuck ???

 

[mark_m]

OK...I know we have some electricians on the forum.....need some advice here.

Yesterday I was replacing a light switch on the 3rd floor and started off by finding the breaker (our fing breakers are poorly labeled...a job for another day....and it is always another day!) which meant I tripped a bunch before finding the breaker.

I replaced the switches I was working on, and everything is good.

Then my wife says...hey....this outlet in the kitchen is dead? I look at it, and sure enough the GFCI is tripped and it wont reset. Another outlet with a GFCI is also dead, but not tripped (and won't trip). I have hunted the whole damn house in search of another GFCI that could be the culprit but found nothing. My next step is to go to the hardware store and buy an new GFCI outlet.....

Any other suggestions on how I diagnose this puppy? And keep it really simply....(I've not been to a holiday inn express in ages)!

Julian,

Are you saying the one that won’t trip; do you mean if you hit the test button it doesn’t work? I would be very suspicious of that outlet.

It’s not related to your issue, but I struggled with a GFCI circuit outside that kept tripping and I couldn’t figure out why. It turned out that the landscaping up lights, the outlet they were plugged into, had water that intruded into the outlet (it’s covered) so I had to keep the landscaping lights unplugged until it dried out before the circuit would stop tripping at the breaker.

Is it possible you have moisture in a GFCI outlet on the circuit that’s tripping?

 

[Julian]

Yes....the outlet is completely dead. No power, it is tripped....as in the button is out, and it won't go back in (but I've read that many won't reset if there is no power to them).

 

[Julian]

Also, lights that I'm 99% certain are on the same circuit are working.

 

[mark_m]

Yes....the outlet is completely dead. No power, it is tripped....as in the button is out, and it won't go back in (but I've read that many won't reset if there is no power to them).

I’d go to the big box hardware store and just buy one and swap that thing out. If it doesn’t fix it you could always return it.

 

[zipper]

Mine reset fine with the bkr/pwr off. Did these breakers work before? What did you change on that/those circuit(s).

 

[Julian]

Mine reset fine with the bkr/pwr off. Did these breakers work before? What did you change on that/those circuit(s).

I changed nothing on that circuit. All I did was trip the breaker on it. Off to the store to buy a new outlet.

 

[zipper]

Are these outlets on the same circuit as the switch you replaced? If not, Did you do anything to the feed to the GFCI outlet. Is the GFCI outlet on a switched circuit? Or normally on. Having two crap out at the same time is suspicious. But shit happens...try pushing the test and reset again, maybe they are hung up inside. If it will not reset, replace.

 

[djetok]

Yes....the outlet is completely dead. No power, it is tripped....as in the button is out, and it won't go back in (but I've read that many won't reset if there is no power to them).

If you have one tripped in the series, that's where the power is stopped until that gfci is replaced or reset.

 

[PeterB]

It seems the problem occurred while you replaced the light switch- so maybe coincidence but I would check the following;
Try cycling the breakers again - you said you turned many off - to make sure they are actually all on.
Also - check the light switch you replaced - maybe power was passed through that box?
Third - instead of randomly replacing outlets, use a volt meter to see if you have power to the outlet or not

 

[WREKS]

To add to what others are advising: To the best of my knowledge, the National Electrical Code requires 2 GFCI circuits in the kitchen and GFCI circuits for bathrooms, outdoor, and garage. Often , all the outlet for the bathrooms will be on one GFCI.

Most of the time, a lighting circuit will not be on a GFCI. In bedrooms, the breakers are ARC FAULT that are reset by pushing a little switch on the breaker.

 

[Julian]

Neither GFCI outlet that is out seems to have power to it. Which to me means there is another GFCI somewhere that is tripped.....(and I've quardruple checked them all). This is f'ing driving me bonkers!

 

[the MfM]

Do you have a volt meter?

 

[djetok]

Neither GFCI outlet that is out seems to have power to it. Which to me means there is another GFCI somewhere that is tripped.....(and I've quardruple checked them all). This is f'ing driving me bonkers!

Do you have voltage too the first one? If not you could lost power from the switch

 

[zipper]

Are you sure all the breakers are reset completely. Usually when wiring in a gfci outlet, the next two regular outlets down the line are gfci protected also. You should not have a group of gfci's in a line, one after another on a circuit. I fed my kitchen, many outlets, with a gfci breaker. My baths have 3 outlets, the first in the line being gfci, the next two down the line are gfci protected, but regular outlets. But sounds like you don't have power on the circuit.

 

[Julian]

I have turned off and reset all the breakers. Half that circuit has power the other half does not. I have given in and called an electrician....too many other things on the list to do that can't wait.

Thanks for your help.

I am CERTAIN this is something stupid.....I'll fess up once its figured out....that said, the wiring in this part of the house is royally fucked up. Probably need to bite the bullet and have it redone....we think the prior owner hired a moron when they gutted and redid the kitchen.

 

[WREKS]

Could have something to do where you replaced the switch. Maybe, the hot wire that leads downstream to your dead GFCI did not get tied in.

 

[Julian]

Could have something to do where you replaced the switch. Maybe, the hot wire that leads downstream to your dead GFCI did not get tied in.

I replaced a switch on our 3rd floor.....this is wiring in the kitchen (now admitedly this house's wiring is totally bizarre). That said, I've put in 40 of these switches (Lutron Caseta Wireless switches) and they are simple as heck. Both switches I put in work fine, and all I did was swap the switch out....about the most basic wiring thing in the world....

 

[WREKS]

Some electricians will steal power from wherever they can. I am sure you will get it back.