Thread: Newly installed GFCI tripping in some outlets

Hi All,

I am a DIY homeowner who recently installed a GFCI in my bathroom. It's an older home with some ungrounded outlets. At least when I replace them I find that no wire is connected to the ground of the outlet.

So I installed a gfci in my bathroom and believe I followed the directions correctly (hot wire to the hot and load to the load). It seems to work fine when things are plugged into the gfci and also in some outlets on the circuit which I also replaced as the last homeowner just painted over the old outlets like a putz.

So then I plugged a lamp into another outlet on the circuit (which I had not replaced) and the gfci immediately trips. The same lamp plugged into the gfci and two other outlets on the circuit which I did replace and specifically wired to the ground do not trip. But these other un-replaced outlets, when used with any device (lamp, drill, etc.) just immediately trip the gfci.

Is it likely I installed it incorrectly, or is it possible that these other outlets are ungrounded or otherwise incorrectly installed such that simply replacing them and correctly grounding them will fix the problem?

Thanks in advance.

-Greg

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Originally Posted by gregmilliken

Hi All,

I am a DIY homeowner who recently installed a GFCI in my bathroom. It's an older home with some ungrounded outlets. At least when I replace them I find that no wire is connected to the ground of the outlet.

So I installed a gfci in my bathroom and believe I followed the directions correctly (hot wire to the hot and load to the load). It seems to work fine when things are plugged into the gfci and also in some outlets on the circuit which I also replaced as the last homeowner just painted over the old outlets like a putz.

So then I plugged a lamp into another outlet on the circuit (which I had not replaced) and the gfci immediately trips. The same lamp plugged into the gfci and two other outlets on the circuit which I did replace and specifically wired to the ground do not trip. But these other un-replaced outlets, when used with any device (lamp, drill, etc.) just immediately trip the gfci.

Is it likely I installed it incorrectly, or is it possible that these other outlets are ungrounded or otherwise incorrectly installed such that simply replacing them and correctly grounding them will fix the problem?

Thanks in advance.

-Greg

The outlets that trip the GFCI are likely miswired or defective. Replace them.

Thanks Rick. I did just notice that one of the outlets that is tripping the gfci has three wires coming into it rather than two.

Then a third actually had the ground wired directly to the neutral (white), is that correct?

Is it correct that the last outlet on the circuit should have the ground connected this way? when I disconnected it now none of these outlets work, but they do have power coming into them, so the circuit has been broken by disconnecting the ground wire from the neutral/white.

Originally Posted by gregmilliken

Thanks Rick. I did just notice that one of the outlets that is tripping the gfci has three wires coming into it rather than two.

Then a third actually had the ground wired directly to the neutral (white), is that correct?

Is it correct that the last outlet on the circuit should have the ground connected this way? when I disconnected it now none of these outlets work, but they do have power coming into them, so the circuit has been broken by disconnecting the ground wire from the neutral/white.

Sounds like you need to call a Sparky.

Yeah, done. I checked all the outlets and they appeared correctly grounded, hot to ground glows, but neutral ground does not, but once I disconnected the ground from neutral on that last outlet they all stopped working so something is awry with the neutral on those outlets that branched from the one with three wires.

Thanks.

Do you have a bootleg ground where someone has put a jumper between the neutral and ground screws?