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Gary Hilberg Posted on Nov 27, 2012
Answered by a Fixya Expert

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15 AMP_neutral problem

I have 4 outlets for power on a 15 AMP curcuit and these outlets quit working. The GFI and curcuit breaker are not tripped. When I put my little 2 prong tester in the outlets I only get a dim light when I place one of the prongs into the hot and one into the ground. Nothing when I put them in the netrual & hot as I should get. I have pulled every plug and they are all tightly hooked up. In the past few months I have replaced the GFI after I tripped it several times when running to many apps off of this curcuit. Do I need a new breaker?

1 Answer

Gene Haynes

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  • Master 5,391 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 08, 2012
Gene Haynes
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4 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 1865 Answers
  • Posted on Aug 14, 2009

SOURCE: The breaker is getting hot and then tripping.

Loose connection does cause heat, and the heat may have damaged the breaker. You must use an ammeter to check the amperage drawn on the circuit. If the amperage is well below the breaker rating, then replace the breaker

Testimonial: "Thank you very much. We will try this and see what happens. "

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Anonymous

  • 760 Answers
  • Posted on Oct 01, 2010

SOURCE: I am trying to install

I'm assuming since it's a Homeline panel you're using a HOM2100 breaker. If it stripping then you must have a short circuit in your 100A circuit, or the breaker is defective. Disconnect your load from the breaker, and turn main on. Be sure you have the correct load conductors connected to the breakers. Typically red and black on the breaker, white on neutral bar. Bare to ground bar

Steve

  • 3290 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 13, 2011

SOURCE: My Sylvania - ground fault 15 amp breaker (32740)

A circuit breaker can go bad, but usually not in the way that you describe. That's not to say that it can't happen, but just not typical. GTE Sylvania breakers were once popular - I installed quite a few GTE / Sylvania electrical panels in homes in the late 80's. You may have trouble finding replacements; do not put an breaker that "fits" into the panel, unless the breaker is designed for use in the panel you have.

The first thing to do is determine the source of the problem. The breaker will trip, but not indicate if it was the result of a heavy electrical load or a ground fault condition. A 15 amp circuit breaker is designed to carry up to 12 amps continuously. The greater the load, the more quickly it will trip. it may carry a 14.5 amp load for several minutes to an hour before tripping, and a 20 amp load may be carried a second or two. GFI breakers are designed to carry 5 thousandths (.005) of an amp (or 5 milliamps) to ground, or the 12+ amps to neutral before they trip.

The way I would attack the problem is to install a new GFI outlet in front of the old wiring, by "inserting it" between the panel and the other plugs and lights, switches, etc on that circuit. The GFI outlet will provide the same GFI protection that the circuit breaker provided at a fraction of the cost.

Turn off the old GFI breaker, and remove it completely. Install a new, standard (non-GFI) single pole 15 amp circuit breaker in its place. Completely remove from the panel the cable that the old GFI breaker fed. Buy a new electrical outlet box (surface or flush mount as desired) that is large enough and deep enough for a GFI plug and 2 cables (if surface mount, use a 4" square deep box and appropriate cover - or if flush mounting use a deep plastic / fiber single gang box). It will be installed in a place close to the panel, but where the old cable will be able to reach inside. Bring the old cable removed from the panel into the new box. Run a new cable that has the same number and size wires from the panel into the new box, too. Connect the circuit neutral and circuit ground to the neutral and ground bars in the panel (they are probably the same bar) and the hot wire to the circuit breaker. make sure that the circuit breaker is OFF. Twist the two ground wires together and combine an 8 inch length of bare or green insulated wire with them in a wirenut.

Next, wire a new GFI plug in the new box. Connect the green wire from the wirenut to the green terminal of the GFI outlet.

Connect the plug's LINE terminals to the neutral and hot wires in the cable that you ran from the panel to the outlet box.

Now, connect the GFI plug's LOAD terminals to the neutral and hot wires in the cable that you removed from the panel and reinstalled into the new outlet box.

Secure the GFI outlet into the box and install the cover. Cover the electrical panel.

Power up and test. if the GFI trips, there's a ground fault in the circuit. If the circuit breaker trips, the circuit is overloaded.

Anonymous

  • 122 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 30, 2011

SOURCE: 100 amp service. 2 breakers

this you would need a meter to tell were the problem is you need to put the meter one on the netrual and one on the main to get a reading then keep doing this for all your breakers , one way to tell if a breaker is bad take it off the main panal put the meter to the screw and copper and see if your getting connuty to it good luck

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0helpful
1answer

I plugged a 30 amp power supply cord from an rv to a 15 amp house outlet to run a/c to rv . gfci tripped and wont reset. damaged gfci or something else?

A GFI outlet works independently of sensing an overload condition. Overloads are dealt with by the circuit breaker or fuse in your electrical panel. The GFI simply compares the current on the hot terminal (black or red wire) with the current on the neutral terminal (white or gray wire) and interrupts the current if there is more than 5mA (0.005 Amps) difference between the two.

Remove the load - in this case the RV plug - from the GFI outlet and attempt a reset. Make sure you're pressing the RESET button and not the TEST button. If it resets - you're all set. Reconnect the RV plug to a different outlet - preferably NOT a GFI type.

If it still wont reset, it is important to know that GFI outlets can be wired in such a way that any circuit extended to other outlets (lights, too) via the LOAD terminal screws will also be protected by the GFI. We need to be sure that there wasn't something else causing the fault. Check other nearby outlets for functionality. Remove plugs from any outlet found not working and attempt to reset again.

If it will not reset - it is possible that the internal sensing circuitry has been damaged due to such a large amount of current trying to pass. In this case, replacing the GFI outlet will be needed.
0helpful
1answer

Our 7788F keeps going into a ground fault condition. Need help troubleshooting. John

Ground Fault ???
Troubleshooting Ground Fault

Troubleshooting a ground fault circuit interrupt, or GFI, breaker is pretty straightforward. Troubleshooting the circuit itself can be quite time-consuming.
The GFI breaker is designed with a test button incorporated into the breaker itself.
Pushing the test button should trip the breaker.
On GFI-style breakers the neutral wire going into the house's outlets is connected to the breaker's neutral connector, the white neutral that comes out of the breaker is connected to the neutral bus in the panel, isolating the neutral bus from the neutral wire going into the house.
The test button actually shorts the neutral wire feeding the circuit to the neutral bus in the electrical panel creating a ground fault that should trip the breaker.
It is considered a ground fault because the neutral bus in the main electrical panel is actually connected to the ground bus through the panel's metal casing. What to do if the test button isn't tripping the breaker
1
Push the test button on the GFI breaker.
The breaker should trip.
If the breaker does not trip, then it may be that the breaker has already tripped and just looks like it's on.
The position of the switch may only move slightly from the on position towards the off position when tripped.

2
Push the switch on the GFI breaker all of the way toward the off position.
It may take some force to get the breaker to reset.
Turn the breaker back to the on position.
When the breaker has been reset properly you should feel some resistance when pushing the switch back on.



3 Push the test button again and the breaker should trip.
If the breaker still doesn't trip then you should test for power at the screw connections inside of the electrical panel.
Remove the screw that holds the dead front covering the breaker's connections.
Remove the dead front cover.

4
Test for power with your voltmeter set on AC volts on the highest scale.
For a single pole GFI breaker, touch the black lead from the tester to the silver screw on the GFI breaker and touch the red lead from the tester to the brass screw on the GFI breaker.
You should see 110 volts on the tester. If voltage is seen but the test button won't trip the breaker, then the breaker is bad and should be replaced.

5
Test for power on a two pole breaker by touching the red voltmeter lead to one of screws with a black or red wire connected to it.
Touch the black lead to the other screw with a black or red wire connected to it.
You should read 220 volts or close to it on your voltmeter.
If you read voltage and the test button won't trip, the breaker is bad and needs to be replaced.

What to do if the breaker won't reset and keeps tripping when turned on
6
Unplug everything that is plugged into any of the outlets on the circuit in question.
Try resetting the breaker again by pushing the switch all the way to the off position and then turning it back to the on position.
If it won't reset and trips when the breaker's switch hits the on position, it could be a bad breaker or a problem in the circuit itself.
7
Use your straight-tipped screwdriver to loosen the brass connection screw or screws on the GFI breaker.
Pull the black hot wire, or wires, out of the breaker's connectors.
Loosen the silver screw the white wire is connected to and remove it from the GFI breaker.

8
Push the switch all the way to the off position.
Turn the switch back to the on position.
If the breaker still won't reset, then the problem is the breaker itself and it should be replaced with a new one of the same size, brand and model.
If the breaker resets normally and the test button trips the breaker when pushed, the problem is in the circuit itself and an electrician should be called to find your ground fault.

9
Reconnect the black wire, or wires, to the brass screws on the GFI breaker.
Reconnect the white wire to the silver screw on the GFI breaker.

10
Replace the dead front cover into the breaker panel.
Install the screw or screws that hold the dead front in place.



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4helpful
2answers

My Sylvania - ground fault 15 amp breaker (32740) is tripping with minutes of reseting. It is for 3 washrooms & hallway & is 30 years old .....does or can it loose its life span? What is the cost...

A circuit breaker can go bad, but usually not in the way that you describe. That's not to say that it can't happen, but just not typical. GTE Sylvania breakers were once popular - I installed quite a few GTE / Sylvania electrical panels in homes in the late 80's. You may have trouble finding replacements; do not put an breaker that "fits" into the panel, unless the breaker is designed for use in the panel you have.

The first thing to do is determine the source of the problem. The breaker will trip, but not indicate if it was the result of a heavy electrical load or a ground fault condition. A 15 amp circuit breaker is designed to carry up to 12 amps continuously. The greater the load, the more quickly it will trip. it may carry a 14.5 amp load for several minutes to an hour before tripping, and a 20 amp load may be carried a second or two. GFI breakers are designed to carry 5 thousandths (.005) of an amp (or 5 milliamps) to ground, or the 12+ amps to neutral before they trip.

The way I would attack the problem is to install a new GFI outlet in front of the old wiring, by "inserting it" between the panel and the other plugs and lights, switches, etc on that circuit. The GFI outlet will provide the same GFI protection that the circuit breaker provided at a fraction of the cost.

Turn off the old GFI breaker, and remove it completely. Install a new, standard (non-GFI) single pole 15 amp circuit breaker in its place. Completely remove from the panel the cable that the old GFI breaker fed. Buy a new electrical outlet box (surface or flush mount as desired) that is large enough and deep enough for a GFI plug and 2 cables (if surface mount, use a 4" square deep box and appropriate cover - or if flush mounting use a deep plastic / fiber single gang box). It will be installed in a place close to the panel, but where the old cable will be able to reach inside. Bring the old cable removed from the panel into the new box. Run a new cable that has the same number and size wires from the panel into the new box, too. Connect the circuit neutral and circuit ground to the neutral and ground bars in the panel (they are probably the same bar) and the hot wire to the circuit breaker. make sure that the circuit breaker is OFF. Twist the two ground wires together and combine an 8 inch length of bare or green insulated wire with them in a wirenut.

Next, wire a new GFI plug in the new box. Connect the green wire from the wirenut to the green terminal of the GFI outlet.

Connect the plug's LINE terminals to the neutral and hot wires in the cable that you ran from the panel to the outlet box.

Now, connect the GFI plug's LOAD terminals to the neutral and hot wires in the cable that you removed from the panel and reinstalled into the new outlet box.

Secure the GFI outlet into the box and install the cover. Cover the electrical panel.

Power up and test. if the GFI trips, there's a ground fault in the circuit. If the circuit breaker trips, the circuit is overloaded.
0helpful
1answer

The prcblem i have is i have no power in one bedroom, but there are no curcuit breakers that are tripped. so how can you test a breaker other than resetting the breaker. also we have no gfi outlets or gfi...

I don't know how technical you are so here are a few easy tests you can try:

plug a known, working lamp into each plug of the receptacle (top and bottom). This minimizes other potential issues.
Switch each circuit breaker FULLY off and then, Fully on. Yes, it is tedious but sometimes, breakers trip and it doesn't always show.
Still not working? Open up the cover plate and look at the contacts. You should have a black wire going to a gold colored screw and a white wire going to the other side, silver colored screw.

The best test you can conduct is using a simple voltmeter (AC) to test if you are getting voltage to the outlet. No AC Voltage? Try going to the known circuit breaker and measure the voltage coming from the known breaker while the other lead is on your neutral bus. Of course, if you aren't experienced with electricity, I recommend you get a licensed electrician to troubleshoot the issue.

As well, I know you mentioned that you tried resetting breakers but with a load on the circuit and someone else verifying it for you, you may just get lucky. More than likely, you will either encounter a faulty outlet, faulty wiring or a faulty breaker.
0helpful
3answers
0helpful
1answer

Maytag MGR series double oven gas burner trips GFI outlet. There is no direct shorts. Would work when bypassed GFI. but not for long. Now nothing and gfi replaced. Stove fried last one. Stove running for...

the manufacturer recommends a 15 amp time delay breaker or fuse. Which means to me that a GFI outlet will not work on this unit. most of the time it just causes more problems than it is worth? I would only use those type of outlets if code required it.
0helpful
1answer

Gfi installed yesterday on washer 120 v outlet. washer is maytag 3 years old and gfi began tripping during washcycle. can it be washer 3 pronged cord is not grounded at connection in rear of washer?...

The ground not being connected does not tirp thr gfi. The gfi senses the current between the two legs it will trip when the current returning to ground (neutral) exceeds 5mili amps. This is for personal protection. If you have a gfi circuit breaker disconnect the black wire from the breaker, if it does not trip you likely have a groung fault in the washer. If you have a dryer or other metal object that is grounded (Bonded) you may get a shock from it, also standing (barefoot) on a concrete floor may cause the same. ( bonded is a gronded conductor that attaches all metal parts of a electrical curcuit together) a hot lead goes to ground is a dead short and will trip any breaker.
0helpful
1answer

Two 15 amp arc fault breakers installed on two adjacent circuits. One works fine - does not trip. The afi breaker beside it trips as soon as it is flipped on. We tried switching circuits, but both circuits...

It's possible that the first breaker that you said does not trip - it could be that breaker is failing to trip on a bad circuit. That is, it could be you have a bad circuit but that first breaker is not detecting it and pretends everything is OK. If your new breaker trips on the first breaker's circuit, the curcuit it probably bad and the breaker in not working properly. The most common problem for failed circuits is a stray ground wire in a box somewhere in the curcuit resting against a hot or neutral wire. You'll have to take apart every connection on that curcuit to find it. Not fun.
0helpful
1answer

GFI on cord trips out.

Probable cause is a single pole gfi opposed to a double pole gfi.
* Do not use a single pole GFCI ON A MULTI WIRE CIRCUIT, IT WILL NUISANCE TRIP IMMEDIATELY
Use a two pole GFCI circuit breaker on such circuits.
0helpful
1answer

It keeps tripping the breakers or the GFI outlet.

try different outlets in another room to see if that dosent help you may have a shortin the cleaner but i think you may be overloading the breaker
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