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[Dennis Wiggins]

I'm doing an outdoor "wedding on the dock" in early October.  The ceremony will be on a wireless.  The dock entry, where I will pointing a ZXA1 back toward the on-shore guests, is about 125' from this box.  How can I tell if it has GFCI upstream, or (not knowing the source) is it OK to cascade my own pigtail GFCI?

I will have the opportunity for plenty of testing.

-Dennis

<edit>  The "water tank" is just a small, decorative, "bubbler over fake rocks" thingy that no longer works.  On the lower left is the box master cut-off switch (I presume).

[Dennis Wiggins]

The box is on the right side of the gazebo.

[Jonathan Johnson]

I think you're in luck.

If those breakers control those receptacles, you have GFCI protection. I believe those breakers have GFCI protection built-in. Press the yellow test button to verify functionality.

You can also get a 3-light outlet tester with GFCI-testing function. These have a momentary switch and a resister in series between hot and ground. If you press the button and the circuit de-energizes, you've proven that your 3-light outlet tester can de-energize that circuit.

[Jonathan Johnson]

If those breakers control those receptacles, you have GFCI protection. I believe those breakers have GFCI protection built-in. Press the yellow test button to verify functionality.

As far as daisy-chaining GFCI, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Daisy chaining won't make anything unsafe, but sometimes a downstream GFCI can cause an upstream GFCI to trip when the circuit is energized. Might have something to do with an internal self-test.

Any minute now, I expect Guy Holt will chime in about structured GFI/RCD where upstream ones are set with a higher fault current trip level. 

[Dennis Wiggins]

I think you're in luck.

If those breakers control those receptacles, you have GFCI protection. I believe those breakers have GFCI protection built-in. Press the yellow test button to verify functionality.

You can also get a 3-light outlet tester with GFCI-testing function. These have a momentary switch and a resister in series between hot and ground. If you press the button and the circuit de-energizes, you've proven that your 3-light outlet tester can de-energize that circuit.

Ahhh... that's what the little button does! 

I will look for a GFCI tester, anyway.

Thanks.

[John Roberts {JR}]

There is no reason why you can't, but maybe stay away from the test button...

JR

[Erik Jerde]

Ahhh... that's what the little button does! 

I will look for a GFCI tester, anyway.

Thanks.

If you have the outlet tester with the GFCI test then you already have a GFCI tester.  Look no further than your toolbox.

[Dennis Wiggins]

If you have the outlet tester with the GFCI test then you already have a GFCI tester.  Look no further than your toolbox.

Yes, my GFCI pigtail does have test/reset, but it only tests itself.  Now that it has been pointed out that that the breaker has its own GFCI/test button, adding my pigtail will be unnecessary.

-Thanks to All

[Mike Sokol]

...sometimes a downstream GFCI can cause an upstream GFCI to trip when the circuit is energized. Might have something to do with an internal self-test.

I"m  not sure that's true. Since a GFCI is only looking for the difference between the outgoing "hot" and incoming "neutral" current, and there's no connection to the "ground" ECG wire, then how is that possible? I've found that cascaded GFCI's are unpredictable as to which one will trip simply due to threshold tolerances, and of course a tripped GFCI will only kill power to the downstream outlets, not the upstream ones.

But I'm curious... If you have a possible theory or anecdotal evidence, then I'm interested.

[Guy Holt]

Any minute now, I expect Guy Holt will chime in about structured GFI/RCD where upstream ones are set with a higher fault current trip level. 

Now that you have. I don't have to.

Now that it has been pointed out that that the breaker has its own GFCI/test button, adding my pigtail will be unnecessary.

There is a strong argument to be made for cascading GFCIs.  See my post at  http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,164064.0.html for details.

Guy Holt, Gaffer
ScreenLight & Grip

[Dennis Wiggins]

Now that you have. I don't have to.

There is a strong argument to be made for cascading GFCIs.  See my post at  http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,164064.0.html for details.

Guy Holt, Gaffer
ScreenLight & Grip

The Ericson 1080-142S is class A, and I'll have plenty of opportunity to test.  My load for the ceremony, at 125 feet of 12GA, is less than 5A.

-Dennis

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