GFCI Tripping

[darth reefer]

Ok so I need someone with more electrical knowledge than myself to jump in here. Since installing my apex the outlet it is plugged into has tripped three times. Completely random timing while nothing was turning off or on. The only things plugged into the apex are my ATI 48" 8 bulb t5, some led moonlights, the ATI cooling fans and a computer fan used to cool the canopy. Any ideas?

 

[darth reefer]

No it was on another outlet. I had to switch them due to the power cord being shorter on the eb8.

 

[darth reefer]

Yes the other outlet is also gfci. Both outlets are on the same circuit also. The outlet the eb8 is plugged into is daisy chained from the other one. I was wondering if I could replace the outlet that the eb8 is plugged into with a regular outlet. Since there is a gfci supplying the juice to it it will still trip if it needs to right?

 

[edulover]

I'm no electrician but the EB8 has both solid state (1-3 and 5-7) and mechanical relay outlets (4 and 8). I would make sure that the ATI is plugged into a either 4 or 8. They handle smaller and larger voltage better. Hope this helps.

 

[tinmanunited]

First thing I would do is just change it out for a new one. Those things go from time to time. As far as it being protected by the other GFCI, it will be protected only if it has been wired via the load side of it. You'll have to check that for sure. I'm assuming no, because you wouldn't protect one GFCI with another.

 

[rdnelson]

TinManUnited;837563 wrote: First thing I would do is just change it out for a new one. Those things go from time to time. As far as it being protected by the other GFCI, it will be protected only if it has been wired via the load side of it. You'll have to check that for sure. I'm assuming no, because you wouldn't protect one GFCI with another.

This is correct and both he and I ARE electricians although neither of us slept at a Holiday Inn last night.

But I would add one thing. When a GFI goes bad it usually won't trip at all. When a breaker or GFI trips it is usually doing the job it is intended to do. As in opening the circuit to prevent damage to equipment and wiring or that would be a danger to you. I would always look to find what is causing it to trip before I lean to a faulty GFI.

 

[rdnelson]

brchapm;837578 wrote: Sorry to hijack, but what is the value of a GFI anyway? Won't the breaker trip if there is an issue? Obviously I am not an electrician, but for me, I just wired some outlets with dedicated breakers to keep my pump, lights, and powerheads separate....

A breaker is designed to trip based on heat buildup from over current. In a short circuit that heat builds up in mili seconds. But if you overload the circuit it may take hours to heat up enough to trip the breaker. A GFI is designed to sense an imbalance in load between the hot and neutral conductor (wires). It senses very small amounts and acts extremely fast to provide protection to life. Each has a purpose but neither provides complete protection.