Xjyuk

i have a thing i'm doing.. i won't go into detail. but i have a thing that is a yellow solid core copper cable with a hot, neutral and bare ground. one end is connected to a plug i wired (i'm using the cable thingy as a makeshift cord because i don't have an actual cord). the other end is wired to the LINE of a gfci.

just to make sure i had no short circuits before i was to install my thingy, i checked continuity between the Hot, Neutral and Ground terminals on the GFCI to make sure there were no shorts in my wiring. when i touched the HOT and NEUTRAL prongs, they had continuity. (my continuity tester is really just an ohmmeter). so did HOT and GROUND. i unddid the plug and looked for shorts, and there were none. i put it back together and now i see tthat only the NEUTRAL and GROUND are continuity.

is this a break in my cable shorting the two? or is it a faulty GFCI?

no this is not connected to the wall yet. this is an isolated circuit i was testing for continuity.

help i dont want this to end up shorting the HOT and NEUYTRAL again and starting a fire

EDIT: i was stupid in the plug and put the wires overlapping.. the thig that clamps down ended up pushing insulation away and shorted the wires. i am going to not make that mistake again.

At least violate Code a little less

Putting a GFCI in a box on a cable is a codevio. Using Romex for cordage is a codevio. And using junction boxes for portable boxes is also a code vio, but let's at least use a tough box and a strain relief, eh? Here's what you need.

• square steel junction box, 4" square, drawn one-piece (not welded 5-piece)


• 
  Strain relief that fits the proper cordage you go out and get right now (get 12/3 since in cordage, ground counts). I can't bring myself to link the cable clamp for Romex, because it's so wrong...


• 4" square 1-device mud ring with at least 1/2" depth (plays better with Decora) again must be drawn not welded


• Metal Decora cover plate - cut the screws short if needed (Decora = large rectangular opening)

Alternate: a drawn steel Decora junction box lid can replace the last 2. Even though it's tougher, I avoided it because you'll have to bend/break off the Decora cover plate ears, and that'll wreck the GFCI for use anywhere else.

Alternate: if you want to put a GFCI and feed another plain outlet for 4 sockets then use a 4-11/16" box and mud ring, otherwise it won't all fit. You can use a plain receptacle and normal/Decora split cover plate.

GFCI's, thru continuity, and ground

Safety ground is continuous through a GFCI.

LINE neutral to LOAD neutral is not continuous.

LINE hot to LOAD hot is not continuous.

As you can see, both hot and neutral go through the mysteryworks of a GFCI device. (actually, that includes a set of relay contacts, and also a current-sensing inductor, so you may read an impedance near zero.) Needless to say, if the relay contacts are open, line-load will read as dead open... IIRC the GFCI also has some electronics between LINE hot and LINE neutral, so you may also expect some non-infinity impedance there.

Now, look close: you see that green "upside down T" where the ground wire branches into the GFCI? No, you do not see that "T"? There's a reason you don't: GFCIs don't connect to ground. GFCI receptacles do, but only for the sake of the receptacle sockets; the GFCI portion doesn't use it.