Load on switched outlet causes GFCI to trip


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Old 07-24-09, 05:01 AM
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Load on switched outlet causes GFCI to trip

Just replaced an outdoor outlet with a GCFI outlet. There are at least 2 switched indoor outlets downstream of the GCFI. The unswitched sides are fine but any load on the switched side trips the GCFI.

I did a Google search and appears that I can't do this because of a shared neutral. Does that sound right? Does that mean one can't use a GCFI outlet upstream of a switched outlet?
 
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Old 07-24-09, 07:00 AM
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Line and Load

how did you wire the GFCI
the GFCI should be wired on the LINE terminals ( the bottom ones ) and not the top. It can either be pigtailed or wired through ( in / out ).

but you can put a GFCI on a shared nuetral circuit ( multiwire ) so as long as nothing is wired on the LOAD side of the the GFCI receptacle, it's done all the time, or it will trip due to the sharing of the nuetral if you wired the upline indoor receptacles on the LOAD side.
 
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Old 07-24-09, 07:07 AM
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Originally Posted by mikerios
...but you can put a GFCI on a shared neutral circuit ( multiwire ) so as long as nothing is wired on the LOAD side of the the GFCI receptacle, it's done all the time, or it will trip due to the sharing of the neutral if you wired the upline indoor receptacles on the LOAD side.
That's the problem. I wired the upline receptacles to the load side. By pigtailed, you mean both pairs go on the line side, right?
 
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Old 07-24-09, 07:13 AM
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you are correct

correct
since there is no reason to protect the indoor circuits with the GFCI, the GFCI serves only to protect for anything that will be plugged in out doors
i have seen GFCI's tapped off living room circuits ( before those were AFCI protected ) with no ill effect

by pigtial i mean wire nut the pairs and pigtail one wire from both ties set together ( one hot and one nuetral ) to the GFCI or you can either junction the wire pairs ( in and out ) through the GFCI .

If you have the 2nd circuit in the box, do not run it through the GFCI
 
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Old 07-24-09, 08:43 AM
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One minor correction:
the GFCI should be wired on the LINE terminals ( the bottom ones ) and not the top
A receptacle has no top or bottom. You must read the markings on the receptacle.
 
 

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