Low voltage outdoor lighting GFCI tripping

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bristlepad

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Jacksonville Florida
So I've now had several call backs because of low voltage landscape lighting being plugged in to a gfi recep. The recep is outdoors so I MUST be gfi protected correct? I'm assuming water is getting in to the connectors of the low volt wiring and it's sensing the imbalance in load there.

Anyone else gone through this? Also, while we are at it, mini fridges outside. We do a lot of summer kitchens in gfi receps and have problems with gfi tripping and ruining food, and most importantly, making customers beer warm!!


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Electric-Light

Electric-Light

Senior Member
bristlepad said:
So I've now had several call backs because of low voltage landscape lighting being plugged in to a gfi recep. The recep is outdoors so I MUST be gfi protected correct? I'm assuming water is getting in to the connectors of the low volt wiring and it's sensing the imbalance in load there.

Anyone else gone through this? Also, while we are at it, mini fridges outside. We do a lot of summer kitchens in gfi receps and have problems with gfi tripping and ruining food, and most importantly, making customers beer warm!!


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You could run the entire secondary side in a pond and GFCI shouldn't care since the secondary is isolated. I bet it's the inductive kickback from the transformer tripping the GFCI. A snubber or MOV across the switch would absorb the kickback. basically something like this in parallel with the switch or relay, but I don't know of one that's actually UL listed and code compliant to use like that. Transformers, refrigerators, coil and core ballast. They are all highly inductive loads.

http://www.alliedelec.com/m/d/7a75fa9d370e56b5b96be4bba63b674e.pdf

How old is the GFCI? I can't promise resolution but you could try a new GFCI if the existing one is old and hope that the logic is smarter and a bit better at avoiding nuisance trip.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Location
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Retired Electrical Contractor
As stated the gfci does not care about the load side of the transformer. I would ask if it is tripping when it rains or what the frequency of the tripping may be. If it is tripping the gfci that the trany is plugged into my guess is water in the receptacle. Is there a bubble cover on the receptacle?
 
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bristlepad

Member
Location
Jacksonville Florida
Dennis Alwon said:
As stated the gfci does not care about the load side of the transformer. I would ask if it is tripping when it rains or what the frequency of the tripping may be. If it is tripping the gfci that the trany is plugged into my guess is water in the receptacle. Is there a bubble cover on the receptacle?
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Yes in-use bubble covers/ silicone around where bell box meets post and around top KO.

The gfis are all new and self tests are ruled out because it happens frequently just with water contact.

I never put gfis on condensers or on any transformer loads but sometimes the job requires these thing out in the elements and it backs me into a corner.


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Electric-Light

Electric-Light

Senior Member
bristlepad said:
Yes in-use bubble covers/ silicone around where bell box meets post and around top KO.

The gfis are all new and self tests are ruled out because it happens frequently just with water contact.

I never put gfis on condensers or on any transformer loads but sometimes the job requires these thing out in the elements and it backs me into a corner.


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You'd have to pick a wet day to do this. Unplug the load and ohm between the ground pin and other prong. You'd be reading in kilo ohms range if it's conducting enough to trip the GFCI. If you don't see issues on the load end, it would be in the outlet box. If the GFCI has been wet, you'll need to replace it.
 
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