New GFCI won’t work

GFCI connections (like many other things) work best when handled step-by-step:

1. Identify the Wires

You should have one set of wires (either a cable or wires together in a conduit) that is the incoming power and another (can be more than one) that is connecting to other ("load", "downstream") devices.

If you are not 100% certain which wires are the incoming power:

• Turn off the breaker.
• Disconnect all the wires from the GFCI receptacle and arrange them so that the can be tested separately
• Turn on the breaker
• Use a non-contact tester to identify the one hot wire
• The white (or gray, but usually white) wire that is paired with the hot wire is the neutral wire for incoming power

2. Connect only the incoming power

• Turn off the breaker
• Connect the hot incoming power to the hot line connection on the GFCI receptacle
• Connect the neutral incoming power to the neutral line connection on the GFCI receptacle
• All grounds from all cables/conduits (unless metal conduit and no ground wires) go together and to the GFCI receptacle
• Turn on the breaker and test the GFCI. If it still does not work, stop and ask more questions.

3. Connect the other wires

• Turn off the breaker
• All black or other wires that are not white/gray/green/bare go to the hot load connection
• All white or gray wires go to the neutral load connection
• Ideally you should work on one cable/conduit/group of wires at a time for easier trouble-shooting
• Turn on the breaker

If the GFCI works then try devices in the downstream receptacles. If you have problems at this stage then there is likely a miswired downstream receptacle, and that needs to be fixed as it is a danger waiting to happen.

Connecting everything to line instead of load is a workable solution in some cases. However, if the downstream receptacles are in locations that require GFCI protection (kitchen, bathroom, outside) then you really want to have them on "load".

GFCI receptacles come “tripped” from the factory. Did you reset it after applying power?