GFI Help
 

Braintrust
How do you find the tripped GFI outlet on a circuit? I know the obvious answer is to find the one with the trip, but I cannot locate it. Circuit breaker in the main box is untripped, so there is an outlet somewhere. Is there a device that can help?

I have scoured my house and just cannot find the offending outlet.

It can be anywhere.

If we plug in some things outside, on the back porch it will pop the GFI circuit in the Master bathroom. That one took me a while to figure out the first time.

GFIs are usually in kitchens and baths. Those may be strung together on a same circuit. Who knows.
There may be a wall outlet downstream of a GFI that tripped it. A good thing if there was ever a short.
There are GFI type breakers I think. Take another peek at it.

You can buy a plug in GFI tester .... I think.

It's behind the refrigerator, or in another place you haven't looked yet.:D

When was your house built / electrical redone? That might help narrow it down.

Is there an outlet next to the breaker panel? Is it a GFI? Is it tripped?

I was just in a hotel, the outlet in the bathroom wouldn't work. Hit reset on the GFI, no go. Had to hit "test", which popped out the button, then hit reset, then the outlet worked. Try that.

Failing that - Amazon does sell circuit tracers

That won't help isolate where the OP's GFI outlet is located for him to reset it.

Circuit tracers require voltage on the circuit in order to trace the wiring. With a DOA outlet, it won't function. BTDT, got the T-shirt as well.

I had a light problem in a garage that traced back to the gfi in the bathroom inside the apartment. Turned out it was an open neutral.

Check your garage, Rocketman. Maybe behind your work bench?

My circuit tracer uses 9v with one set up. 120v with the other. Depends on what you want to do. I have a tone tracer too. The problem is finding the breaker since the GFCI is hidden you could be tracing any circuit.

Might be able to tone back to the GFCI but be damn careful because the line in is still live.

It's probably going to be located in a "wet" spot, i.e. the kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, garage, and exterior. Check all of the outlets in those locations.

We have been a little sneaky over the years installing GFIs in hidden location for air baths. Normally they are hidden behind a medicine cabinets and such for easy access then it goes to a plug for the pump motor behind the access panel under the tub. We do this so the owner do not have to look at a plug and do not ever have to tear into everything if the GFI trips or it goes bad on its own. Check that if you have a pump motor.

Double check your breaker box. GFI’s aren’t necessarily installed in outlets. My guess is you have a GFI circuit breaker in your panel.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1685534900.jpg

May look something like this. Look for a small test/reset button on one of the breakers.