GFCI outlet seems to trip several times a week

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rhedayi

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Hi there everyone. My name is Rudy, and I wanted to bounce an issue off some of you folks.

I have a GFCI outlet in the garage. It has a green LED indicator on it. When I go to test it, it appears to be operating properly. Meaning the LED goes off and devices on other outlets in the garage stop working. The only thing plugged in on other circuits is a sprinkler timer.

It seems every few days, the GFCI has tripped. I go press the reset button and its fine again. I thought it may be the sprinkler timer that is somehow causing the issue so I unplugged it and ran it to a different GFCI protected outler via an extension cord. While the original outlet once again tripped (w/o the sprinkler on it), the other gfci outler did not. SO that makes me think the GFCI trips for some other reason. What could it be ?? How do I trouble shoot a GFCI that seems to reset and test fine but keeps tripping ? Thanks in advance
 
Welcome to the site.
Insects in and outlet or faulty gfi are the cheap things to go after. After that you might be looking for damaged wire, rodents or?? Or other things in the garage that are on that line.
 
All the above as pointed out. An intermittent electrical problem is the hardest to find as when you check everything is working. I would just start with replacing the GFI outlet. Save the one you take out. If the problem stops then toss it. If you still have it then you need to look at each load outlet one by one. It takes so very little imbalance to trip them is what makes it tricky.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair
 
I suspect water in one of the outside receptacles. Does the sprinkler possible spray water on the receptacle it was plugged into?
As already stated insect inside receptacles are also a common issue.
 
Fellas thanks the replies. I would have sworn the sprinkler timer was the culprit but since I moved it to a different circuit the original one still tripped last night. Seems like moisture is a culprit but where and how a mystery. From what I can tell the garage circuit it's separate from outside circuit each with own gfci. They can be tested independently. There is even holiday light outlets also live when this gfci trips. The garage is finished painted so inspecting is hard. I can swap the gfci but I bet it's fine, it tripped more recently with more condensation dew whatever at night but why? I guess I will swap the gfci, it has its own circuit breaker so easy to do, then inspect the other outlets for insects I guess or loose wires. Thanks
 
Moisture can be fixed by spraying wd40 in the outlets. we use it when extension cord plugs get in the mud. the wd is water displacement.
 
WD40 is also very flammable. Any sparks and you will have a poof.
 
I was thinking compressed air to clean each outlet once I take the covers of to look
 
Small update
I reset the GFCI this am and it was already tripped by noon, no sprinklers and very little dew overnight because winds kicked up here in so cal. I took my trusted old school voltage tester and tested the outlet...as expected NOTHING. I reset it and tested the top outlets fine, the lower outputs IT TRIPPED, hmmm reset GFCI again and test THIS time 120V, test again trip...does this further point to a GFCI that is faulty ? BTW after I reset it, I tested the other garage outlets and they were on and they do not trip the GFCI

this picture is from ebay, I have one of these that is orange

tester.jpg
 
Even though most likely, like Joe said, a spark would just cause a poof and done with WD 40, I wouldn't recommend using it on energized parts.

If it's a moisture problem then you will have to investigate what else, if anything, is on that circuit. If the garage GFI is a dedicated circuit, I would simply start off by replacing the outlet and taking it from there. The fact that it resets suggests that there is not a loose connection somewhere.
 
I just saw your small update after I posted. Is that GFI feeding out to the other garage outlets? Are they also GFI's?
 
But if the GFI in question is at the beginning of the line and it's connected LINE/LINE then it is simply a bad GFI. If the other outlets are on a different circuit then it could be other things, or it could still be a faulty outlet.

And that old school tester is a good one. It gives an accurate reading every time.
 
The test to see if it is the gfi or other plug is simple just removing the wires from the load side of the gfi and if it still trips, that's the problem. If that isn't the problem just replace the other cheap outlets on the same line.
 
Replace the GFCI. If it trips again, you know the problem is external to the receptacle. Double check all exterior receptacles and/or lights which might be on the same circuit.

Another idea: Replace the GFCI and turn your sprinkler timer off. See if you get a trip (doubtful). If there are other devices on the circuit, this will at least eliminate the timer as the offender.
 
Thank you all for the inputs, I did not get an email stating there were more posts, so did not get to reply yesterday.

Kabris said:
I just saw your small update after I posted. Is that GFI feeding out to the other garage outlets? Are they also GFI's?
Click to expand...

This GFCI feeds all the garage outlets and the other outlets do not have GFCI outlets, just regular 3 prong outlets.

CallMeVilla said:
Replace the GFCI. If it trips again, you know the problem is external to the receptacle. Double check all exterior receptacles and/or lights which might be on the same circuit.

Another idea: Replace the GFCI and turn your sprinkler timer off. See if you get a trip (doubtful). If there are other devices on the circuit, this will at least eliminate the timer as the offender.
Click to expand...


Sprinkler timers is now on another (separate) GFCI outlet from outside of all places by the front door. I ran a long cord as I initially thought the timer had to be the issue. Interestingly that other GFCI has not tripped at all with the sprinkle timer atatched to it via a 50 foot extension cord. But the original GFCI with the issue has tripped with nothing on it.


Today after work I will go to home depot and buy a new GFCI outlet.

Should I just wire it up without connecting the down stream outlets as a test first ?
 
Should I just wire it up without connecting the down stream outlets as a test first ?
Yes the line side only.
 
I’m pretty sure you have a bad GFI outlet but Neal’s suggestion was excellent. That being to pop your GFI out of the box and take the wires off the load side. That eliminates everything but the GFI. If then it pops you know it’s bad. Your old voltage tester is the type that puts some load across the voltage and that causing one half the outlet to trigger and not the other sure sounds like there is an internal problem. For a few bucks it’s worth changing.

If you put a new one in I would wire line and load both but that’s just me. You have non GFI power coming in as the line there is no reason to think the new GFI is faulty to start with.
 
Thanks Neal and bud. I have no idea if something "upstream" - meaning from circuit breaker could be at issue, I will swap it tonight and report back

I appreciate all you folks' input
 
Nothing between the breaker and the gfi can cause this. It can only deal with itself and other outlets on the load side.
 
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