Garage GFCI shows 30 Vac Open Grd Neu...?
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Help Support House Repair Talk:
My thought as I read your post was an open neutral, not an open ground. Looks like that's what was found. An open ground wouldn't cause a weird voltage reading, but an open neutral would.
Not all GFCI outlets have the line on top and the load on the bottom (with the ground pin down). They are all clearly marked though. Line is the side coming from the supply, and load is any downstream outlets. When wired properly one GFCI outlet will protect all the down stream outlets.
"Not all GFCI outlets have the line on top and the load on the bottom (with the ground pin down)."
That, today is true, but wasn't true 50yrs ago, well before PASS & SEYMOUR, GE, FAITH and SQUARE D, became commonly marketed.
That, today is true, but wasn't true 50yrs ago, well before PASS & SEYMOUR, GE, FAITH and SQUARE D, became commonly marketed.
Despite current ANSI/UL and NEMA standards, I've also seen more than one like Sparky617 mentioned- in control panels & fixed-in-place medical equipment mostly. (They're non-NEMA devices, to be sure) One of the not-on-top GFI is the horizontal one (slots vertical when device is horizontal) that is in my house. There is no "top".
Paul
Boring Trivia:
Did you know that there is a difference between GFI and GFCI?
(Even More Boring: The difference between GFI, GFCI amd ALCI, GFPE, IDCI, etc.)
Ron Van
Well-Known Member
I did not know there is a difference between GFI and GFCI except there are more letters in one of them.
afjes_2016
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And the difference is?
GFCI, upon sensing a fault, interrupts power to the entire circuit past the device, including the branch circuit conductors.
Example: Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter Circuit Breaker
Example: GFCI/AFCI Circuti Breaker
Example: Current Transformer-Relay Based Protection Devices
GFI, upon sensing a fault, interrupts power to items attached to, and/or downstream of, the device.
The circuit feeding the device remains energized.
Example: Ground Fault Interrupter Receptacle Outlet.
Example: Dead Front Ground Fault Interrupter (Downstream only)
Example: Portable Ground Fault Interrupter Cord or Cube
In colloquial use, the terms get swapped often. But, in the way-back days, if you asked at the wholesale counter for a GFI, you'd be asked what color. If you asked for a GFCI, you'd be asked to which load center model it would be installed.
I've even seen GFI receptacle outlet boxes saying GFCI, so perhaps the the rules are void.
afjes_2016
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PJB12: Interesting.
I think the terms "GFCI" and "GFI" are used interchangeably. If someone on the forum were to ask how to reset a GFCI or if they asked how to reset a GFI the response would be the same for both as "Is it a breaker or receptacle". Each would have a unique procedure to reset. Handle on a breaker, button on a receptacle.
Kind of the same thing when someone refers to a dual function AFCI/GFCI breaker being a combination AFCI/GFCI breaker. The word "combination" refers to the newer AFCI being "combination" protecting for parallel and series arc faults and not "combination" being both a AFCI and GFCI device.
Also being that this is a DIY forum which mainly caters to the home owner I think GFCI and GFI mean the same thing in the DIY forum at least. If a DIYer were to Google "what is the difference between a GFCI and GFI" the results would say they are the same thing.
I think the terms "GFCI" and "GFI" are used interchangeably. If someone on the forum were to ask how to reset a GFCI or if they asked how to reset a GFI the response would be the same for both as "Is it a breaker or receptacle". Each would have a unique procedure to reset. Handle on a breaker, button on a receptacle.
Kind of the same thing when someone refers to a dual function AFCI/GFCI breaker being a combination AFCI/GFCI breaker. The word "combination" refers to the newer AFCI being "combination" protecting for parallel and series arc faults and not "combination" being both a AFCI and GFCI device.
Also being that this is a DIY forum which mainly caters to the home owner I think GFCI and GFI mean the same thing in the DIY forum at least. If a DIYer were to Google "what is the difference between a GFCI and GFI" the results would say they are the same thing.
That's why, back in #24, I put it way down at the bottom under my "signature' and called it "Boring Trivia". Key word = "Trivia"
The comment was meant to be a Just For Fun thing. So much for that idea.....
(I also noted in #24 that colloquially, the terms are swapped around, as you mentioned, Afjes_2016)
Your comments about combination AFCI/GFCI circuit breaker sure are spot-on. I did a government job a short time ago and the inspector didn't have a clue what I was explaining to him about dual fault protection with the AFCI device that I chose.
Side Comment:
I was complaining to one of my brothers about AFCI nusiance tripping sometimes being a pain in the neck. He's a big city fire captain. All he said was "If every circuit had AFCI protection, we might get to sleep all the way through the night once in a while." (Fewer fires)
Paul
afjes_2016
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PJB12: I hear ya. I realize the comment was "trivia". 
I personally don't like confusing DIY members on the forum so I try to keep it simple.
I know when I go to other parts of this forum or other forums and I ask questions about roofing etc which I have very little knowledge of some times the explanations of the answers I get are so involved that it makes my head spin. So keeping things simple it good. I do sometimes get "wordy" in my explanations but I try to give as must information as possible to help clear up anything with the DIYer so when they do research on the Net they have a better idea of what they are looking for and how to interpret what they read.
Example: the device "outlet" is used or "Plug-in" when a DIYer is referring to a receptacle. Using the term receptacle gives me a better understanding of what the OP is referring to. Although when you pick up a box of receptacles at the HDepot the box says "Outlets" and not "Receptacles" most of the time.
I personally don't like confusing DIY members on the forum so I try to keep it simple.
I know when I go to other parts of this forum or other forums and I ask questions about roofing etc which I have very little knowledge of some times the explanations of the answers I get are so involved that it makes my head spin. So keeping things simple it good. I do sometimes get "wordy" in my explanations but I try to give as must information as possible to help clear up anything with the DIYer so when they do research on the Net they have a better idea of what they are looking for and how to interpret what they read.
Example: the device "outlet" is used or "Plug-in" when a DIYer is referring to a receptacle. Using the term receptacle gives me a better understanding of what the OP is referring to. Although when you pick up a box of receptacles at the HDepot the box says "Outlets" and not "Receptacles" most of the time.
