dead front gfi issue

[Todd1701]

hey guys what's up. I just joined and have a question for you. I am currently redoing my bathroom so I ran two new circuits to the bath. One 20 amp for the gfi and one 15 amp for the lighting. I did use 12/2 for lighting since I had extra but it's on 15 breaker. Anyways I installed recessed lights over my shower and I bought a dead front gfi. I went to my switch then fed gfi and gfi to lights. I can't get the gfi to reset. So I hooked it up without gfi. It worked but I heard a little pop from one bulb but figures it's new. I am reading 8 ohms on each set of lights. The lights are shower lights and have thermal protection on them. Does anyone know why my gfi won't work with this. Is it the lights.

[joed]

GFCI will not reset unless there is power applied. You should put the GFCI before the switch.

[Todd1701]

When I turn on switch for power it just stays tripped and won't reset

[Todd1701]

I switch it around but still did it I just ran power to it and. As soon as I touch the neutral on the load side it kicks

[Wgoodrich]

A GFI will not reset if more than one white from different circuits are on the load side of that GFI. A GFI will not reset if a white wire is touching either a black or bare or green wire. A pop leads me to believe in that light something has a short. Try disconnecting the load side of the GFI and energize and try to reset the GFI without the load connected. If it holds problem is on load side of GFI. Then disconnect the last light fixture from the light and any feed through wires also. Try the GFI. If it works problem is in the light junction or fixture you disconnected.

Just suggested ways of eliminating to the problem

Good Luck

Wg

[Todd1701]

I kept the lights on without gfi for about 2 hrs without it tripping breaker or pulling high amps. The gfi only trips when I hook up neutral. It does reset without load. But I'm thinking it's because the neutral and ground share the same bus in my old panel. Possible?

[suemarkp]

The neutral and ground being tied together in the main panel is perfectly normal. This won't affect the GFCI as long as that is only on the LINE side. If the LOAD side neutral has any additional path back to the panel other than through teh LOAD side white wire (via bare ground, a neutral from another circuit, a short to a grounded object), it will trip.

Is there anything downstream of the lights on the GFCI circuit? You didn't tie the light ground to neutral did you (either accidental or on purpose)? A GFCI that trips only when the connected load is used is symptomatic of a defective load or a stolen neutral from another circuit (return path back to panel not going through the GFCI). Also check the bare ground wires at your GFCI and switch -- is it touching a neutral, even just by a whisker?

Check the resistance between the white to the light and the bare ground. Better be infinite.

If all this checks out, you may want to post exactly how your wired these. Also wondering why you ran a separate circuit for lights and used a pricey dead front GFCI? You could have run these lights off the receptacle type GFCI as long as that receptacle circuit serves only that bathroom.

[Todd1701]

I had a spare gfi one left I used. Just ran two circuits just to be safe. I got a homerun ran for the gfi and then I ran another circuit up into a j box split the one feed to two. One to the blank gfi and one for feed on switch for fan. I didn't hook up fan yet wires just hanging there. Then that gfi to light switch and switch to four can lights. The lights read 8 ohms on the neutral between two lights as I have 2 hooked together and then they meet the other two in a j box with the switchleg

[suemarkp]

The 8 ohm measurement doesn't sound right. If you have two banks of lights (each on 12-2 in parallel, and both sets of 12-2 coming back to a junction box, then the resistance between whites should be infinite (as should the blacks)). This would indicate a mild short to ground of the bare ground in both the 12-2's are connected together unless the neutrals are also connected. The resistance from black to white could be about 10 ohms (that would be normal). But black to black and white to white should be infinite. But this is assuming each set of wires is not connected at all to each other.

What kind of terminals are there in each light fixture -- colored screws or wire pigtails? If screws, make sure the black is on the brass one and the white is on the silver one.

Next, I'm still a bit confused as to the wiring from the GFCI to the light switch and then to the 4 lights. Describe exactly how this is wired by cable and then how each color wire in each cable is wired. If power goes from GFCI to switch to lights, then this isn't (or shouldn't be) a switch loop.

[Todd1701]

it goes from the stall front gfi power in on line load to switch and then switch to lights. I pigtailed them. I know how to do it I'm an industrial electrician for a few years haven't done much home. If that isn't right how would you wire it. Or I'll leave it out they work fine without the gfi hook up but I just wanted to be safe

[suemarkp]

If you're wired things correctly, then I'd lift the cable at the LOAD side of the GFCI (remove all 3 wires). Measure the resistance of the cable going to the switch between white and bare. Is it infinite?

If not infinite, lift all the wires at the junction box. At the 12-2 runs to each pair of lights, measure the resistance from white to bare at the jbox. Look for the one that isn't infinite.

If it is infinite, then the problem is a bad GFCI or a fault the ohmmeter can't find (but perhaps a megger would). If your switch is grounded and arcing a lot, it is possible the switch is tripping the GFCI. So perhaps just wire nut the two ungrounded conductors at the switch bypassing it. Does the GFCI still trip? If not, replace the switch with a new one.

[Wgoodrich]

suemarkup, just a reminder there was a pop in one of the light fixtures when first turned on. May be a sign of something touching that is not supposed to be.

Just butting in a thought. I would disconnect the grounding wire from the GFI and power source and see if the GFI is still tripping. I suspect a white touching a bare or green on the load side of the GFI.

Just a hunch

Wg