GFCI

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enireh

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Canyon Lake,TX
I've done bars, restaurants, kitchens, etc. and much of the time the GFCI breaker will trip when a motor is used (blender, mixer, etc.) so after inspection I've had the owners inquire about changing to regular breakers. input? :?
 
Tony S said:
Is your customer qualified to make the decision to remove a safety device?
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If the NEC requires GFCI protection in that location it is a violation to remove it regardless of who requests it.

This is where the electrician has to educate the customer on the code requirements. (If they apply)

When I run into this common situation I verify the GFCI is working properly by using the test button and seeing if it will power other devices.

If it becomes apparent that the appliance is the issue I have to inform the customer to have it serviced or replaced. In general electricians in the US do not test or repair small appliances.
 
The code requires the GFCI protection and removing it would subject you to serious liability if something would happen. Most of the time, when a GFCI trips, it is because there was a ground fault. Properly functioning appliances should not make the device trip. The maximum permitted leakage current for an appliance is 0.5mA or one tenth of the GFCI trip point.
 
enireh said:
much of the time the GFCI breaker will trip when a motor is used :?
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That is very very odd. Once in a great while I could see but "much of the time" to me says something else is going on.

Assume it is doing it's job! The GFI device is either performing as it should, is incorrectly wired, or much of the time you are getting defective product and none of those reasons justify removing the protection.
 
Although I agree with you that most GFCI trips are legit then explained to me how a sump pump I've owned would trip a GFCI oh maybe once every other month to a point now hasn't done it in over a year. And yes I've tested the GFCI.
Still some possible nuisance tripping issues?
 
mopowr steve said:
Although I agree with you that most GFCI trips are legit then explained to me how a sump pump I've owned would trip a GFCI oh maybe once every other month to a point now hasn't done it in over a year. And yes I've tested the GFCI.
Still some possible nuisance tripping issues?
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Whatever was faulting cleared up on it's own - it does happen.

Had a customer complaining about a pond pump tripping quite often. I insisted there was something wrong with the pump. He finally took it to a motor shop, they had it apart but told him they never really found anything. But it hasn't tripped since he had it back either - something maybe dried out while it was apart, got cleaned up, etc.
 
enireh said:
and much of the time the GFCI breaker will trip when a motor is used
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Stop using the cheapest GFCI you can find and use a Levition, P&S, or Hubbel. Good quality devices have more features built into them to help prevent tripping from "inductive kickback" you get from loads like motors.
 
kwired said:
Stop using the cheapest GFCI you can find and use a Levition, P&S, or Hubbel. Good quality devices have more features built into them to help prevent tripping from "inductive kickback" you get from loads like motors.
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I didn't know leviton, P&S, and hubbell made breakers.


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GoldDigger said:
They all make receptacle and blind front GFCIs.
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The quote I posted did say "breakers". That said, I can't recall ever seeing inductive kickback issues with a GFCI breaker, but have seen it with some of the cheap receptacle type GFCI's, and only on rare occasions with the better quality receptacle type devices.
 
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