Looks like GFI Only Partially Works...Why??
#1
10-02-16, 10:36 PM
Looks like GFI Only Partially Works...Why??
Recently I had a ceiling fan stop working. I replaced it, and it popped on perfectly. For some reason, maybe coincidence, my spare bathroom and hallway lights are now not working. I flipped the breakers on/off, but no luck. I tested the GFI, and it takes care of all circuits downstream. I believe the GFI in the bathroom controls the power in the bathroom (makes sense), but I can't get the bathroom light or fan to work. Also the adjoining hallway lights won't come on. Is this likely a bad GFI? Any other ideas? I'm not an electrician, just another do-it-yourselfer
#2
10-02-16, 11:11 PM
Group Moderator
Welcome to the forums.
Will the GFI reset ?
If yes.... plug something into it and see if it works.
If it won't reset..... it's bad or it's not getting power. A GFI will not reset unless it has power.
It sounds more like you have a problem connection in the fan you replaced. You connected something wrong or a wire connection came apart.
Will the GFI reset ?
If yes.... plug something into it and see if it works.
If it won't reset..... it's bad or it's not getting power. A GFI will not reset unless it has power.
It sounds more like you have a problem connection in the fan you replaced. You connected something wrong or a wire connection came apart.
#3
10-02-16, 11:47 PM
but I can't get the bathroom light or fan to work. Also the adjoining hallway lights won't come on.
I suspect when you replaced the ceiling fan you did not correctly reconnect a cable at the fan that feeds power to the two lights and fan. Tell us about the wiring at the new fan.
#4
10-03-16, 08:05 AM
GFI outlet works, and reset is working as well, so maybe it's not this. When I hooked up the ceiling fan, it was pretty straightforward - black to black and blue wires, white to white, and green/yellow to green. I took some pics of the connections before I took everything apart, so I'll open it back up and re-check then.
#6
10-03-16, 08:28 PM
Took the ceiling fan back down and checked the connections, which seem to be wired correctly. I did notice a copper wire that had a wire soldered to it (didn't look too safe to me) that looked like it was previously soldered to three other copper wires. That can't be safe right?? I took the soldered wire off the copper wire, used a wire connector on the copper wire to attach to some leftover wire I had and a bunch of electrical tape to connect to the other three copper wires.
Well...now the ceiling fan doesn't work, and the bathroom and hallway lights still don't work. Ugh.. Pic attached. The more brightly colored connectors are the new ones for the fan. I left the others that were already in the ceiling the way they were.
Well...now the ceiling fan doesn't work, and the bathroom and hallway lights still don't work. Ugh.. Pic attached. The more brightly colored connectors are the new ones for the fan. I left the others that were already in the ceiling the way they were.
#7
10-03-16, 09:05 PM
The bare wires should have been connected with a wire nut to the green wires but that is not your problem.
It is hard to see the wiring in the pictures but I see at least two things that seem incorrect. See image below:
It is hard to see the wiring in the pictures but I see at least two things that seem incorrect. See image below:
#8
10-03-16, 09:24 PM
Thanks for looking at the pic and making notes. A couple of follow ups:
- It looks like there is a white connected to a red. I didn't touch that connection, though. Just left it the way it was and connected the other needed wires.
- The green wire and green/yellow wire are connected. The white wire is not connected to the green wires. If you take a closer look, you'll see that the white fan wire runs past the green wires and is solely connected to white wire from the ceiling.
- It looks like there is a white connected to a red. I didn't touch that connection, though. Just left it the way it was and connected the other needed wires.
- The green wire and green/yellow wire are connected. The white wire is not connected to the green wires. If you take a closer look, you'll see that the white fan wire runs past the green wires and is solely connected to white wire from the ceiling.
#9
10-04-16, 03:03 AM
Tell us about the wires at the switch for the fan.
I may be chasing wild geese here, this may not be where your problem is, but I need to fully understand the wiring to know.
Normally if power comes in at the light I'd expect there to be a two conductor power in cable and usually that black would be connected to a white of a 3-conductor cable going to the switch.
If power came in at the switch I'd expect a 2-conductor and 3-conductor cable at the switch but only a 3-conductor cable from the switch to the fan box with black to black, red to blue, white to white. Not saying it is connected wrong there are other ways and the color code is convention not set in stone code but not understanding what I'm seeing.
I may be chasing wild geese here, this may not be where your problem is, but I need to fully understand the wiring to know.
Normally if power comes in at the light I'd expect there to be a two conductor power in cable and usually that black would be connected to a white of a 3-conductor cable going to the switch.
If power came in at the switch I'd expect a 2-conductor and 3-conductor cable at the switch but only a 3-conductor cable from the switch to the fan box with black to black, red to blue, white to white. Not saying it is connected wrong there are other ways and the color code is convention not set in stone code but not understanding what I'm seeing.
Last edited by ray2047; 10-04-16 at 03:21 AM.
