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#2446 07/10/01 07:17 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 6
C
Junior Member
Can someone please tell me the correct way to hook 2 GFI's and 1 regular 20amp duplex receptacle using one circuit in a commercial building. The regular duplex receptacle cannot be on the load side of the GFI's. The 2 GFI's are for the men and ladies restroom and the regular duplex receptacle is for an office. I always thought you needed a seperate neutral for each GFI you put in line on one circuit.

#2447 07/10/01 07:23 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
>Can someone please tell me the correct way to hook 2 GFIs and 1 regular 20amp duplex receptacle using one circuit in a commercial building. The regular duplex receptacle cannot be on the load side of the GFIs.
So just pigtail them off your branch (parallel).

>I always thought you needed a separate neutral for each GFI you put in line on one circuit.
No such requirement technically or in Code.

#2448 07/10/01 07:29 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 6
C
Junior Member
So you are saying to just go to the line side of the GFI's when making my connections,then I do not need another neutral? Will the GFI's ever trip if they sense an imbalanced load in whatever is plugged into the regular receptacle?

#2449 07/10/01 07:45 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,056
R
Member
Is this a multi-wire(2 or 3 hots and one neutral)circuit?

#2450 07/10/01 07:55 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 6
C
Junior Member
This is a single circuit application, 1 hot 1 neutral and a ground for 2 20amp GFI's and 1 20amp duplex receptacle.

#2451 07/10/01 09:45 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
>So you are saying to just go to the line side of the GFIs when making my connections, then I do not need another neutral?
Correct.

>Will the GFIs ever trip if they sense an imbalanced load in whatever is plugged into the regular receptacle?[/B]
Not really. GFCIs are pretty clueless about the line side.
That's why they don't work if wired in backward (line and load interchanged).

#2452 07/10/01 09:53 PM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 6
C
Junior Member
Thank You for your help. So the only time you would need a seperate neutral for each GFI is if they are all feeding from seperate circuits?

#2453 07/10/01 10:53 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
>the only time you would need a separate neutral for each GFI is if they are all feeding from separate circuits?
That is correct. But that is because separate circuits need their own (line-side) neutrals by Code. This is not a technical requirement for a GFCI to operate.

However, the load side current must not be diverted anywhere. In other words, if you cross your load-side neutral with any other neutral, the GFCI will trip. And if any load on the GFCI is not hooked to the load-side neutral of that same GFCI, then when that load is activated, the GFCI will trip.



[This message has been edited by Dspark (edited 07-10-2001).]

#2454 07/11/01 08:56 AM
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 176
W
Member
There was a time when GFCI's first came into the market, and were required by the NEC, that separate neutrals were required to prevent nuisance tripping.


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