can you test a GFCI outlet wth a volt meter?
#1
can you test a GFCI outlet wth a volt meter?
old house, half of the house is old style BX, (the kind with the insulation that falls off when you touch it and doesn't have the ground wire) two prong non grounded outlets.
other half was upgraded n the 1960's with a breaker panel and the more modern BX. this half has three prong grounded outlets.
one of the old circuits tripped the breaker, would not reset.
since i knew from experience, any wire i touched on the old BX while lookng for the short would just cause the insulation to fall off and cause more shorts, i am replacing all of the old BX and two prong outlets with ROMEX and three prong outlets.
i am dong it one outlet at a time, testing, then move on. in case i do something wrong it will be a lot easier to find it.
the problem.
first outlet i put in is a GFCI.
the romex going from the GFCI to the next out was left disconnected. ends of wires were not touching.
reset breaker, light on GFCI comes on.
put volt meter probes in GFCI, GFCI trips.
tried testing at the disconnected end of the romex, tripped. disconnected end is where the next outlet goes.
is this normal?
does the GFCI read the volt meter as a ground fault?
or is it having a problem because the next outlet is not connected?
or did i do something backwards?
other half was upgraded n the 1960's with a breaker panel and the more modern BX. this half has three prong grounded outlets.
one of the old circuits tripped the breaker, would not reset.
since i knew from experience, any wire i touched on the old BX while lookng for the short would just cause the insulation to fall off and cause more shorts, i am replacing all of the old BX and two prong outlets with ROMEX and three prong outlets.
i am dong it one outlet at a time, testing, then move on. in case i do something wrong it will be a lot easier to find it.
the problem.
first outlet i put in is a GFCI.
the romex going from the GFCI to the next out was left disconnected. ends of wires were not touching.
reset breaker, light on GFCI comes on.
put volt meter probes in GFCI, GFCI trips.
tried testing at the disconnected end of the romex, tripped. disconnected end is where the next outlet goes.
is this normal?
does the GFCI read the volt meter as a ground fault?
or is it having a problem because the next outlet is not connected?
or did i do something backwards?
#2
does the GFCI read the volt meter as a ground fault? No.
or is it having a problem because the next outlet is not connected? No.
or did i do something backwards? possibly.
Testing across the two slots of a GFI receptacle will not trip it. A GFI reads an inbalance between the slots which usually signifies a short or leakage to ground. The supply wires should be connected to the LINE side of the GFI. Remove the load wires and test it again.
or is it having a problem because the next outlet is not connected? No.
or did i do something backwards? possibly.
Testing across the two slots of a GFI receptacle will not trip it. A GFI reads an inbalance between the slots which usually signifies a short or leakage to ground. The supply wires should be connected to the LINE side of the GFI. Remove the load wires and test it again.
#3
just disconnected the load wires.
several tests with the volt meter on the line terminals or black and ground wire showed 120VAC.
then i tried the slots, and when i went from black to ground, it tripped.
went back to black terminal and ground wire and it tripped.
could it be a defective GFCI outlet?
several tests with the volt meter on the line terminals or black and ground wire showed 120VAC.
then i tried the slots, and when i went from black to ground, it tripped.
went back to black terminal and ground wire and it tripped.
could it be a defective GFCI outlet?
#5
first test, with the load wire connected, it was tripping with the tester in the hot and neutral slot and when i put the tester on the hot and neutral on the other end of the load wire, where the next outlet is going.
#7
are you saying the easiest thing for me to do is plug one of those GFCI testers in?
#9
Are you sure these are straight GFI receptacles and not ones with some kind of arc fault protection ?
I have never had a GFI trip when plugging in any test meter. You can plug a direct short into a GFI receptacle and it will not trip. If you are putting your test probes into the hot and neutral slots.... NOT ground.... and the GFI trips.... it's bad.
I have never had a GFI trip when plugging in any test meter. You can plug a direct short into a GFI receptacle and it will not trip. If you are putting your test probes into the hot and neutral slots.... NOT ground.... and the GFI trips.... it's bad.
Last edited by PJmax; 03-17-18 at 10:20 PM.
#10
Are you sure these are straight GFI receptacles and not ones with some kind of arc fault protection ?
I have never had a GFI trip when plugging in any test meter. You can plug a direct short into a GFI receptacle and it will not trip. If you are putting your test probes into the hot and neutral slots.... NOT ground.... and the GFI trips.... it's bad.
I have never had a GFI trip when plugging in any test meter. You can plug a direct short into a GFI receptacle and it will not trip. If you are putting your test probes into the hot and neutral slots.... NOT ground.... and the GFI trips.... it's bad.
i will buy the plug in tester and see what that says.
the volt meter i am using is the kind with the probes.
tells me if it is live, voltage and AC or DC.
#12
The tester that Xsleeper posted the link to will not work if there is no ground path to the receptacle. They have a resister between the hot and ground to create a ground fault. If there is no ground, it will not work.
#13
I thought he said..........
i am replacing all of the old BX and two prong outlets with ROMEX and three prong outlets.
#15
bought the tester .
just tried it with the load wires disconnected, and connected.
tester says it is wired correctly.
hit the test button on the tester, GFCI tripped.
at this point, should i just trust the GFCI tester and not try to fgure out why i tripped it with the probe type tester?
just assume i accidentally touched ground or something?
just tried it with the load wires disconnected, and connected.
tester says it is wired correctly.
hit the test button on the tester, GFCI tripped.
at this point, should i just trust the GFCI tester and not try to fgure out why i tripped it with the probe type tester?
just assume i accidentally touched ground or something?
#18
just checked it with the probe type tester.
10 times to each pair of terminals for both outlets. i mean, the outlet can have two things plugged into it.
10 times to each pair of slots.
10 times to the bare ends of the wire which will be the next outlet.
did not trip.
10 times to each pair of terminals for both outlets. i mean, the outlet can have two things plugged into it.
10 times to each pair of slots.
10 times to the bare ends of the wire which will be the next outlet.
did not trip.