I've done this before...without issue. But the GFCI I am trying to put behind my soon to be tank will not power anything plugged in, or anything downstream.
I have checked and double checked the load vs line (and tried wiring it up both ways). I get the green light on, but no power. I can't trip the GFI with the test button. Can't reset it either.
If I swap it out with the regular outlet that was there, no problem.
I returned the first GFCI I bought, thinking maybe I just got a faulty outlet.
Any suggestions?
I have a call out to my electrician friend, but haven't heard back. This is literally the last piece of the proverbial puzzle before the tank gets moved into place on Tues.
Most newer GFCI have a little led on them. They mean different things on different brands, and I have not memorized them. What it does tell you is there is power to the GFCI, and the reason it is not powering anything is it is tripped, or not set. (kinda obvious.)
However, the idea that a GFCI that won't reset is because it is bad, is almost always wrong. (Despite anecdote to the contrary.) Only a couple of times have I come across a GFCI that would not reset due to some mechanical problem. For an electrician, it is rather humiliating to not be able to get a GFCI to reset, and the next guy comes through, pushes the button once and it resets. Or worse, the customer pushes the button and it resets... ...I have been on both sides of the fence... A GFCI, gone bad, will generally run things after the test button has been pushed. Meaning it will not trip in the event of a ground fault.
Since 2003, a GFCI will not set (or reset) if it is not getting power. But it will also not reset (or set) if it is not getting good power. A loose (not necessarily disconnected) neutral will show power at the outlet, but won't run anything. Since 2007, with Levitons, it may take a bit more force to reset a GFCI, than previously, and the button is recessed so much it is hard to tell if it is set or not.
Some reasons a GFCI won't set (or reset):
An existing shock hazard somewhere in the circuit you were not aware of.
Ground fault downstream (rule out if nothing on the load side.)
Line and load reversed. (2003)
Other miswiring of GFCI (who knows what evil lurks in the box...)
120 volts not reaching the GFCI (2003)
Button not pushed in well enough
Defective GFCI (very rare.)
Other issues:
Ground wire touching the neutral side of an outlet.
One of the trickiest:
I traced one GFCI issue in a living room, to an RV plugged into the side of the house, with a TV running...turned off the tv, and unplugged the coach, and the problem cleared...the circuit was double ended. (A hotted hot; a parallel path from the load side back to the line side.) A wiring error.
Not saying that any, or none, of these are the culprit...however, if two in a row won't set (or reset) it isn't the GFCIs.
