New GFCI Tripping

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laketime

laketime

Senior Member
I installed a dedicated circuit to a new GFCI on the exterior of a building. The customer wanted it to plug in block heaters for diesel equipment. The receptacle has been working fine for about 3 weeks. I got a call Friday saying that they now plug the equipment in (by extension cord) and the GFCI trips after about 30 minutes. I told them to check for damage on the cord. They said they had and everything was fine. What would you look for?
 
ceb58

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
laketime said:
I got a call Friday saying that they now plug the equipment in (by extension cord) and the GFCI trips after about 30 minutes. I told them to check for damage on the cord. They said they had and everything was fine. What would you look for?
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There definition of fine could be enough tape over the splice in the cord so you cant see the wire. Calls like this you take with a grain of salt.
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
A little moisture on the face of the plug is all that it takes to trip sometimes, If you live in area where de-icers are used on roads, it gets on everything and makes other conductive paths that will also be a GFCI trip problem.

Eliminate as many splices in block heater cord as possible, if they are needed use watertight splicing methods. Same with extension cords from receptacle to heater plug.

Heaters will eventually go bad and trip a GFCI but still work on non GFCI circuit, but be aware that there is a potentially hazardous condition in this case and the GFCI is doing what it was intended to do.
 
laketime

laketime

Senior Member
went and looked at it today. regular outdoor cord in the snow and found a nick in the block heater cord. Does the block heater have a ground because the cord cap looked like someone ripped the ground out.
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
went and looked at it today. regular outdoor cord in the snow and found a nick in the block heater cord. Does the block heater have a ground because the cord cap looked like someone ripped the ground out.


Is conductor exposed where cord it nicked? I would make that nick watertight somehow not just a wrap of tape either.

Does the regular outdoor cord have good insulation or have connectors laying on the ground/in the snow. If conductors come in contact with water from rain or snow you likely will have a GFCI trip.

Heater likely had a ground, actually could make the GFCI not trip as soon as if the ground were intact how likely depends on how well the vehicle is insulated from ground.
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laketime

laketime

Senior Member
kwired said:
went and looked at it today. regular outdoor cord in the snow and found a nick in the block heater cord. Does the block heater have a ground because the cord cap looked like someone ripped the ground out.


Is conductor exposed where cord it nicked? I would make that nick watertight somehow not just a wrap of tape either.

Does the regular outdoor cord have good insulation or have connectors laying on the ground/in the snow. If conductors come in contact with water from rain or snow you likely will have a GFCI trip.

Heater likely had a ground, actually could make the GFCI not trip as soon as if the ground were intact how likely depends on how well the vehicle is insulated from ground.
​
Click to expand...

Yes you could see the conductor through the nick. The cord was laying in the snow. I suggested they buy a cord rated for outdoor cold weather use with molded ends. They wanted to put a new cord cap on the machine and handle the fix of everything. I said thank you and left :roll:.
 
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