Shared Neutral With A GFI

darren

I have asked two different journeyman this question and have gotten two different answers.

Can you use a GFI on a multiwire circuit. One guy said no, then while working with another i hooked up 3 GFI on 3 differnt circuits and they were all shareing the same neutral.

What I want to do is replace all my plugs in my house to the grounded type but do it safe and proper. Instead of tracking down the first plug on the circuit and putting the GFI there I am wanting to put the GFI next to my electrical panel.

My plan is to bring a new piece of 3 wire out of the panel to two GFI, but of course the neutral would be shared. Then come out of the load side of the GFI with the orginal wire and that would continune on to my plugs.

Panel->14/3NMD90->Line side of 2 GFI->Load side of 2 GFI->orginal wire continues on/

I hope that makes sense, but will this work or does a GFI need its own neutral.

Thanks

Speedy Petey

You cannot do this if you are continuing with 14/3.
Meaning: Panel> 14/3> two GFIs> 14/3> other receptacles.
You MUST change to two separate 14/2's after the GFIs.

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MSSI

Crap I only wanted to quote a portion of this..havnt figured that one out yet..
But anyway...You want to do it safe and proper? it sounds like you have the inention of putting grounded receptacles on an ungrounded circut..
If there is no ground in the circut you are not supposed to use 3 prong recepts..regardles of gfi protection. check to sse if there are grounds in the recept. boxes.

darren

Hey it is legal and safe to do it the way I am talking about, well at least to the Canadian Electrical Code it is legal and i assume what they say is a safe way to do it.

I do agree there is not an equipment ground but if i come by and touch the metal part of something that is shorted out that will trip the GFI.

Speedy that is what i was thinking. What will happen if I were to do that. My guess would be nuisence triping because the hot comeing in could be differnt then neutral going out without a fault somewhere.

Sparky Joe

MSSi, replacing ungrounded receptacles with GFI's is perfectly legal.

And Darren, why not use GFI breakers? They make 2 pole types, pretty spendy but I imagine they cost less than rewiring your house with single wire circuits instead of multiwire circuits

darren

HeyJoe

I looked at useing the breakers and yes they are very expensive, a single pole was around 90 so i can only imagine what a 2 pole would be.

Also there is no room in my panel for it, i am useing thin federeal pioneers and if i remember correctly the gfi was the thicker kind and my panel is full.

MSSI

10-4 I stand corrected then. Sorry for the bad info. Is there a code reference to that? I cant find it .

darren

MMSi are you in Canada or the US, i can give you a reference for the canadian stuff.

MSSI

Im in US...

Well thats good to know. I hate tying and crimping all those grounds togeather. Ill just start putting gfis in every circut and cut all those pesky little ground wires off....

Sparky Joe

Darren, what you proposed in the original post (#1) about sharing neutrals on a GFI circuit will work as long as the neutrals are pigtailed at each device.

If you're trying to 'slave' other receptacles off the first or second GFI on that neutral you will have problems.

MO-AMPS

I'm not uderstanding why you have to change the original branch circuit and according to you what do you change branch to

MO-AMPS

[quote

Are referring to new construction if you are why would you use gfci I'm confuse with that thread or reply

Magnettica

See 406.3 (D)(3)

Speedy Petey

First of all Mo your writing style is nearly impossible to comprehend. This is not a put down, it truly is constructive criticism.
Punctuation and writing in sentences will go a long way in helping others understand what you are trying to say.

Re-read my post you quoted. I was saying IF the original wire is 14/3, he cannot do it, and IF he insists on doing it that way he must change to wire to separate 14/2's. He already made it clear is changing the home run.
If the existing wiring is 14/2 then he is fine with changing the home run to 14/3 and feeding two GFI devices.

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MO-AMPS

First off you comprehended it well becaause you responded, so your little critism is really childish so grow-up.
Second if you read the original thread It never said where he was going to change t out the home-run.

Speedy Petey

Quote from the original post:


Sorry MO that you cannot take some friendly constructive criticism. I was not being chilidsh, I was trying to help.
Your posts are almost illegible and at this point not worth the effort of trying to figure out.
I'm taking off my decoder ring now.

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MO-AMPS

Well it is obvious that you were not trying to help,because if you were you would've sent me a private message.
Your intention was to put me out in front of everybody,so I hope you learn some manner and stop nic-picking all my threads it is getting on my nerves Mr.Speedo.

But back to the original post, he is not changing the homerun read more careful next time you "moron"

Speedy Petey

The issue at hand is also semantics. He running a new wire to pick up an existing circuit. This is replacing the home run, or adding another. It DOES NOT matter. The idea is the SAME thing.
What matters is what the cabing is after the new GFIs.



*Edit- I edited out any reply I made to your insults. I am done with you and will not "bother" you any more MO. Sorry for trying to help.

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mdshunk

Ewwww... that's a mental picture that I could have done without

When people get ticked at me, they call me "Skunk", which tickles me very much. Havn't heard that since grammar school.

MO-AMPS

Hey! Look we have taken the original thread and view it different:

(1) You viewed it as a new home-run
(2) I viewed as if the gfci was acting as a sub-panel of some sort

But who ever is correct really don't matter, because it is just an interpetation of the thread confusion.If my view was correct you would probaly be agreeing with me and vice-versa.

But if look through all my threads you been on me kinda tuff on me. I'm usually able to take it and move on ,but you caught on a bad day.I have to admit you've made me check my code book more often than usual and I appreciate that, just start using a little tack, "season your words with salt" it would be taken a lot better.

But hey! We cool sorry for the insults keep talking to me. Hell! you are making me a little sharper.