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About Greg Hughes
Expertise
Residential Electrical including Appliances and HVAC with 28 years experience.

Experience
Started training as an electrician in 1979, worked for major companies and the government.

Education/Credentials
Graduated from Electrician's School, Carrier Training, and various specialty schools.

You are here: Experts > Home/Garden > Home Improvement/Repair > Electrical Wiring in the Home > GFCI outlet

Electrical Wiring in the Home - GFCI outlet

Expert: Greg Hughes - 10/28/2009

Question
Thanks for your participation in allexperts. I am also on the board, in roofing and ventilation.

I am remodeling a bathroom on my home. One outlet in it and it was a std one so I installed GCFI outlet. The first one worked for several days and then started tripping out and would not stay on. I put back in a std outlet and all was fine. Then I got another GCFI outlet and installed it. It worked for a few days and then started acting like the first one, tripping out and not staying on after that.

If I had the load and live reversed, would it have worked for a few days? When it is working, all downstream wiring is fine.

I used a 15 amp outlet. Should I be using 20?

Downstream on an outlet we do have our home theatre system, if that makes any difference. It has a fancy surge protector box on it.

Thanks for your help.

Todd Miller
www.asktoddmiller.com

Answer
If this circuit goes on to feed other outlets outside of the bathroom that are not normally gfci protected then you want the LINE (hot and neutral) connected to the LINE terminals of the gfci. (Make sure polarity is correct - black is hot and white is neutral) and the continuing wires to the LINE of the outlet, not the LOAD. You do not want the theater system on a GFCI outlet.

This will give you GFCI protection at the bathroom outlet alone.

Plus, make sure your ground is good and the connections are tight from the feed.

So all of your wires (beside ground) will be wired to the LINE of the gfci outlet. Nothing connected to the LOAD.

Hope that helps.

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This site answers questions related to home electrical wiring, home wiring, general electrical help,and other electrical questions related to aleternating current (AC). You can find help on the National Electical Code, home electrical issues, wiring electrical outlets, installing lighting, electrical grounding, and general electrical help for do-it-yourself projects not require an electrician. If you do not see your home electrical wiring question answered in this area then please ask your electrical wiring question here