Pete, one other thing to consider, is that not all GFCI outlets are "up to spec". On a boat, your "ground" may not meet the "spec" of the GFCI you installed. Being in the construction biz and having been in the marine electronics biz..I can tell you that the stuff you will find in Home Depot and/or Lowes does not always "comply" with the "highest industry standards".if you know what I'm sayin'
Mark, Gratis (6115) NOLA From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PeterE Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 8:52 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [IC27A] Re: Why did a new GFCI cause reverse polarity? Thanks Mark and k1pt, Mark - Good point. But for once I was a step ahead of the game :). RP was fine before I made the changes in the panel. That is, the RP indicator was not lit. So, I 'assume' polarity was correct, but now I'm wondering... ...maybe the RP condition existed, but was undetected. An circuit checker will answer that question. But even still, reversed-or-not, undetected-or-not, something is now different which causes the indicator to light! k1pt - Thanks, the sailboatowners.com thread has some great info. It give reassurance that RP and GFCI are 'two different things'. But, as such, just adds to my puzzle: How did adding a GFCI cause RP indicator to light. Of course I'll TRIPLE-check my wiring (black to bronze, white to silver...), and will test with a circuit checker and volt meter. But in the meantime I'll appreciate your ideas and suggestions! Thanks, Pete --- In [email protected], "k1pt" <k...@...> wrote: > > see http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/archive/index.php/t-59072.html > ----- Original Message ----- > From: PeterE > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 2:52 PM > Subject: [IC27A] Why did a new GFCI cause reverse polarity? > > > > Thanks to all of you who post more often than I. Your willingness to share your knowledge is appreciated! > > Yesterday I added a GFCI to my (1986) boat's electrical system. The mechanical work went "OK"; Wiring was a cinch. But when I applied power the 'Polarity Reversed' indicator lights up. What would cause this? More importantly, how can I fix it? > > Regarding electrical details, the GFCI replaced the duplex outlet mounted on the side of the power panel. It was inserted into the circuit between the main breaker and the power terminal strip (which feeds power to the remaining 4 duplex outlets). So, power path is Breaker -> GFCI Line side -> GFCI Load side -> term strip/4 outlets. > > Maybe someone will benefit from knowing about how I did this project: > > I needed a couple of spade terminals (12# wire; yellow color) but, surprisingly, did not need any additional wire. That's significant, since it's a bit special, as it's stranded wire. I removed the line connections from the terminal strip and attached them directly to the line side of the new GFCI. For connection to the load side of the GFCI, I simply re-used the two short lengths of wire which had been used to supply power from the terminal strip to the original duplex outlet. > > Regarding mechanicals, it was a bit of a challenge to enlarge the cut-out to accommodate the larger size of the GFCI duplex outlet. Due to space limitations it's difficult to use a saw. I used a Dremel-type tool. I didn't know which tips/blades would be best to cut through the wood (1/2") and fiberglass (1/4"). I tried 3 or 4, and still don't know! (Neither worked very good). Ironically, when I finally used a sanding tip, to smooth-out edges, I found that it cut (sanded-away) better than the other tools! Go figure! > > Thanks for your help. > > Pete > 'Still Fiesty' -- '6171 TR >
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