Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - What did I do WRONG?
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Candykissez
11-13-08, 05:07 PM
We have a Elliot manufactured home that we were remodeling.The master bath has a double switch. One switch operates the ceiling lights and the other one operates the light bar above the double sinks. There is a GFI that is on the same curcuit as the switch for the light bar and an exterior receptacle.
Changed out the ceiling lights and everything worked fine. Changed out the light bar for another fixture and everything worked fine. The outside receptacle quit working and the GFI and new light over the sinks quit also. Changed the outside receptacle, changed the GFI, changed the switch also. The circuit works occasionally. It has never tripped the GFI. Alas...I never took pictures to see if something was wired some other way. I thought I put everything back the way that it was. Could the breaker be defective? It is "split" with the lower section 15 AMPS and the upper section is 30 AMPs that has a metal pin attaching it to the 30 AMP breaker above it. I am confused. When using an amp meter, there is no current.
Changed out the ceiling lights and everything worked fine. Changed out the light bar for another fixture and everything worked fine. The outside receptacle quit working and the GFI and new light over the sinks quit also. Changed the outside receptacle, changed the GFI, changed the switch also. The circuit works occasionally. It has never tripped the GFI. Alas...I never took pictures to see if something was wired some other way. I thought I put everything back the way that it was. Could the breaker be defective? It is "split" with the lower section 15 AMPS and the upper section is 30 AMPs that has a metal pin attaching it to the 30 AMP breaker above it. I am confused. When using an amp meter, there is no current.
pcboss
11-13-08, 05:15 PM
When you moved the wires around you may have lossened a splice. Check all your connections again.
Breakers can and do go bad. However, in my experience this is rare.
Can you determine any pattern to when the circuit works?
Breakers can and do go bad. However, in my experience this is rare.
Can you determine any pattern to when the circuit works?
Candykissez
11-13-08, 05:26 PM
Thank you for your prompt and speedy reply. No, I have not noticed any pattern to them working or not. I am not able to do the necessary checking of the connections as you suggested until next week. I hope it is just a small "bump" and nothing major. Thanks again.
ecman51`
11-15-08, 03:44 PM
If the circuit is not working, with at least one thing working, you won't get any current flow, explaining no reading.
I'd suspect the GFCI controls itself and the outside outlet and light.
I'd voltmeter test the breaker. (I'm not sure what to make of a connected 15/30. 30 = 10 gauge wire. Why?)) If that is good, which it probably is, then I think I'd start back at that GFCI to make sure it is hooked up correctly. If your test button does not work on the GFCI, I am betting it is not hooked up correctly, so that the incoming hot wire and it's partner neutral wire, are not hooked up to the HOT LINE and HOT NEUTRAL terminals.
You will have to voltmeter check and see which of the black wires at the GFCI is THE incoming hot wire.
Then for protection of the other 2 things on that circuit, their wires get hooked to the LOAD terminals. LINE and LOAD and which are HOT and which are NEUTRAL are printed on the back. You must hook them all up, correctly.
What may have caused your problem initially is that the GFCI burned out, which then made nothing work on that circuit. But then, after you replaced it, thinking you fixed it, you may not have noticed the correct way to install it, or you put your GFCI in upside down, thinking it does not matter, and did not remember then that the LINE and LOAD terminals would be flipped, and you put the wrong wires on the wrong terminals. And now since the symptoms are how they were when you had no juice for those 3 things, you think it might be some other problem. When in fact all it might be is GFCI related for first scenario, and now 2nd scenario.
I have been witness to the exact scenario I am speaking of.
I'd suspect the GFCI controls itself and the outside outlet and light.
I'd voltmeter test the breaker. (I'm not sure what to make of a connected 15/30. 30 = 10 gauge wire. Why?)) If that is good, which it probably is, then I think I'd start back at that GFCI to make sure it is hooked up correctly. If your test button does not work on the GFCI, I am betting it is not hooked up correctly, so that the incoming hot wire and it's partner neutral wire, are not hooked up to the HOT LINE and HOT NEUTRAL terminals.
You will have to voltmeter check and see which of the black wires at the GFCI is THE incoming hot wire.
Then for protection of the other 2 things on that circuit, their wires get hooked to the LOAD terminals. LINE and LOAD and which are HOT and which are NEUTRAL are printed on the back. You must hook them all up, correctly.
What may have caused your problem initially is that the GFCI burned out, which then made nothing work on that circuit. But then, after you replaced it, thinking you fixed it, you may not have noticed the correct way to install it, or you put your GFCI in upside down, thinking it does not matter, and did not remember then that the LINE and LOAD terminals would be flipped, and you put the wrong wires on the wrong terminals. And now since the symptoms are how they were when you had no juice for those 3 things, you think it might be some other problem. When in fact all it might be is GFCI related for first scenario, and now 2nd scenario.
I have been witness to the exact scenario I am speaking of.