House won't support GFI plugs


  #1  
Old 09-17-04, 10:54 AM
jposada
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House won't support GFI plugs

Hi, guys...I recently purchased a fixer about a month ago and have been tackling a long list of repairs. I've come across a situation...understand that while most of home repairs is new to me, I'm very handy and mechanically adept and can tackle any situation after seeing it performed once (I recently sheetrocked and installed copper pipe for the first time and I'm told both are up to commercial workmanship standards.)

The problem...I have a house that won't support GFCI plugs. The house is old...I think it was built in '33 and all the in-wall wiring is armoured cable but with a relatively new 100amp breaker box with an inspector sign-off (before I came along).

However...I tried in the kitchen and a contractor (not electrical contractor) tried in the bathroom to install GFCI plugs and in both instances, the plug is installed and hot (the recepticle supplies power), but the line output posts are not powered. We also cannot get them to trip.

The person I bought this house from was a loser and everything that he did to the house is either backwards, crooked, tilted, non-standard, or half-assed...don't even let me start on his use of "foam-in-a-can".

It is possible that the house is simply not grounded? is there a way of performing a test to determine if it is not and if that's the case, what is the most likely starting point to address this issue?

Thanks
 
  #2  
Old 09-17-04, 11:05 AM
R
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A GFCI receptacle will work without a ground. You are not installing the GFCI properly. Make sure that you are connecting the hot wire to the line side hot terminal and the neutral to the line side neutral terminal.
 
  #3  
Old 09-17-04, 12:52 PM
R
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jposada,

"but the line output posts are not powered"
I think maybe Racraft may have hit the nail on the head if your reference to "line" output can be taken literally. The "output" of a GFCI is on the load terminals.

good luck,
 
 

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