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We have a bathroom whose GFCI tripped one day. Only after it was tripped did we realize we have no idea where the reset button is. It's not on the breaker, it's not on the wall outlet, and there's no other wall outlets in the room.

Is there a process for locating the hidden GFCI? The wall outlet has a sticker claiming it to be on a GFCI circuit, that's all I have to defend the claim that there's a GFCI on the circuit at all (as opposed to other possibilities, such as simply not being wired in at all... which would be odd). The circuit breaker is decidedly not flipped.

How can I locate my GFCI for this circuit?

Cort Ammon
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    If the circuit is not powered, you could use a wire tracer to try and follow the wires back to their source. – Tester101 Oct 25 '15 at 19:30
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    A GFCI outlet can also be used to protect one or more downstream outlets. So, look at nearby outlets, including in adjacent rooms, and you may find one of them is actually a GFCI. – Daniel Griscom Oct 25 '15 at 19:36
  • Sometimes the GFCI is in the Garage. This was done a lot in the late 70's and early 80's. – WarLoki Oct 25 '15 at 20:01

2 Answers2

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Look around (usually physically nearby) for a tripped GFCI - that will be the one. If the circuit breaker is well-labeled (unlikely, IMPE, but in the ideal world they all are) you'll know what other rooms to check, as they would be the ones on that same circuit breaker.

Typically will be the other side of a wall, another bathroom nearby, out in the hallway, etc.

Ecnerwal
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First check where GFCI's are typically found. Near sinks in kitchens and bathrooms (near water), outdoor outlets, and also in the garage like WarLoki suggested. I once encountered an outlet on the other side of the house that was wired from a GFCI in a bathroom on a different floor. After that, I would go around with something easy to carry and test every outlet in the house.

BrianK
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  • Yep, 3 story house, outlet in upstairs bathroom is dead today, no tripped breakers or GFCI’s that I’ve found. I’m going to have to crawl through every room with a circuit tester, if I can’t find an easier way! I do have a beeper and sniffer tool I can try to see if there’s continuity and try to find which breaker it should be on, but that tool likely won’t work in this situation. – Old Uncle Ho Feb 06 '24 at 23:12