Here are five reasons your GFCI outlet keeps tripping and what you should do.
- Ground-Fault Occurrence. Ground-faults occur when the hot wire or live wire comes into contact with the ground wire or the grounded area of an appliance. …
- Moisture in the Receptacle Box. …
- Overloaded Circuit. …
- Electrical Fault. …
- Faulty GFCI Outlet.
How do you fix a GFCI outlet that keeps tripping?
If there’s water in the GFCI, trip the breaker and use a blow dryer to dry out the receptacle box. Once the outlet is completely dry, reset the GFCI. Unplug everything from the outlet and see if the GFCI stops tripping. Plug everything back in one at a time to see which appliance is causing the breaker to trip.
What causes nuisance tripping of GFCI?
1. There are too many appliances being protected by the GFCI. Sometimes tripping occurs when a GFCI circuit breaker is protecting multiple downstream receptacles. If several appliances are connected to the GFCI device, the cumulative effect of the appliance leakage currents may trip the GFCI.
Can a GFCI trip for no reason?
Adding more equipment to a GFCI-protected circuit could cause a GFCI to trip randomly, making the problem difficult to diagnose.
How do you find the fault in a GFCI circuit?
Turn breaker ON, and see if fault is still present. If fault is no longer present, then identify culprit by re-pluging each lamp etc until fault reappears. If fault is still present with everything unplugged, then either the GFCI outlet is bad, or a problems exists somewhere in the wiring downstream from GFCI.
Can a extension cord cause GFCI to trip?
Excessive lengths of temporary wiring or long extension cords can cause ground fault leakage current to flow by captive and inductive coupling. The combined leakage current can exceed 5 ma, causing the GFCI to trip.
Why does GFCI breaker trip with no load?
A Loose Wire in an Outlet
This wiring problem can be maddening. In short, one of your outlets has a loose wire that is causing your breaker to trip and will continue to do so until it’s replaced. This is a somewhat common problem if you have an outlet with a GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter).
How often should you replace a GFCI outlet?
about 15 to 25 years
If your home is equipped with GFCI outlets, there are a few things you should know. Most GFCI outlets will last for about 15 to 25 years, but in certain circumstances, they can fail after 5 years. Here a few common signs that it’s time to replace your electrical outlets.
