I am installing a GFCI in the first box of a two wire non-grounded circuit. The following box(es) have the line and feed wires spliced (pigtailed) before the receptacle so only two wires are attached to each receptacle. Am I correct in thinking that these wires should be separated at each receptacle and connected to the individual lines and feeds, otherwise the GFCI will not protect these?
Electrical – pigtailed wires downstream of a gfci
electricalgfcisplicingwiring
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The first problem is that you may be using the wrong cable and breakers. NEC calls for 2 20Amp small appliance circuits in the kitchen, to accomplish this you'll need to switch to 20Amp breakers and #12 wire.
The next problem. You'll have to pull new wire anyway, if you want to hook up GFCI receptacles. GFCI receptacles will not work properly with a shared neutral, you'll end up with nuisance tripping with a shared neutral. GFCI receptacles work by monitoring the balance between hot and neutral, so if the neutral is shared the GFCI will not work properly.
To wire up the kitchen properly, you'll have to pull 2 new 12/2 cables from the breaker to the kitchen (all #14 wire on that circuit will have to be replaced). Then install 2 20Amp breakers, to supply the kitchen. You'll install the GFCI's as the first receptacle on each circuit, which will protect all downstream receptacles.
You can share a neutral between 2 GFCI receptacles. The catch is you'll have to pigtail the neutral to the receptacles, not use the neutral from the load side of the first GFCI to feed the second.
So you should be able to do something like this...
But not like this...
You'll then be able to use the load side of each receptacle to feed other devices, like this.
No, do not join all of the neutrals. The GFCI load terminals need the neutral to remain separate. Your diagram is correct in that respect.
However, kitchen outlets must be dedicated; the circuit may not be shared with lighting as you have in your diagram. This is almost certainly a code violation in any jurisdiction.
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Best Answer
If I understand your question correctly, the answer is it is irrelevant how you connect the standard receptacles past the GFCI one. What determines whether they are GFCI protected is how you connect the GFCI receptacle.
If you connect the GFCI receptacle to the line connection only (usually using pigtails) and do not use the load connections, then none of the following receptacles will be GFCI protected.
But if you feed the following receptacles from the load connections of the GFCI receptacle, all following receptacles will be GFCI protected no matter how they are connected, i.e., with pigtails or by using the receptacle contacts to feed the receptacles further on.