GFCI's and Test Buttons?????

For your enjoyment, look at this.

http://www.homeinspectorreferencemanual.com/index.php?pr=Defect_Recognition

Hard to believe that the test button on this GFCI showed normal operation and conditions.

Why wouldn’t the test button work?
If it can establish a 6-7ma ground fault it will trip.

Looks to me like this plug has had a consant high load plugged into it . GFCI are not circuit breakers if there was A heavy load and loose wire nuts this could be the result you get.
Heating at the connectors and the wire getting hot causing the insulation to melt . This same thing can happen with a regular receptacles.
Roy Cooke Sr

In this particular instance the wire cap on the downstream hot connection fell off during installation (I presume). The wire then came into contact with the downstream common by sliding up underneath the common side wire cap completely frying all the wirenuts and wires going downstream (electricians rendition).

Just seems odd to me that the GFCI would not sense the downstream wire problems and kick. According to the owners they never had a problem and never needed to reset this GFCI.

Their original complaint was a non working outlet near a wash basin. They had no idea that it was downstream of the GFCI.

Just awfully strange to me. They had the house built 3 years ago and have been using the downstream outlet up until recently when it quit working with no problems.

Your site is comming along great thanks For all the effort you put forward John love it .
GFCI only detect if there is a difference on the out going and incoming load.
If the load out and the load in balance then it is doing what it was designed for .
There was a simple way years ago with Ontario Hydro to tell if you had a heating plug at any time .
That was to take the old DYNO tape machine and spell out plug .
Put it on the plug.
If at any time it got hot the letters would disappear on the tape and you would know you had a problem with this plug.
This was designed so that people with aluminum wiring should change that plug.

Roy Cooke sr Royshomeinspection.com

Could also simply be a defective GFCI that would not have TRIPPED regardless…I have run into some that appear normal BUT never trip…again could just be a faulty GFCI…yeah…It can happen…:slight_smile:

Yes I have found that too .
Did a very nice house it had been sold more then once and had at least two inspection before we did it again last week .
Test button on GFCI dumped the GFCI except it was still hot .
Would not dump with the tester.
I expect it had been like that since new .
Strange no one else picked this up .
Roy Cooke sr … Royshomeinspection.com
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That sounds more like a miswired GFCI.
If the hot is wired to the load side, opening the input will have no effect on the plug face, you are backfeeding it.

Looks like an advertisement to me.