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Electrical Wiring

GFCI Tripped - Cannot Reset

16 years ago

Hello All! I hope you can help me.

I went to plug in my outside XMas lights today for the first time - one of the exterior outlets (with GCFI test/reset buttons) is tripped and does not work. The test button does not push in, the reset button does, but does not pop the outlet back on.

I have gone thru my whole house with a fine toothed comb pushing every RESET button I have. Now, instead of just the one outlet outside not working, none of them work. They were all working fine until I started pushing buttons.

This house was just built 3 years ago, so it is not like there is old wiring. I have no idea how long the first outlet has not been working - we only use it at XMas. Worked fine last year.

Is it possible the outlet has gone bad and needs to be replaced? If so, is it something a DIY type person can do?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks!!

Featured Answer

terribletom

16 years ago

Dunno if this thread is still alive or not, but a little bit of methodical troubleshooting might help to narrow down the possibilities.

First, can you put a cheap circuit tester (or an expensive one for that matter) to determine for sure that the GFCI outlet is getting power? If wired correctly, the test light should go on (or the voltage meter should register) when you test the two "line" terminal screws. If there's no power to the outlet, we can work backwards towards the power panel.

[It might not be a bad idea to test the hot & ground combination as suggested above. A GFCI outlet will usually work fine without a ground. In fact, they are sometimes installed intentionally in ungrounded circuits under certain circumstances. This test might, however, point toward the diagnosis of a bad neutral.]

Also test for power at the two load terminals. If there's power at the load and no power from the line, something is miswired, and we can go from there.

If the receptacle is getting power, a next step might be to disconnect, temporarily, any wires attached on the "load" side (i.e., the feed to other outlets downstream). TURN THE BREAKER OFF WHILE YOU PULL OUT THE RECEPTACLE AND UNHOOK THE WIRES, RIGHT?

If the GFCI outlet resets and works when no load is connected, the problem is probably a ground fault downstream. If, however, the GFCI still won't reset and work, replace it.

Else, come back with test results.

Cheers and good luck.

Comments (8)

texasredhead
16 years ago
I have found that some GFCIs are hard to reset. You reset with the red button and you need to hear it click. Also, have you checked breakers? GFCIs do not trip from an overload but rather a ground fault. Breakers trip from an overload.
joed
16 years ago
Could be there is water or bugs in the receptacle box.
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rachelh, GFCI = Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. You don't really need to know how it works, just that if something happens, it can save your life. GFCI outlets should be tested monthly. There should be two buttons - TEST and RESET. Plug a small lamp into the outlet, turn the lamp on then press the TEST button. The RESET button should pop out and the lamp should go off. If that happens, press the RESET and you are fine. If the RESET button pops out and the lamp does NOT turn off - get an electrician in to check the outlet. It is wired incorrectly and will not protect you in case of an accident. See the top three (and probably more) of the links in the Google search below. GFCIs could save your life or that of a loved one. Here is a link that might be useful: Google GFCI search
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"neutral connection/impedance upstream, maybe even at the main panel?" Downstream maybe, but not upstream so much (though newer GFCIs prevent incorrect installation). A GFCI device measures the hot and neutral current downstream (LOAD terminals of the receptacle) and from the receptacle in the device (if it has one) for balance. Any difference greater than ~0.005 amps trips the GFCI. Newer models of GFCI receptacles will not reset if the incoming power is incorrectly hooked to the LOAD terminals instead of the correct LINE terminals. If the device has been replaced in the last few years it could be incorrectly wired. If it WAS operating and now is not this is very unlikely. Moisture (bathrooms and exterior) can cause GFCIs to fail. They are not very ruggedly built (no coating on the electronics inside) so moisture leads to corrosion and failure. In most cases simply replacing them is the easiest step to fixing the problem. If the new one works the old one was bad. If the new one does not work you need to look further.
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I can almost guarantee that there are one of two problems: 1. The GFCI isn't getting power. 2. You have a ground fault. You're not going to find either one with just a night light. GFCI's often have other outlets connected to their protected side. If there's nothing plugged into the GFCI likely the problem is in the wiring beyond. Often water can get into outside boxes and cause such trips.
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perrisquirrel
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I checked the breakers - all fine. There was nothing plugged in to overload the breakers. We discovered the outlet was not working with the first thing to be plugged in. The RESET button goes all the way in like it should, it just does not click and reset.

I'll try opening up the receptacle box today. Hopefully that is the problem.
mikie_gw
16 years ago
Florida has lots of lightning surges - that can screw up elecronic things and grounds too. Might check for voltage to ground to see if you still have a connected ground.
texasredhead
16 years ago
FYI, it is often thought that when breakers trip that they go all the way to the off position. Many only back off slightly from the full on position resulting in the false assumption that the breaker is not tripped. A GFCI will not reset is the breaker is tripped.
texasredhead
16 years ago
Forgot to mention, turn the breaker to the complete off position to reset to the on position. Pardon me if you allready know this.
Brandon Silver
6 years ago
Thanks for this thread everyone. I just experienced the same problem as perrissquirrel. I plugged in my Christmas lights and it killed my GFCI outlet. The Reset button would not stick and the test button wouldn't budge.

I checked the breakers and they were all "On". So I was confused until I read terribletoms comment about the breaker being slightly tripped and still in the "on" position. I reset that breakers and now I have power. Thanks Guys!

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