I purchased a new house that’s 25 years old and none of the bathrooms have GFI’s. So I’m replacing them as the outlets are worn out anyway.

There are 4 bathrooms on one circuit. I replaced the first gfi and got it working. All was good. Went to the 2nd outlet, replaced it and now now can’t get power to the entire circuit at all! First guess would be a GFI is tripped somewhere else, but I can’t find any and as said the house only had one in the kitchen when it was purchased that I’ve found. So that doesn’t seem likely.

Now, there’s a 2nd bathroom that’s on its own circuit on the first level. I replaced it first and had it working normally. I just went to look at it and tripped it, now I can’t get the power back.

Wtf!!

So, am I doing something wrong with the GFI’s? I have one of those plug detectors and it says they are wired correctly, it’s only 5 wires best I can tell they are good, so what the heck?

Only thing I can consider is tripping the gfi is causing the breaker to go bad? Any thoughts or suggestions?

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Posted by baldona

Florida

Member since Feb 2016

20376 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 8:39 am to baldona

I think i figured out my problem, you can’t have multiple GFI’s on the same circuit. I thought it was unnecessary, but this was recommended by the dumbarse home inspector. So I was going to do it as I needed to replace the outlets anyway.

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Posted by Perrydawg

Middle Ga Area

Member since Jan 2014

4769 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 8:42 am to baldona

generally one GFCI per circuit and it needs to be on the first outlet in the circuit, but I am not an electrician just what I have been told and researched.

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Posted by Weekend Warrior79

Member since Aug 2014

16256 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 8:57 am to Perrydawg

quote:
generally one GFCI per circuit and it needs to be on the first outlet in the circuit, but I am not an electrician just what I have been told and researched.

I'm in the same boat, this is what my electrician told me when we were doing my kitchen remodel. I questioned why we only had 1 GFI when I have 2 separate outlets within a few feet of water. He told me, I would only need one because even if the other one gets moisture in it, it will trip the first GFI. He also emphasized that the only way it works is if the 1 closest to the main feed was the one with the GFI.

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Posted by LSUtigerME

Walker, LA

Member since Oct 2012

3788 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 9:16 am to baldona

quote:
I think i figured out my problem, you can’t have multiple GFI’s on the same circuit. I thought it was unnecessary, but this was recommended by the dumbarse home inspector. So I was going to do it as I needed to replace the outlets anyway.

You can have multiple GFCIs if you wire them with pigtails. This is very common, especially in your situation where a different bathroom is on the circuit. The GFCI should be within eyesight/same room as the circuit it will trip.

If you use the line/load, then yes only 1 is required at the first point from breaker and it will trip them all.

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Posted by notsince98

KC, MO

Member since Oct 2012

17938 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 9:31 am to baldona

quote:
you can’t have multiple GFI’s on the same circuit.

You can but you have to be careful how you wire them. There is a slight difference.

Generally it is preferred to have one GFCI to protect one circuit/series of recepts but that is not the only way.

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Posted by baldona

Florida

Member since Feb 2016

20376 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 4:19 pm to notsince98

quote:
You can but you have to be careful how you wire them. There is a slight difference.

Generally it is preferred to have one GFCI to protect one circuit/series of recepts but that is not the only way.

Yeah I was tired this morning and read something that now doesn't make sense. Of course if wired correctly multiple GFCI's can be used but as said aren't necessary unless you just want one in each room.

I solved my problem. I need to take a picture. The previous homeowner used two hanging mirrors over the sinks and covered up the GFCI in the master bathroom with one of them...then, the kicker in all of this is that he placed a new outlet about 5 inches over so it was between the two mirrors. But instead of just piggytailing the old outlet properly to the new one and making it a junction box basically, they kept it and just added the outlet.

So there's two outlets 5 inches from each other and the GFCI is hidden. What a fricker for doing that...

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Posted by alphaandomega

Tuscaloosa

Member since Aug 2012

13455 posts

Posted on 5/10/21 at 4:35 pm to baldona

quote:
I think i figured out my problem, you can’t have multiple GFI’s on the same circuit. I thought it was unnecessary, but this was recommended by the dumbarse home inspector. So I was going to do it as I needed to replace the outlets anyway.

I believe you can, you just cant wire them in series (as is usual). You can pigtail them to each one and it will work.

I believe mine were done this way, but they may have run separate circuits to each plug. I did not want them in series. I wanted each GFI separate.

My last house had that and my garage and front yard plugs were controlled by the GFI in the half bath off the upstairs playroom. It took forever to find it when I had a problem in the garage. I mean what dumbass shite it that?

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