I was in a bathroom testing the GFCI receptacle at the sink. I could not get it to trip with my tester or pushing the test button. There was 1 other receptacle that I tested. When I attempted to trip this one with my tester it tripped the GFCI receptacle. What would cause this? Thanks for any help!
If I am understanding correctly, maybe you have a bad GFCI receptacle down stream of a working GFCI receptacle?
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Thanks Larry. The second receptacle was not GFCI, but tied to the GFCI at the sink.
Essentially it is miswired. On the GFCI outlets there are two sets of connections. One is line (service supply) and the other is load (downstream / slaved outlets). These connections are reversed in some combination only a physical inspection will reveal.
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[quote="Larry Kage, CMI, post:2, topic:238750, username:lkage”]
If I am understanding correctly, maybe you have a bad GFCI receptacle down stream of a working GFCI receptacle?
[/quote]
Then maybe an open ground at the sink GFCI, too, as well as, a bad GFCI receptacle ……it didn’t really trip via cutting power on upstream receptacle…maybe,…it just lost power when you shorted to ground with your tester?
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This is the order I tested. Sorry for any confusion.
First 3 photos are the only GFCI in the bathroom.
I attempted to trip the GFCI, with no luck.
The next 3 pics are the 2nd receptacle I tested. It tripped the GFCI at the sink.
I pulled my tester from the 2nd receptacle and inserted it into the “tripped receptacle” again showing “OPEN HOT”
I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around this one. I may not be explaining things clearly and for that I apologize.
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Thanks Robert.
Okay my WAG is you have a defective GFCI devise. If the GFCI devise is wired properly as shown on your tester, but does not trip when you use the press to test button, regardless of what anything does downstream, I would call it out as the GFCI receptacle had an inoperable GFCI function.
Also, It’s hard to tell, but it almost looks like it’s been painted over.
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It would need to be a fairly old GFCI receptacle if were mis-wired and still working. The reverse line/load protection was required by UL in 2006.
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Thanks Kevin. I called it out as defective. But I was still curious as to why. Almost all the receptacles throughout the home look like this. I thought they were painted at first glance. Looking closer at them I really couldn’t tell. If they are painted, they were sprayed and someone did a very good job. There isn’t the typical signs like paint in the holes, etc. Some have covers and the insides of the covers look the same.
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David, your curiosity shows you have the heart of good teacher: always learning. I wish I could help, but can’t. I always wait to see what R Meier says about electrical mysteries.
I once inspected a kitchen where the on/off control for ONE burner on the electric stove top would turn the dishwasher on and off. We documented it with video. My trainer, an inspector with an electrician background (and 25+ years inspecting), could not figure it out after spending 45 minutes on it. He finally just shook his head and said: “Write it up and move on.”
After that I determined I would do the same: Document with video, write it up and move on. Skip the 45 minutes. I mean if he (Bryck G) couldn’t figure it out, what chance did I have?
Thanks for sharing your mystery.
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Thanks, Daniel. Now THAT is a crazy story you have. My inspections take long enough the way it is. I learned early on to not spend too much time trying to figure things out. I average over 1000 photos per inspection and give myself 2 business days to compile reports which average 120 pages. Lots of photos, etc. I continue to hear from new agents that “Agents will not want to use me.” I always have to chuckle and tell them that I hope potential clients will find me from my marketing and word of mouth. I tell them I report on what I see. It’s that simple. I can truly say I am always learning. I feel if you are not learning you are cheating your clients and yourself. It seems I always come across something that I end up researching back at the office. When I can’t find something or just don’t have enough time, this forum has proven to be invaluable. I hope someday to have the CMI behind my name. But I am not sure I will ever do that many inspections in my area. Thanks for the response and the crazy story. I probably would spend too much time trying to figure out the dishwasher control on the range! Definitely a story I will share. Have a great weekend!
Concentrate on being precise and to the point in an inspection report. Nobody is going to be impressed after waiting 3 days to read through a report that is filled with fluff.
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I appreciate your concerns, Jeff.
I’m not trying to impress anyone. Every one of my clients have either left a 5 star review or reached out to me after the fact to thank me for the inspection I provided. Not one person has ever said no to the 3 day wait. Not one person has every complained about their reports. Maybe you mean the agents won’t be impressed? If that is what you meant, I really don’t care what the agents think. They are not my client. I don’t walk into a home expecting to leave in an hour or two like I hear most inspectors do. How much time do your crews spend in a home being “precise”? I suppose if I provided the minimum standards I could get through the inspections faster and do the report while I am on site. I average 5 1/2 hours per inspection and have been on site as long as 8 hours. I certainly don’t spend that time gathering “fluff”. I actually go into crawlspaces, even if its inconvenient 
. So, as far as my clients go, EVERYBODY has been impressed after waiting 3 days or longer for my reports filled with “fluff”.
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Those three statements do not align. I can see you are defensive so I won’t say much, but @jspencer has a point.
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I can’t even imagine that. And trust me I’m also very thorough and produce detailed reports. In my area homeowners and real estate agents would never let that happen, unless it was a 20,000 square foot house. I would have been out of business years ago.
Same with taking 3 days to release the report. In Illinois we’re required to release the report within two business days. If I took 3 days I could only do one, maybe two a week at the most.
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You definitely have everything figured out. Your two inspections per week is going to be extremely profitable and lead to years of continued business.
Good job with your Google search of my business. As you might have seen, I’ve had four reviews in the 16 years that I have been in business as a full-time inspector. The only inspector that has been in business longer than me in the area has four as well. It just something that is not pushed here as word of mouth means a lot more than a review that cannot be verified. For a couple hundred dollars, I could have hundreds of five-star reviews. If you are in business long enough, you will receive emails offering you the same service. Of course, there is always the option of having friends post five star reviews as well. What I have learned over the years, when you see a group of reviews with dates close together, you can pretty much consider them fake. That goes for both positive and negative.
As far as my negative review. The skirting to the mobile home was frozen in the ground. I noted it as not accessible and recommended having the crawspace inspected before closing. The water was turned off to the home as well. This was noted 12 different times in the report, and I recommend having the plumbing system, plumbing fixtures, water heater, & associated appliances inspected prior to closing. These were ignored. Just like they ignored my confirmation email that states that the crawlspace must be accessible, and all utilities turned on at the time of the inspection. My body cam showed me trying multiple attempts to access the crawlspace at different locations. It also showed the conversation I had with the buyer about these items. He said he didn’t care and that he was not going to pay me the fee for the return trip for a reinspection. A couple weeks after they moved in, the place started to smell like raw sewage. This was due to the fact that the sanitary sewer was disconnected under the home. Even after reviewing the report and the video, he demanded that I pay for the repairs, or he would leave bad reviews. Google will not take down a BS review.
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In my area (and in many others, I’m quite sure) the problem would be the contingency or option period that buyers have to make a decision.
Adding 3 or more days to the “wait-time” consumes too much time for many / most contracts.
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Especially when they’re lucky to get a 3 to 5-day contingency, if at all!
I often get clients needing “next day” inspections because they wasted the first day with BS realtor stuff. Part of agents game to get a sale. Get a shortened contingency period which forces the client to go with the “Realtors suggested Inspector” that can get to it right away.
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