Just bought a new house and I think the homeowner did some stiff with GFCI in kitchen. Whenever I plug something in to any outlet on the circuit, the gfci trips. When I plug the fridge in to the gfci it doesn't trip.

I didn't see anything blazingly wrong in the panel, but I'm no electrician. One electrician said we needed to put in a 20 amp GFCI, which I will do once I check the amperage on the current GFCI.

Any other things I can troubleshoot before needing to call in an electrician? I assume wires could be touching somewhere and I will need to pull all of the outlets out to look for that, or the wiring may be wrong on the gfci, is that correct?

Appreciate any tips or input.

I THINK the gfci is brand new. I've had that happen before as well but this thing trips the second anything is plugged in only to the other outlets and not the gfci itself. I plan to pick up a new 20 amp one, but this seems different than a worm out one.

You may want to try one of those online ask an expert - I did this the other day regarding a lighting fixture and the dude was super helpful.

Weird that the fridge doesn't cause it to trip, which is sort of opposite of what is more common and a reason you should not plug in a fridge on a GFCI.

Any other items plugged in on the circuit? GFCIs can cover multiple plugs / switches. Also, I assume you have tried plugging in different things, certainly one that is grounded 3-prong and then a ungrounded 2-prong plug?

Mentioned you just bought it, was it noted on the inspection report?

If you are a casual DIYer, having a voltage tester and receptacle tester is helpful.

fka ftc said:

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You may want to try one of those online ask an expert - I did this the other day regarding a lighting fixture and the dude was super helpful.

Weird that the fridge doesn't cause it to trip, which is sort of opposite of what is more common and a reason you should not plug in a fridge on a GFCI.

Any other items plugged in on the circuit? GFCIs can cover multiple plugs / switches. Also, I assume you have tried plugging in different things, certainly one that is grounded 3-prong and then a ungrounded 2-prong plug?

Mentioned you just bought it, was it noted on the inspection report?

If you are a casual DIYer, having a voltage tester and receptacle tester is helpful.

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Receptacles all test ok and don't trip the gfci. Have not put a multimeter on anything. I'm not sure what is before the gfci on the circuit but anything after it causes it to trip. This is 4 outlets in the kitchen. I tried several different things from countertop appliances to phone chargers and as soon as anything gets plugged in, besides the tester, trips it immediately.

Maybe a dumb question, but does it trip if nothing else is plugged in as well? So nothing else plugged in on that circuit and then as soon as you plug something in it trips?

Just to confirm, Plugging direct into the GFCI outlet works fine but all the downstream GFCI protected outlets cause a trip?

My guess then is that you have a loose connection between the GFCI and the next outlet. Confirm all wiring is tight on both outlets as a first step.

If that doesn't work, then you can work further trouble shooting steps, double check your line/load neutral wiring on the GFCI, Could be that the load neutral is not properly connected (wire nutted with the line neutral or something else)

Caliber said:

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Just to confirm, Plugging direct into the GFCI outlet works fine but all the downstream GFCI protected outlets cause a trip?


My guess then is that you have a loose connection between the GFCI and the next outlet. Confirm all wiring is tight on both outlets as a first step.

If that doesn't work, then you can work further trouble shooting steps, double check your line/load neutral wiring on the GFCI, Could be that the load neutral is not properly connected (wire nutted with the line neutral or something else)

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you're correct.

I'm going to need to find a diagram to figure out which wire is which so I make sure I have them all squared away. I'm hoping it is something as simple as this.

There is nothing plugged in at all on that circuit and you plug anything in and it trips the gfci whether the fridge is plugged in or not.

Sea Speed said:

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Caliber said:

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Just to confirm, Plugging direct into the GFCI outlet works fine but all the downstream GFCI protected outlets cause a trip?


My guess then is that you have a loose connection between the GFCI and the next outlet. Confirm all wiring is tight on both outlets as a first step.

If that doesn't work, then you can work further trouble shooting steps, double check your line/load neutral wiring on the GFCI, Could be that the load neutral is not properly connected (wire nutted with the line neutral or something else)

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you're correct.

I'm going to need to find a diagram to figure out which wire is which so I make sure I have them all squared away. I'm hoping it is something as simple as this.

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You should be able take the cover plate off the GFCI outlet and confirm that you have a neutral on both the line (Power supply side) and the load (downstream outlet) side. As mentioned, They could have tied the neutrals together which would trip from everything downstream.

Hopefully I will be able to do that tonight. Thanks for that diagram. I can do basic electrical stuff but it and drywall are my weakest areas when it comes to home stiff, and drywall cant kill me.

Without knowing what you just said, I really didn't get the feeling that swapping the gfci outlet would do me any good from the bit of reading I did before making my thread.

Is the fridge normally plugged into the GFCI? That's not ideal and can cause issues, though it does not appear to be causing your issue.

I would suspect a bad GFCI. Next guess would be to check the wiring on the GFCI to ensure it matches the proper way as exampled in the pic above.

Yes this fridge is plugged in to the gfci which is directly behind the fridge and has 4 additional outlets on it. I'm almost certain the GFCI in place is brand new.

I think the problem is the 2nd black wire going in to the line sode and not the load side.

Fridges usually are on a dedicated 20-amp circuit plugged in behind it (not easily acceptable) and thus not on a GFCI - which can be tripped when the compressor cycles on and off and providing you with an angry wife and hungry kids.

But those are newer norms and may not be applicable to your particular house, when it was built and where its located.

Where are the other plugs on the circuit with the GFCI? And as mentioned fridges are usually on a 20-amp circuit (so 20-amp breaker at the panel and 20-amp receptacles, including a 20-amp GFCI if required.

You mentioned you just bought the house. Did the inspector not make note? That's all the internet novice info I have along with the caution that I am not an electrician, though I have some experience.

I'd consider whether to have an electrician out to check it if the solution does not become obvious.

Is the second black wire in question on the same cable as the white neutral on the load side? LIke the one that goes out to the next outlet? If so, that would most likely cause a nuisance trip. The GFCI wouldn't "see" the current on the hot, but see it on the neutral, sense the difference, cry foul and pop.

Sea Speed said:

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I think the problem is the 2nd black wire going in to the line sode and not the load side.

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This was not the problem, I tried all arrangements possible with the black wires and it didn't solve the problem.

The issue did not arise during inspection because all of the outlets test as properly wired and the home was empty. The gfci trips when you test it. It may have been called out that it shouldn't be a gfci, I cant recall but we had bigger fish to fry so I didn't mess with something as pithy as that.

Damn I hate looking at painted/textured jackets - so hard to tell what's going on...

Can you remove all the wires from the load side of the GFCI? Plug something in to the GFCI and if still trips, it should at least tell you if the problem is in the outlet.

ETA - sent you an email, btw.

Roger that and feel your frustration.

I have a hanging neutral in our old house guest bath. How I found it, never could get the doorbell to work right. Traced it down to a neutral they forgot to wire back in that light switch. Took me about 3 days when after living there for 10 years the wife asked me about the doorbell never working.

Would love if houses came with their plans, including detailed electrical that were updated to as built. I know, wishful thinking, but man it would help.

Can you post a pic showing the back of the gfci outlet ?

Back and both sides as best I can.

I tried both of the black wires in the empty spot and it didn't work either way. I will do exactly as you posted and try again tomorrow. Thanks.

Good to know. I'll re do it tomorrow. Thanks.

I have another question about GFCI.

Do I need one in the cabinet under the sink? Our electrician says that it's not needed but want to double check since there could be water down there.

One other (first) thing to check - If you can tell which bundle of wires actually supplies power, it should be on the line side, and the bundle that goes to the other outlets should be wired to the load side. It's possible that the neutral on the load terminal is from the supply, and so even though you corrected the hot wires, the bundled pairs were still backwards and the GFCI wasn't getting the power it needs on the line side.

Roger that, I'll add it to the list.

mernaggie12 said:

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I have another question about GFCI.

Do I need one in the cabinet under the sink? Our electrician says that it's not needed but want to double check since there could be water down there.

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A GFCI underneath a sink is not a hard & fast requirement. It may be needed, but it depends on where it is in that space. It's all about how possible it is for someone using a an appliance with a 6' cord is able to get it inside the bowl of the sink while it's plugged in. It's often installed so that this isn't a possible and only serves the dishwasher and disposal.

Kitchen countertops are also required, no matter how far they are from a sink.

Thanks. Username checks out.

I've tried every single configuration of wires on this gfci outlet and I've got nothing to work.

Now the breaker on the other side of the kitchen keeps tripping when my wife plugs in multiple small appliances.

Dang man, that sucks.

Sea Speed said:

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Now the breaker on the other side of the kitchen keeps tripping when my wife plugs in multiple small appliances.

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Might need to clarify what you mean here. Are you saying that a different GFCI outlet is now tripping with appliances in different outlets?

IMO, Your best bet for troubleshooting is start with a known, good configuration and slowly add to it. I'd suggest:

• Start with the original GFCI removed completely - cover the exposed wires with wirenuts. Try the small appliances on the other side of the kitchen. If that works, next step. If it doesn't, work, you may have some grounded, floating, or shared neutral somewhere else in the circuit.
• Add the GFCI, but only the supply (line) side. Test again, and plug a variety of appliances into the GFCI and on the other side of the kitchen. If that works, it's very likely an issue with the downstream wiring/outlets. If that doesn't work, might indicate an issue with the GFCI. Next step.
• Check the downstream outlets for wiring issues/scorch marks. If there are multiple outlets, just connect the supply of the next one downstream of the GFCI. Add the load wires back the GFCI. Retest appliances. Keep adding downstream outlets until you figure out where the issue might be.

Electrical issues can be hard to troubleshoot. There is more than one way to diagnose this, but I think above is a good way to isolate where the problem might be. Ask questions if you've got 'em.

They are on separate circuits, and the other side of the kitchen is not gfci protected and is tripping the breaker when several appliances are plugged in, namely microwave, coffee maker and air fryer. Will probably add a gfci there.

The circuit with the gfci is so weird to me. When I have it wired properly, the gfci will not reset. I assume something is messed up down stream so I guess I will have to just pull the outlets one by one and see if there are any issues with the wiring.