GFCIs protect you from electric shock. If your own continues to trip, call an electrician to find the cause.
A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) trips when it detects a ground fault, or leakage of currents even as little as 5mA between the hot wire and the ground.
When the gfci detects the leakage current, it trips to protect you and the appliances being plugged into the outlet.
The National Electrical Code recommends GFCI installation in every home, mostly in the bathroom and kitchen, to prevent electrocution and damage to appliances.
Related post: How to Install a GFCI Outlet in your Bathroom and Kitchen
What causes a GFCI outlet to keeps tripping?
A gfci device can trip for so many reasons such as:
Ground faults
Ground faults occur when currents take an unintended path to the ground. Or when a hot wire touches the earth. When the ground fault occurs, currents leak to the ground.
The function of the GFCI receptacle is to detect when currents flow through an unintended path, which may be water or human.
Once the receptacle detects the current leakage, even as little as 0.005 amps, it shuts down.
This ground fault protection from the GFCI device helps protect us from electrical shock.
Related post: Circuit breaker keeps tripping without load. Causes and how to resolve them.
Causes of ground fault
- Faulty wiring
- Water touching the outlets or any naked cable.
- Worn out insulation.
Consult a qualified electrician to find the cause of the breaker trip.
Overload Circuit
Circuit overload occurs when you plug more appliances into a circuit than it can carry. Normally, a GFCL outlet handles between 15 and 20 amps. When you plug-in devices that draw more current than required, it trips the gfci.
Many things can cause circuit overload, including defective appliances, rusted wires, permanently installed electric motors, and others.
To see if the load is causing the tripping issues, do:
- Unplug the appliances plugged into the electrical outlet.
- Reset the gfci by pressing the reset button and wait for a few minutes to see if it will go off again. If it does, other faults may be responsible, but if it doesn’t trip, suspect the load.
- Plug back the appliances and watch if it goes off again. If it is the load that is causing the tripping, reduce it.
Wet receptacles
Since water is an excellent conductor of electricity, it can cause your outlet to trip. A wet receptacle can allow currents to flow through it to the ground, leading to loss of current.
This loss can vary the amount of currents going in and out of the circuit. Thus causing your GFCI to trip.
Electrical fault
If your GFCI breaker continues to go off, there may be an electrical issue arising from the wrong connection.
Faulty connections can cause a current to leak to the ground, leading to a ground fault.
Faulty GFCI outlet
If, after trying the above methods, the GFCI still trips, replace the receptacle box with a new gfci.
You can buy a new outlet here@ Amazon
Call a licensed electrician to replace the outlet to avoid faulty connections.
You can also contact us at mariaelectrical.com to troubleshoot and replace the outlets for you.
Check out this video if you still need more information on how to fix a gfci that is constantly tripping.
How to troubleshoot and fix a tripping ground fault circuit interrupter (gfci)
Here are some steps you can take to fix a tripping GFCI:
- Check the appliances: Unplug all the appliances connected to the GFCI and reset the outlet. If it still trips, the problem may not be with the appliances.
- Look at the wiring: Ensure that the wiring is properly connected and not damaged. If you are not familiar with wiring, call electrician to inspect the wiring.
- Check for moisture: GFCIs trip when they detect moisture, make sure the environment is dry.
- Check for overload: A GFCI can only handle a certain amount of electrical load. If you have too many appliances or devices connected to the outlet, it may trip. Try unplugging some of the devices and see if that fixes the problem.
- Test the GFCI: Press the “Test” button on the GFCI to see if it trips. If it does not trip, press the “Reset” button to restore power. If it trips, the GFCI may need to be replaced.
- Replace the GFCI: If none of the above steps work, the GFCI may need to be replaced. You can buy a new outlet in any electrical store or on Amazon.
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- What are the Differences Between Circuit Breakers and GFCIs?
- What is a Motor Protection Circuit Breaker?
- 20-Amp Circuit Breakers: What You Need to Know
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- Electrical Testing for Home, Industrial and Commercial Buildings
- GFCI Won’t reset, 7 Causes and How to Fix it.
- Double Pole Switch: Types and How to Wire the Toggle Switch.
