New GFCI outlet not working

[brianl703]

The 120 volts your digital meter sees is phantom voltage, not really able to power anything.

That's why I got one of these. It's self-powered and pulls about 10mA at 120V. Enough to trip a GFCI, enough to be sure that it isn't phantom voltage.

Klein Tools Electronic AC/DC Voltage Tester ET60 - The Home Depot

ET60 is a solid-state, low impedance, electronic voltage tester. It measures AC/DC voltages up to 600V. The ET60 does NOT require batteries; it is powered by the applied voltage. It is excellent choice

www.homedepot.com

 

[wavinwayne]

Pretty much every GFCI comes with the LOAD terminals covered with a sticker telling you they're LOAD terminals.

Mine didn't but the LINE and LOAD were clearly labeled so it was easy to tell which was which.

 

[wavinwayne]

That's why I got one of these. It's self-powered and pulls about 10mA at 120V. Enough to trip a GFCI, enough to be sure that it isn't phantom voltage.

Klein Tools Electronic AC/DC Voltage Tester ET60 - The Home Depot

ET60 is a solid-state, low impedance, electronic voltage tester. It measures AC/DC voltages up to 600V. The ET60 does NOT require batteries; it is powered by the applied voltage. It is excellent choice

www.homedepot.com

This is what I use:

 

[brianl703]

This is what I use:

That's a high-impedance (probably 10 megohms) meter. You can stick one probe into the hot slot of an outlet, touch the other probe with one finger and a grounded metal surface with another finger.

It'll read 120V and you won't feel a thing.

This ability to real full voltage through even the highest resistance connections makes them a bad choice for troubleshooting bad connections.

The meter I linked to above, I purchased specifically because it's a low-impedance meter. I just have to remember I can't use it to measure between hot and ground on a GFCI protected circuit because it WILL trip the GFCI (unless, of course, I want to test the GFCI....)

 

[brianl703]

Mine didn't but the LINE and LOAD were clearly labeled so it was easy to tell which was which.

That makes me wonder if it was a store return...I think there maybe a UL requirement for the sticker covering the LOAD terminals, because *every* GFCI I've purchased in the last 15 years has that sticker.

(I wouldn't put it past some people to replace their defective GFCI with a new one and return the old one in the new box for a refund...)

 

[Escape08]

Or the new one is defective?

 

[tmorris1]

I bet the wiring has a fault upstream of this outlet. Wire in a 69 cent "normal" outlet to test with, and try to run a 60 watt light off it. Bet it can't. The 120 volts your digital meter sees is phantom voltage, not really able to power anything.

Your goal is to find whatever is upstream of this, which will be part of a daisy chain, and clean its corroded/ arced connections.

If that was the case it would trip the GFCI if it was working, right?

 

[Sonic]

Funny, I had this exact situation just the other day. I chalked it up to a bad ‘new’ GFCI receptacle. In my basement back utility room the gfci outlet I use for my treadmill stopped working. I had a new one in my electrical supply drawer of my tool box. Replaced the old with the new. Wouldn’t work. Head scratcher. I’ve done a lot of residential wiring so I was like wth? Removed it and did it again. Nothing. Put in a 99 cent standard receptacle and poof it works fine. I do know that gfci receptacles can be sensitive if packed into the box too tight but that wasn’t the case I had. I just threw it out. I’ll replace the standard outlet with another gfci here soon.

 

[rekit]

Side note-I put one in a bathroom that never had one, just a regular outlet, and the test and reset buttons work just fine. I thought I would see what would happen if I tossed my electric shaver plug (straight 120v, no brick) in the sink full of water. Nothing.....I'm all pvc plumbing, would that be why? If so seems kinda pointless. Any thoughts?

 

[SHOZ]

Side note-I put one in a bathroom that never had one, just a regular outlet, and the test and reset buttons work just fine. I thought I would see what would happen if I tossed my electric shaver plug (straight 120v, no brick) in the sink full of water. Nothing.....I'm all pvc plumbing, would that be why? If so seems kinda pointless. Any thoughts?

Water alone is not a good conductor of electricity. Put some salt water in there and try it.

 

[eljefino]

Side note-I put one in a bathroom that never had one, just a regular outlet, and the test and reset buttons work just fine. I thought I would see what would happen if I tossed my electric shaver plug (straight 120v, no brick) in the sink full of water. Nothing.....I'm all pvc plumbing, would that be why? If so seems kinda pointless. Any thoughts?

Ground faults monitor the in and out current and make sure they match. You have to leak a little bit "anywhere else".

 

[eljefino]

If that was the case it would trip the GFCI if it was working, right?

No. A dirty contact upstream will pass current until it finally corrodes so it doesn't, the GFCI only monitors for a specific condition-- power coming in that isn't going back out through the correct terminal. Arc enough times and copper finally turns black and is too resistive to pass electricity.

 

[brianl703]

No. A dirty contact upstream will pass current until it finally corrodes so it doesn't

Doesn't even need to be a dirty contact. I've had it happen at least 3 times so far when I pull an outlet out of the box (because it isn't working) and one of the backstabbed wires pulls right out of the back.

That's why I only use the screw terminals.

 

[chemman]

You can use one of these to make sure the outlet is wired properly:

Klein Tools GFCI Outlet Tester RT210 - The Home Depot

Klein Tools Receptacle Testers are designed to detect the most common wiring problems in standard and GFCI receptacles. A convenient chart on the tester helps determine wiring condition in outlet, based

www.homedepot.com

 

[nomas]

You can use one of these to make sure the outlet is wired properly:

Klein Tools GFCI Outlet Tester RT210 - The Home Depot

Klein Tools Receptacle Testers are designed to detect the most common wiring problems in standard and GFCI receptacles. A convenient chart on the tester helps determine wiring condition in outlet, based

www.homedepot.com

The OP has said that he checked the wiring multiple times .

 

[ripcord]

The OP has said that he checked the wiring multiple times .

It's possible that there is an issue in between the breaker panel and where the wires terminate inside the box that the tool would detect.

 

[wavinwayne]

Since I last posted, I went to Home Depot and got a new Leviton GFCI outlet from a new, sealed box, so I know it was unmolested. I also got an outlet tester like chemman suggested. When I tested the first outlet I installed yesterday, the outlet tester lights said my hot and ground were reversed. They absolutely were NOT reversed; everything was wired correctly, so I don't know how to interpret that. Next I installed the new GFCI outlet, paying close attention to wire it correctly, and the tester didn't light up at all. At this point I'm out of ideas. The guy who wired the house I'm living in is my wife's Uncle, and he is coming sometime this weekend to have a look. I'm suspecting a wiring problem that I don't have the ability to fix.

 

[Pablo]

Are N (white) and G at the same potential?

 

[wavinwayne]

Are N (white) and G at the same potential?

Pablo, I must plead ignorance; I don't understand the question. My expertise level with all things electrical is being able to connect the correct wire to the correct terminal whilst not getting electrocuted.

 

[Pablo]

Pablo, I must plead ignorance; I don't understand the question. My expertise level with all things electrical is being able to connect the correct wire to the correct terminal whilst not getting electrocuted.

Are they essentially 0 volts measured one lead to each on volt meter set at 50 volts AC or so