Home Page link

GFCI trip for no obvious reason

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
GFCI trip for no obvious reason lpedron 12-03-2006
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by on December 3, 2006, 5:38 pm


Hello,

I'm having a problem with a GFCI outlet faulting for no "good" reason.
The run extends from the garage down beside the drive way, buried about
8" depth to a light fixture on a brick column near the street. The
wire was 10 wire approved for direct burial. On the column are two
boxes, one for an electronic eye ( dusk to dawn switch ) and the other
is an outlet with a protective cover. I checked both boxes to make
sure they are waterproof and not leaking. If I unwire the run that
goes to this light, then I never get a GFCI fault. This same
configuration is also in use on the other side of the drive, and has
zero problems with faulting.

The only "thing" that I can think of is that somehow this wire that was
approved for direct burial is somehow causing the problem. Perhaps
there is a nick in the wire insulation that is causing the fault.
It's most strange because sometime I'm troubleshoot the problem and be
fault free for several hours. Then, other times, it will fault within
10 minutes. Both on the same sunny afternooon.

Any ideas??

Thanks,


Posted by RBM on December 3, 2006, 5:44 pm


I think you hit the nail on the head. A rock can cut into UF cable and cause
intermittent problems depending upon the moisture in the ground



> Hello,
>
> I'm having a problem with a GFCI outlet faulting for no "good" reason.
> The run extends from the garage down beside the drive way, buried about
> 8" depth to a light fixture on a brick column near the street. The
> wire was 10 wire approved for direct burial. On the column are two
> boxes, one for an electronic eye ( dusk to dawn switch ) and the other
> is an outlet with a protective cover. I checked both boxes to make
> sure they are waterproof and not leaking. If I unwire the run that
> goes to this light, then I never get a GFCI fault. This same
> configuration is also in use on the other side of the drive, and has
> zero problems with faulting.
>
> The only "thing" that I can think of is that somehow this wire that was
> approved for direct burial is somehow causing the problem. Perhaps
> there is a nick in the wire insulation that is causing the fault.
> It's most strange because sometime I'm troubleshoot the problem and be
> fault free for several hours. Then, other times, it will fault within
> 10 minutes. Both on the same sunny afternooon.
>
> Any ideas??
>
> Thanks,
>



Posted by on December 3, 2006, 6:06 pm


Thanks to all for the FAST response.

I know it's not the GFCI, I tried replacing that as well, just to rule
it out.

Looks like I'm down to doing a physical inspection of the wire. I was
hoping against hope that it wouldn't come to that. I thought maybe
there was some way to use a multimeter to measure the resistance to see
if this really was the case.

I think the next move will be to strech some wire I have in the garage
and see if I can go a whole sunny day with a fresh run of wire without
faulting. If so, I think I'll have to rent the trencher again and run
fresh wire packed in sand to help keep the rocks away.

Does anyone know why direct burial wire can't be run in plastic
conduit? I would run it this way and bury everything to keep this from
happening again.

Thanks a million!


RBM (remove this) wrote:
> I think you hit the nail on the head. A rock can cut into UF cable and cause
> intermittent problems depending upon the moisture in the ground
>
>
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm having a problem with a GFCI outlet faulting for no "good" reason.
> > The run extends from the garage down beside the drive way, buried about
> > 8" depth to a light fixture on a brick column near the street. The
> > wire was 10 wire approved for direct burial. On the column are two
> > boxes, one for an electronic eye ( dusk to dawn switch ) and the other
> > is an outlet with a protective cover. I checked both boxes to make
> > sure they are waterproof and not leaking. If I unwire the run that
> > goes to this light, then I never get a GFCI fault. This same
> > configuration is also in use on the other side of the drive, and has
> > zero problems with faulting.
> >
> > The only "thing" that I can think of is that somehow this wire that was
> > approved for direct burial is somehow causing the problem. Perhaps
> > there is a nick in the wire insulation that is causing the fault.
> > It's most strange because sometime I'm troubleshoot the problem and be
> > fault free for several hours. Then, other times, it will fault within
> > 10 minutes. Both on the same sunny afternooon.
> >
> > Any ideas??
> >
> > Thanks,
> >


Posted by RBM on December 3, 2006, 6:15 pm


I routinely run it in PVC, and for that reason exactly


> Thanks to all for the FAST response.
>
> I know it's not the GFCI, I tried replacing that as well, just to rule
> it out.
>
> Looks like I'm down to doing a physical inspection of the wire. I was
> hoping against hope that it wouldn't come to that. I thought maybe
> there was some way to use a multimeter to measure the resistance to see
> if this really was the case.
>
> I think the next move will be to strech some wire I have in the garage
> and see if I can go a whole sunny day with a fresh run of wire without
> faulting. If so, I think I'll have to rent the trencher again and run
> fresh wire packed in sand to help keep the rocks away.
>
> Does anyone know why direct burial wire can't be run in plastic
> conduit? I would run it this way and bury everything to keep this from
> happening again.
>
> Thanks a million!
>
>
> RBM (remove this) wrote:
>> I think you hit the nail on the head. A rock can cut into UF cable and
>> cause
>> intermittent problems depending upon the moisture in the ground
>>
>>
>>
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > I'm having a problem with a GFCI outlet faulting for no "good" reason.
>> > The run extends from the garage down beside the drive way, buried about
>> > 8" depth to a light fixture on a brick column near the street. The
>> > wire was 10 wire approved for direct burial. On the column are two
>> > boxes, one for an electronic eye ( dusk to dawn switch ) and the other
>> > is an outlet with a protective cover. I checked both boxes to make
>> > sure they are waterproof and not leaking. If I unwire the run that
>> > goes to this light, then I never get a GFCI fault. This same
>> > configuration is also in use on the other side of the drive, and has
>> > zero problems with faulting.
>> >
>> > The only "thing" that I can think of is that somehow this wire that was
>> > approved for direct burial is somehow causing the problem. Perhaps
>> > there is a nick in the wire insulation that is causing the fault.
>> > It's most strange because sometime I'm troubleshoot the problem and be
>> > fault free for several hours. Then, other times, it will fault within
>> > 10 minutes. Both on the same sunny afternooon.
>> >
>> > Any ideas??
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>



Posted by Charlie Morgan on December 3, 2006, 7:41 pm


wrote:

>I routinely run it in PVC, and for that reason exactly
>

Double and triple check any advice given by RBM. He's a bit of a nut case. He
might post something correct, but he isn't someone trustworthy. That's for
certain.

CWM



Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
Lightning storms trip GFCI October 3, 2005, 7:59 am
Turning off fluorescent light trip GFCI on different ? October 15, 2006, 11:11 pm
Is it obvious when a chainsaw bar is worn out? October 4, 2005, 12:00 pm
pump running - no obvious cause June 16, 2006, 10:40 am
what's the reason? August 13, 2005, 1:05 am
Is There A Reason .. June 25, 2005, 12:49 pm
Is there any reason to keep this antenna? July 18, 2008, 8:51 pm
WHATS THE REAL REASON FOR .. December 5, 2008, 12:55 pm
GFCI outlets required with a GFCI Breaker? July 15, 2008, 3:10 pm
Any reason I shouldn't cover over my sump pump? November 6, 2006, 5:29 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap