Two wire circuit

[Dale Duffy]

If a GFCI is added to a two wire circuit, will the GFCI trip if there is a fault on another receptacle on that circuit?

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by dduffy

If a GFCI is added to a two wire circuit, will the GFCI trip if there is a fault on another receptacle on that circuit?

If it's wired properly and the fault is downsteam of the GFCI it will.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by dduffy

If a GFCI is added to a two wire circuit, will the GFCI trip if there is a fault on another receptacle on that circuit?

Absolutely. The ground is irrelevant for GFCI operation.

But your 3 lite tester won't work in any downstream outlets that are 3 wire becaue the tester requires a ground to function.

hth

[James F. McKee]

and as stated above it must be wired for downstream protection..not all are

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jmckee

and as stated above it must be wired for downstream protection..not all are

Not sure what you mean James but as long as the downstream outlets are wired to the load side of the GFCI all should be fine.

[James F. McKee]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Not sure what you mean James but as long as the downstream outlets are wired to the load side of the GFCI all should be fine.

thanks exactly what I meant ...I've seen them all wired to the line side for single outlet protection...the downstream outlets must be wired to the load side for protection...

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Not sure what you mean James but as long as the downstream outlets are wired to the load side of the GFCI all should be fine.

That is was I meant, a electrician was telling one of my customers who has a two wire system she needed GFCI's installed at all the receptacles to protect them all at a cost of $89.00 per receptacle. She probably could have gotten the entire house rewired at that cost per receptacle to just install GFCI's.

I told her yesterday the guy was trying to rip her off, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't loosing my mind.

Thanks

[James F. McKee]

Originally Posted by dduffy

That is was I meant, a electrician was telling one of my customers who has a two wire system she needed GFCI's installed at all the receptacles to protect them all at a cost of $89.00 per receptacle. She probably could have gotten the entire house rewired at that cost per receptacle to just install GFCI's.

I told her yesterday the guy was trying to rip her off, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't loosing my mind.

Thanks

I think You did your customer a good service Dale ....as far as your mind goes well...that could be another thread altogether.....

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by dduffy

That is was I meant, a electrician was telling one of my customers who has a two wire system she needed GFCI's installed at all the receptacles to protect them all at a cost of $89.00 per receptacle....

I told her yesterday the guy was trying to rip her off, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't loosing my mind.

WAIT!!!

Tread very carefully, Dale.

There have been many instances were in order to GFCI protect an existing 2-wire circuit with a GFCI receptacle, I had to put a GFCI at each and every receptacle location. With K&T, in particular, each receptacle is tapped off the main run of K&T. No conductors exist at any receptacle location that "feed through" to the next one in the chain. Indeed, there were installers back in the day that favored this wiring methodology for 2-wire romex also. They'd run the wire into the lighting box, and drop a single romex down to each receptacle. There's no single place to put a GFCI in such an installation to protect everything downstream. Nothing's downstream in certain wiring arrangements; all the receptacles are essentially dead end spurs.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

When you have an original two-wire system that needs this type of upgrade, it's usually easier, and less expensive to install GFCI breakers for the branch circuit(s) at the panel.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jpope

When you have an original two-wire system that needs this type of upgrade it's usually easier, and cheaper to install GFCI breakers for the branch circuit(s) at the panel.

Yah, but in the land of basements resetting them is a pain.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by jpope

When you have an original two-wire system that needs this type of upgrade, it's usually easier, and less expensive to install GFCI breakers for the branch circuit(s) at the panel.

This is true, but if the main goal is enhanced ground fault safety, and a fusepanel exists, the requisite service upgrade/panel change required might often exceed the cost of GFCI receptacles in the right places.

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

WAIT!!!

Tread very carefully, Dale.

There have been many instances were in order to GFCI protect an existing 2-wire circuit with a GFCI receptacle, I had to put a GFCI at each and every receptacle location. With K&T, in particular, each receptacle is tapped off the main run of K&T. No conductors exist at any receptacle location that "feed through" to the next one in the chain. Indeed, there were installers back in the day that favored this wiring methodology for 2-wire romex also. They'd run the wire into the lighting box, and drop a single romex down to each receptacle. There's no single place to put a GFCI in such an installation to protect everything downstream. Nothing's downstream in certain wiring arrangements; all the receptacles are essentially dead end spurs.

Marc,

I told the lady to get a couple more electricians to give her quotes, she wants to add three prong receptacles, but wanted them protected by means of a GFCI at one of the receptacles, not all of them if it was possible so the circuit is essentially protected if a fault occurred. There was no K&T in the house, just old cloth covered two wire conductors.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by dduffy

There was no K&T in the house, just old cloth covered two wire conductors.

Right, and quite possibly all the receptacles were dead ends. It was quite popular to feed each receptacle with a drop from the light box in the room, or up from the basement lighting boxes. All I'm trying to say is that it is quite possible the sparky was not trying to rip her off.

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

Right, and quite possibly all the receptacles were dead ends. It was quite popular to feed each receptacle with a drop from the light box in the room, or up from the basement lighting boxes. All I'm trying to say is that it is quite possible the sparky was not trying to rip her off.

There are no basements in Arizona----

And this house did not have any ceiling lighting except one in the living room and kitchen, the bedrooms didn't even have ceiling lights, built in the 50's I think.