GFCI tripping

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by kshepard

So how did you finally write it up, Will?

1) There was only one regular receptacle downstream of the two GFCIs in the kitchen. This was a one bedroom condo in a 59 unit apartment condo conversion building.

2) "GFCI protected receptacles in bathroom and over counter in kitchen tripped upon insertion the a simple tester unit. This is most likely cause by defective GFCI receptacles, use of defective GFCI receptacles or improper installation. It should be noted that there are various signs of less-than-professional electrical work in the subject unit, including improperly secured receptacles, broken receptacles and sloppy wiring in the distribution panel.

Recommend evaluation by an independent licensed and insured electrical contractor and obtaining written documentation of the evaluation (on letterhead, with license number and insurance certification) before the close of escrow."

Hope this helps.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Bump....

[Marc D. Shunk]

If your "traffic light" tester was left in the truck and was able to draw damp, it may have enough leakage between conductors to nuisance trip some of the more sensitive models of GFCI's. At one point in time, AMP made this style of tester that was totally potted to avoid that issue. I have found, over time, that some GFCI's are just more sensitive and prone to nuisance trip. The 'Eagle' brand, in particular. At one point in time, Slater made a GFCI tester that you could "dial in" the amount of test leakage and see exactly at what point the GFCI trips. It also had a feed-though feature to plug in a suspected leaky appliance (such as your tester) to read the leakage current. If I remember, I'll try to post a picture of that meter one day.

[bandag]

Maybe it would be a good idea to carry a small electrical appliance with you like an electric drill or a mixer just as a additional way to check this problem.