Crackling/sizzling noise

[machinist]

Hmm. It looks like the GFCI tester is giving you conflicting signals, which can be confusing. The dim indicator on the far right suggests that the tester is detecting a "correct" wiring configuration, but the difference in brightness compared to the middle light might indicate a weak or inconsistent connection. The fact that you're getting multiple indicators, especially with one being dimmer, suggests there's likely still a wiring issue. Additionally, pressing the test button triggers a "hot/neutral reverse" reading raises some concerns.

Make sure the hot (black) and neutral (white) wires are securely connected to the correct terminals on the GFCI. Hot should go to the brass screw, neutral to the silver screw, and ground to the green screw. If wires are backstabbed into the push-in connectors, try using the screw terminals instead for a more reliable connection. If this GFCI is protecting downstream outlets, ensure that the incoming power (line) is connected to the "LINE" terminals and any outgoing wiring is on the "LOAD" terminals. Swapping line and load can cause odd test results. Also, verify that the ground wire is properly secured.

If the issue persists, plug in a lamp or other simple device to see if it functions properly. If it flickers or behaves oddly, there might be a loose connection or a neutral issue. If you're comfortable with it, a multimeter can help check voltage levels between hot, neutral, and ground to confirm proper wiring.

Since the tester is initially showing "correct" but then indicating a reversal when tested, the issue might be intermittent due to a loose wire or a miswired line/load connection. Start by turning off power, carefully inspecting all wiring, and ensuring everything is securely connected.


Let me know what you find!

[Bodrey]

Machinist,

I've got the GFCI wired as per your instructions. When I plug in the GFCI tester it (technically?) indicates that it's wired correctly. What I mean is, even though it's hard to tell from the pic the indicator on the far right is lit up, although it's far less bright compared to the middle indicator. I'm not sure if my tester works this way by design when testing GFCIs or if this still indicates a fault. The reason I say that is because when I press the button to test the GFCI it once again signals that the hot and neutral are reversed.

[machinist]

Welcome back Bodrey! It's good that you're taking the opportunity to properly address both issues while the wall is opened up. For your GFCI wiring configuration, here's what you'll want to do:

Since you have three cables with the far right being your line (power source), you'll want to connect this incoming hot (black) and neutral (white) to the LINE terminals of your Leviton GFCI. For the remaining two cables that power your bathroom light and fan, you'll need to pigtail the black wires together and connect them to the LOAD hot (brass) terminal, and similarly pigtail the white wires together and connect them to the LOAD neutral (silver) terminal. This configuration ensures that both your light and fan circuits are GFCI protected.

For the ground wires, the safest approach is to connect all three ground wires together using a wire nut with two pigtails - one pigtail will connect to the green ground screw on the GFCI receptacle, and the other will connect to the metal box's ground screw. This provides proper grounding for both the receptacle and the box.

Once everything is connected, make sure to secure the new box properly to prevent any movement when plugging/unplugging devices. Before closing up the wall, don't forget to test the GFCI to ensure it's working correctly by pressing the test/reset buttons. Also, it's a good idea to label the load wires for future reference.

Though I'm not a licensed electrician, just someone who enjoys DIY projects, I'd strongly recommend consulting a licensed electrician if you're not completely confident about doing this work yourself. Hope this helps!

[Bodrey]

Hello All,

After a long break, I'm back with an update...

I never did figure out the cause of the wiring fault and I was just going to let sleeping dogs lie. However, as it turns out I needed to rip the wall open to replace the receptacle box. When the contractor renovated my bathroom in 2011 he didn't secure it properly. Over time, it has become to the point that the whole outlet moves whenever I remove any plugs. Anyway, this is a pic of the 3 sets of wires....

The cable on the far right is the "hot" wire. The other cables power the bathroom light and fan separately. The GFCI I'm using is a Leviton brand and (as expected) has both upper and lower neutral and hot terminals.

Before I replace the box and re-wire the GFCI I'd like to get some electricians' opinions on the wiring configuration. For example, should the hot and neutral be connected to the Line side terminals and the respective white and black wires of the two other cables be pig tailed and connected to the Load side? Also, which of the ground wires (if any) should be secured to the box itself (using the screw at the back of the box)? Otherwise, which one should be connected directly to the ground screw while the other two are connected to it using a pigtail? TIA

[TinyTool]

Hi Bodrey!

I think it is a good decision to call in an expert who can take a closer look at the wiring. Hopefully it will be a simple fix.

[machinist]

From our conversation, it sounds like the issues with your GFCIs likely stem from miswiring or poor connections within the circuit. The persistent "hot and neutral reversed" error at both the bathroom and kitchen GFCIs points to a potential underlying wiring problem. The fact that the kitchen GFCI, which was recently worked on by an electrician, is now also showing issues raises concerns about whether the previous work may have contributed to the current situation or if there’s a shared circuit problem that hasn’t been addressed.

Additionally, the presence of multiple wire sets in the bathroom light and fan box suggests that there might be connections affecting the circuit that need closer inspection. While you’ve taken steps to correct the gauge of the ground wire and properly bundle the neutral wires, it seems there may still be loose connections or other wiring issues that remain undetected.

Given these complexities, bringing in a licensed electrician is a smart move Bodrey. They can conduct a thorough inspection, identify any hidden problems, and ensure everything is wired correctly to resolve the GFCI faults. I hope the solution will be straightforward and affordable. Please keep us posted on what you find out!

[Bodrey]

I pulled out the kitchen GFCI to check the wiring. The Backstab connections are secure. The ground wire coming from the box to the GFCI was using stranded neutral-gauge wire which was obviously not to code. So, I replaced that with the appropriate gauge ground wire. I also parceled out all of the neutral wire connections over two wire nuts and linked them with a pigtail. Despite these steps, the problems remain. I'm just not able to trace the fault or find any common connections points between the 2 problem GFCIs. So, at this point I've decided I'm going to have to bring in a licensed electrician to figure it out. I'll keep this posted open for now so when the issue's resolved I can let the two of you what was causing it. Hopefully, the repair will be straightforward and not cost me an arm and a leg.

[machinist]

Hi Bodrey!

It sounds like you’ve made some interesting discoveries in your troubleshooting process! The fact that the kitchen GFCI also indicates that the hot and neutral wires are reversed is definitely noteworthy, especially since the other two GFCIs in your kitchen are functioning correctly. This could imply that there’s a common issue in the wiring or that the work done by the electrician might have inadvertently caused a misconfiguration. Given that you haven’t found any other outlets without power, it could be helpful to trace the wiring from the problematic kitchen GFCI back to the breaker to see if there’s a common point where the wiring may have been crossed or improperly connected. Since GFCI outlets can sometimes share circuits, there’s a chance that the wiring issue might be affecting both the bathroom and kitchen circuits.

Once your electrician gets back to you, it might be a good idea to ask him about the kitchen GFCI wiring and see if he can help identify any connections that may have been altered during his previous work. In the meantime, continue to be cautious when working with live circuits, and make sure to turn off power when you're inspecting or testing connections. Keep me updated on what your electrician says—I’m here to help with any further questions or issues that arise!

machinist.

[Bodrey]

Hello again Machinist and TT,

I have an update. I had to chance to play with the boxes in the bathroom again today, but unfortunately I'm no closer to resolving the issue...

As I suspect the light and fan switches are part of the same circuit (and their neutral pairs were not bundled together) I ran a pigtail between them. I did the same for the ground pairs. I isolated the hot and neutral pair in the GFCI and wired them to the Line side. However, after re-testing I got the same result - hot and neutral reversed. <sigh>



So, I turned the bathroom breaker off and attempted to locate the mystery fourth pair of wires by testing every receptacle in the house for power. I couldn't find any other receptacles that did not have power. However, I did discover something interesting. When I plugged the circuit tester into the kitchen GFCI it also indicated that the hot and neutral wires were reversed. There are 2 other GFCIs in my kitchen (above my sink) and both of them indicate that they're wired correctly. I find this especially intriguing because I had another basement wiring issue recently for which I did hire a licensed electrician. While he was here, he did work on the kitchen GFCI that is now indicating a wiring issue. So, not sure what to make of that. I emailed him just a few minutes ago and explained what's going on. Just waiting for his reply now.

[machinist]

Yes, it sounds like something is off with the wiring. I’d recommend double-checking for another junction box or possibly a hidden outlet on the same circuit that might explain the missing wires. If all the wiring is part of the same circuit, the neutral wires (white ones) should typically be bundled together. The fact that they’re paired without a pigtail suggests the wiring might not be set up correctly and could be acting like two separate circuits. Since the light and fan switches work fine on their own, it’s possible the wiring was done in a way that kept the neutral wires separate, which might explain the GFCI issue. It would be a good idea to trace each wire to see where it’s going and confirm everything is part of the same circuit. If you’re still unsure after that, calling an electrician might help avoid any safety issues.

[Bodrey]

I tried swapping the different pairs of wires on the GFCI today, but it didn't make any difference. Looking at the fan/light box today something strange occurred to me... there are FOUR sets of wires, but only THREE sets of wires in the GFCI. Am I missing something here? Something that also seems strange to me is that the neutral wires are grouped in pairs, just like the ground wires. If all of these cables are part of the same circuit, shouldn't ALL of the neutral wires be bundled together? I've included a screenshot of the box and as you can see there is no pigtail going between the pairs of neutral wires - the pairs are wired in such a fashion to suggest that they're part of two separate circuits which I do not believe to be the case.

The light and fan switches have always worked as they're supposed to, independent of each other. Despite this, I'm beginning to suspect something is very wrong with the way the fan/light switches are wired.

[machinist]

Since the GFCI has its own breaker and no other outlets are part of the circuit (other than the light and fan), it simplifies things a bit. As for the orientation of the wires on the switches, generally speaking, the orientation of the hot and neutral wires shouldn't cause the GFCI to show a "reverse" fault—unless there's an underlying wiring issue. Light switches, especially single-pole ones, usually don’t have a neutral connection at the switch itself. They just break the hot connection (or in some cases, the load), so swapping the wires at the switch typically wouldn’t cause this specific issue unless there’s a larger problem in the circuit.

The fact that you got a tone from your voltage tester on the bottom terminal after swapping wires on the light switch is interesting, but since it didn’t resolve the issue, it sounds like the problem may be more with the GFCI wiring than with the switches. It could still be worth ensuring the neutrals in the junction boxes for the light and fan are securely connected with the wire nuts.

If swapping the Line and Load on the GFCI doesn’t fix it, I’d recommend checking for loose connections or grounding issues at the breaker panel. There could be a grounding or neutral issue that’s causing misreadings at the GFCI.

Let me know how it goes, and I hope you get this all sorted out soon!

[Bodrey]

Machinist - I do suspect that one of the pairs of wires connected to the Load side should actually be on the Line side, and the pair currently connected to the Line side should be on the Load side. This is the next step I plan to take to try and rectify the problem.

The GFCI has its own breaker at the panel. I don't think there are other outlets as part of the circuit other than the light and fan. Does the orientation of the wires on the switches matter? Earlier today, I decided to swap the wires on the light, and when I did that I got a tone from my voltage tester on the bottom terminal (after swapping). I get the same tone from the same terminal on the fan switch. So, I thought maybe this was the cause of the "reverse" fault, but it didn't make a difference - the issue remained at the GFCI.

[TinyTool]

Good to see you back Bodrey. I agree with machinist and I think the next logical conclusion should be to check the GFCI wiring. If the problem persists, it’s possible the issue is upstream in the circuit, like at the breaker or another outlet that shares the same line. Loose or miswired connections anywhere in the circuit can affect the GFCI downstream, so it might be helpful to inspect other outlets or connections that could be part of the same circuit. Another thing to check is the breaker panel itself. Sometimes a loose neutral or ground wire in the panel can cause issues like this. If you're comfortable, carefully inspect the panel to ensure all connections are tight, particularly for the neutral and ground wires.

You should also consider whether the circuit might be part of a multi-wire branch (where two circuits share a neutral wire). If there’s a problem with the shared neutral, it could create the “hot and neutral reversed” error. This might be something an electrician could check for you. Lastly, even though the light and fan switches seem fine, if they’re using backstab connections, those can sometimes be problematic over time. Switching them to screw terminals could provide a more secure connection. It’s also worth ruling out any neutral-to-ground faults in the circuit, as those can also cause GFCI issues.

If none of these steps help, it might be time to call in a professional electrician to take a closer look and ensure everything is wired correctly. Hopefully, these suggestions help narrow down the problem. Let me know how it goes, and feel free to reach out if you need more advice!

Thank you,
TT.

[machinist]

Hello guys!

Bodrey, firstly, it's crucial to confirm that the wiring is correctly configured between the Line and Load sides of the GFCI. The Line side should receive the incoming power from your electrical panel. This side typically connects to the hot (black) and neutral (white) wires coming from the power source. On the other hand, the Load side of the GFCI should be connected to the wires leading to the light and fan, which are protected by the GFCI. These should also be hot and neutral wires but are meant to provide power to the downstream devices. Since you’ve already tried replacing the GFCI and confirmed the connections at the light and fan switches, the issue likely resides with the configuration of the wires at the GFCI. To address this, turn off the power at the breaker and use a voltage tester to carefully identify which wires are hot and which are neutral. Once identified, make sure that the hot wire (black) is connected to the brass terminals on the GFCI and the neutral wire (white) is connected to the silver terminals. If you have any wires currently connected to the Load side that should be on the Line side, or vice versa, this could be causing the reversed error.

After ensuring the wiring is correct, turn the power back on and test the GFCI with your circuit tester. The new GFCI should correctly identify the wiring if everything is configured properly. If the issue persists despite these checks, it could indicate a more complex problem within the circuit, such as miswiring elsewhere or a deeper electrical fault. At this point, it would be wise to consult with a licensed electrician to ensure the wiring is properly set up and that there are no underlying issues with the circuit.