Light and GFCI problem??

[mockery]

Ok so I have a 250 watt PFO ballast powering my fixture, so yesterday I noticed that the light was off. So i look around and find the the GFCI was tripped. So i reset it and it does it again a few minutes later. Come home today happened again. This is not a new ballast or fixture so what could be causing this?

Thanks,
Colin

 

[acroholic]

Colin,
If you are able to plug the light into another GFCI and it trips it, then it is probably your ballast........But.....IME, most likely it is your GFCI gone bad. Seems they can start tripping easier after they get some age on them.

I have had to replace GFCIs that are a couple years old that start to trip, and after replacement they work fine.

PFO ballsts have a large initial amp dra when they fire, really large compared to electronic ballasts. It just may be that your GFCI cannot take the initial spike your ballast requires when it comes on any more.

Replacement is easy, but make sure to flip the breaker to cut power to that outlet prior to replacement.

Dave

 

[mockery]

Ok Thanks Dave I'll give it a try in a different outlet. Now do you think a timer would have any effect?

 

[acroholic]

Mockery;295812 wrote: Ok Thanks Dave I'll give it a try in a different outlet. Now do you think a timer would have any effect?

I don't think a timer would make any difference...doesn't draw enough juice to trip a GFCI.

 

[soarin']

Some kinds of GFCI trip much more easily than others -- I think it depends on how much load they were designed for. I got some GFCI units designed for outdoors use (from Home Depot) and my 250 watt HQI would trip it pretty easily.

I replaced that with some power strips that have a GFCI built in, and they work very well.