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Lee Schierer
08-02-2010, 1:12 PM
If you can put a GFIC receptacle in a circuit as the first outlet and protect the rest of the circuit, how come you can't use an Ohmmeter to check continuity across the load and line side terminals of the GFIC? Checking across two hot or across two neutral terminals results in an open circuit reading.

I thought I had a bad GFIC out of the box this weekend and tried checking it with an ohmmeter since I was getting no voltage down stream. Turns out I had the line side neutral switched with the load side neutral.

Jim Koepke
08-02-2010, 2:09 PM
Your wiring error may have caused an open condition requiring a reset.

I am not sure if a GFIC outlet needs power to reset.

From a quick search on > how they work GFIC < this came up:


GFCIs will also fail if you wire them improperly. The most important thing to remember when wiring them is to connect the wire originating at the breaker to the line side of the GFCI and the wire connecting downstream to the load side of the device. The GFCI terminals are clearly marked “Line” and “Load.” As an added safety improvement, one manufacturer markets a 15A, 125V receptacle with a built-in line-load reversal feature that prevents the GFCI from resetting if the installer mistakenly reverses the load and line connections.

jim

Lee Schierer
08-02-2010, 2:59 PM
Your wiring error may have caused an open condition requiring a reset.

I am not sure if a GFIC outlet needs power to reset.

From a quick search on > how they work GFIC < this came up:



jim

I was doing the readings with the GFIC completely out of the circuit. Even when reset the terminal to terminal reading is still zero....

Ken Fitzgerald
08-04-2010, 1:42 AM
Lee,

Once a year, all of my test equipment has to be calibrated, pass and be documented. I just got mine back.

I happened to have a new GFCI I'm getting ready to install. I tested it and from white to white tests "0" ohms and hot to hot tests "0" ohms. That means there is continuity between them. This is all done out of the circuit. That is what I would expect to see UNLESS the GFCI was tripped.