So, when I was in San Diego at my sons new home he asks me to help him with an electrical problem. It seems the GFCI in one bathroom had no power nor was there power in another bathroom. Ima thinkin the GFCI is bad (reset button would not power it up) or tripped and the other non working bath receptacle (NON GFCI) is fed downstream from the LOAD side of the other GFCI. BRILLIANT RIGHT LOL
I don't have any testers or anything with me armed only with a screwdriver, so we go to his Panel where two breakers are labeled GFCI and another Bathroom which we turn off of course assuming that will kill power. I carefully pull out the GFCI and tell him just to be sure power is off I quickly lightly brush the metal part of the screwdriver across a Hot and Neutral and SPARKS FLY Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm the panel isn't labeled correct, the wire is still HOT. He goes down and trips the main afterwhich power is off. YES BILLY BOB SPARE ME, I KNOW I COULD HAVE RIGGED A MORE PROPER TEST DEVICE/METHOD Im just tellin a story here.
SOOOOOOOOOOO I open a new GFCI we bought at Home Depot which was identical (brand and model and type exact same) to his old receptacle. NOTE this one did NOT have the thin yellow tape strip over 2 of the terminals as some Ive seen !!!!!!!!!! Assuming the old one was wired correct (Line and Load) I oriented and wired the new one exactly like the identical old one, you guessed it STILL IT NOR THE DOWNSTREAM RECEPTACLE HAVE POWER
I think AHHHHHHHHHHH HAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I bet the old (and new identical) GFCI is reverse wired with the hot incoming feed wires on the Load side instead of the correct LINE side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I put my glasses on and confirmed the past installer (Billy Bob homeowner and NOT an electrician) wired the GFCI bass ackwards.
MORAL OF STORY for any non sparkies out there
Don't believe the labels on a panelboard (I already knew which is why I used the shorting screwdriver test)
Just because an existing GFCI receptacle is wired one way DOES NOT MEAN ITS CORRECT (especially if it don't work lol)
Of course, LINE and LOAD on a GFCI need to be installed correctly
I save son an electricians service call and he thinks old Dad is pretty sharp yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
John T Too long retired EE
I don't have any testers or anything with me armed only with a screwdriver, so we go to his Panel where two breakers are labeled GFCI and another Bathroom which we turn off of course assuming that will kill power. I carefully pull out the GFCI and tell him just to be sure power is off I quickly lightly brush the metal part of the screwdriver across a Hot and Neutral and SPARKS FLY Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm the panel isn't labeled correct, the wire is still HOT. He goes down and trips the main afterwhich power is off. YES BILLY BOB SPARE ME, I KNOW I COULD HAVE RIGGED A MORE PROPER TEST DEVICE/METHOD Im just tellin a story here.
SOOOOOOOOOOO I open a new GFCI we bought at Home Depot which was identical (brand and model and type exact same) to his old receptacle. NOTE this one did NOT have the thin yellow tape strip over 2 of the terminals as some Ive seen !!!!!!!!!! Assuming the old one was wired correct (Line and Load) I oriented and wired the new one exactly like the identical old one, you guessed it STILL IT NOR THE DOWNSTREAM RECEPTACLE HAVE POWER
I think AHHHHHHHHHHH HAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I bet the old (and new identical) GFCI is reverse wired with the hot incoming feed wires on the Load side instead of the correct LINE side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I put my glasses on and confirmed the past installer (Billy Bob homeowner and NOT an electrician) wired the GFCI bass ackwards.
MORAL OF STORY for any non sparkies out there
Don't believe the labels on a panelboard (I already knew which is why I used the shorting screwdriver test)
Just because an existing GFCI receptacle is wired one way DOES NOT MEAN ITS CORRECT (especially if it don't work lol)
Of course, LINE and LOAD on a GFCI need to be installed correctly
I save son an electricians service call and he thinks old Dad is pretty sharp yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
John T Too long retired EE