Hi, I was reading in another thread that it "can be a problem" to have an outlet downstream from a GFCI *if the distance between the outlets is too far. What is the maximum distance away that a downstream outlet can be and still have effective GFCI protection? Thanks.

I had an outlet I wanted to remove the outlet was bad and I needed to wait to replace it with the right kind since they didn't have ungrounded 2 prong outlets at the store by my house and I have knob and tube wiring. Everything was working fine until I disconnected the outlet and capped the wires all separately and then when I went to turn the breaker back on I discovered none of the lights or outlets downstream of the outlet I removed worked anymore. I replace outlets wired same way all over the house on other occasions with no problem. The only difference is that this outlet is feeding power from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor where it then goes up in the attic and powers lights. So basically none of the lights fed from the attic have power without the outlet ON. I concluded that since power was being fed through the outlet to power the lights and outlets that were not working that I simply interrupted the feed by capping them seperately. The 2 hots and 2 neutrals connected to the outlet are line and load from same circuit. I tried to connect the neutrals together because thats how they are everywhere else in the house when a device is removed, but this did not affect anything. When i twisted the hots together, the breaker would not stay on. It tripped instantly. So i was not able to get the power back on to the downstream lights and outlets without the outlet hooked up. When i tried to put the outlet back and connected everything the circuit breaker continued to trip instantly and the only way i can get it not to is if i cap the wires with the hots separately. Now i have no power on half of the circuit. I figured the outlet must just be bad. i got a new outlet same configuration as the old one and tried replacing but it still trips when connected. There are 4 wires 2 neutrals 2 hots line and load i simply hooked it up in the same arrangement. The wires are in good condition and no sign of any damage. Directly downstream of this outlet there is a light fixture with switched neutral, and in other parts of the house i have had a breaker trip if the neutral and hot is reversed at any point on the feed, but im this case since it has always been that way and worked fine i cant imagine that it would cause a problem now only after disconnecting and reconnecting an outlet.