Why doesn't a 3-prong Outdoor GFI outlet work?

your other contributors have valid points but let me ask - have you ever seen this particular gfi work correctly? the feed has to come to the box that the outlet is in first. if the feed is to say a light and is daisey chained off a wall switch or is in combo, you may be introducing a fault every time you use the outlet. long story short - it's wired wrong for a gfi.

Try plugging something else into it besides whatever you plugged in the first time and see if it still trips out. It could be a ground fault in the first device you tried. If it trips out on everything you try to plug in check the wiring on the GFI receptacle. Make sure the hot is tied to the brass lug on the line side and the neutral is tied to the silver lug on the line side. The bare ground should tie to the green lug.

There's probably a fault in the device you are plugging in, a short to ground. Try plugging that device into another GFCI in the house and see if that one trips. Be careful, some part of the device might be energized that shouldn't be.

EDIT: Was the pond pump wet or underwater when you plugged it in? Regarless, it is probably faulty and possibly dangerous. Get a 3 prong extension cord and try it in another working GFCI (trips when it should) or two and see if it trips them.

pass away the Pig Tails on my own. That technique of wiring is the ultimate. in basic terms replace them to the hot recep. upload 2 short products of cord to the grounds interior the comparable way because of the fact the hots and neutrals. positioned a million on the recep. and a million to the floor screw. the floor does not could be bare, eco-friendly is okay. So pass to the keep and purchase some ft of sturdy cord the comparable gauge. #14 for 15 amp circuits and #12 for 20 amp circuits. Spring for a pair of Lineman's pliers to make twisting the wires mutually easier. to verify the floor is powerful all of the some time past to the panel, positioned a continuity tester around the independent and floor. If it reads resistance or makes an audible sound, the floor is powerful.

I think that the 3-prong unit that you are plugging in is wired wrong! Either that or the thing that the 3-prong cable is attached to is wired incorrectly! The GFI kicks out because that is exactly what it is designed to do! Duh!