GFCI light not on after splicing wire


  #1  
Old 03-08-16, 11:19 AM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
GFCI light not on after splicing wire

I had to splice romex wire (NM-B 14-3) to reroute over an installed dog door. I matched each wire and wrapped them (wrapped grounding wire around grounding screw), added wire nut and placed each attachment in a j box. My lights are working fine, but the GFCI outlets are not. The indicator light is not on at all and when I hit the reset button it doesn't catch.

I'm pretty sure I did everything correctly, but must've made some sort of mistake that is only affecting the GFCI outlets. Thoughts?
 
  #2  
Old 03-08-16, 12:14 PM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
Is the cable going to the line side of the GFCI hot? You can not check with a non contact tester. You must use a multimeter or neon test light.
but the GFCI outlets are not.
Are there more then one GFCI receptacles? Normally only the first receptacle would be GFCI with the rest non GFCI fed from the load side of the GFCI at the first receptacle
 
  #3  
Old 03-08-16, 12:22 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
There are GFCI outlets in the master bath. The main GFCI outlet (the one with the reset/test buttons) is in the second bath. Every outlet on that line is non-functioning currently.

The cables going into the GFCI outlets should be good because I did not touch those. I simply spliced the line (midway through the cable line).
 
  #4  
Old 03-08-16, 12:40 PM
P
Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: United States, Virginia
Posts: 1,705
Received 273 Upvotes on 230 Posts
If you simply spliced in a short piece to get around the dog door then the only thing that could be causing the problem is a bad wirenut connection. I assume you used 2 metal jboxes for the splice points and that is where you put the ground wire under a screw to ground the box.
 
  #5  
Old 03-08-16, 12:53 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Yes that is what I did. So maybe one of my wire connections isn't secure? I can undo the wire nuts and check the connections. Would that keep the GFCI from working properly?
 
  #6  
Old 03-08-16, 12:55 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
Is there another gfi in the circuit? It might have tripped.
 
  #7  
Old 03-08-16, 12:58 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I've checked the other GFCI outlets and they are showing green lights and are functioning. There's also a GFCI switch in the breaker panel that has a "test" button. I tried hitting that and resetting the breaker switch, but that didn't correct it.

Again, it doesn't seem to be tripped. The test button doesn't move the reset button. And when I press the reset button it just moves in and out without catching. I wonder if it's just not receiving power somehow. Very strange.
 
  #8  
Old 03-08-16, 01:06 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
If the neutral isn't properly connected, would it result in the GFCI being perpetually tripped so it wouldn't have an indicator light on? Or does that mean the GFCI just isn't receiving enough power somehow?
 
  #9  
Old 03-08-16, 01:34 PM
P
Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: United States, Virginia
Posts: 1,705
Received 273 Upvotes on 230 Posts
Do you have a meter to test for voltage? Sounds to me the GFCI outlet is not getting power. I assume the wire you spliced is upstream and supplies power to the non working GFCI outlet.
 
  #10  
Old 03-08-16, 01:53 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I can get one. Let's assume it's not getting power - what would my solution be?
 
  #11  
Old 03-08-16, 01:57 PM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
Buy a cheap analog multimeter not a digital multimeter if you are going to buy one. The analog multimeter is less likely to give misleading readings.
 
  #12  
Old 03-08-16, 02:16 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I can get an analog meter. But what is my solution if the GFCI is not receiving power?
 
  #13  
Old 03-08-16, 02:48 PM
P
Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: United States, Virginia
Posts: 1,705
Received 273 Upvotes on 230 Posts
Find the last place there is power before the GFCI. Clarify for us that the splice is upstream from the GFCI. If there is power upstream from the splice and no power on the wire that feeds the GFCI then there is a bad connection in one of the spliced wires. I'm assuming if the wire is 14/3 that one wire feeds the light which you say works and the other feeds the GFCI which doesn't work. So trace that one wire back through your connections. This is a bunch of guess work without actually seeing how the wiring is run. There is always the possibility that the GFCI has given up the ghost, not likely but possible.
 
  #14  
Old 03-08-16, 02:51 PM
R
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
That makes sense and is actually really helpful, thank you! I will check all of this when I'm home from work. Thank you all again for your help.
 
  #15  
Old 03-08-16, 06:25 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
Make sure the Line terminals were used for the incoming power.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: