- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
I had a thread a year or so ago concerning this GFCI breaker. I thought at the time that a hair dryer being plugged/unplugged from the receptacle that the GFCI breaker protects was causing the breaker to trip. I took the hair dryer to a GFCI receptacle plugged it in & out several times and ran it. I even unplugged it while it was running and it didn't trip the receptacle. So I pretty much ruled out the hair dryer.
The breaker went for quite a while without tripping, but started again. It can go as long as a month or so and not trip. It can also go as little as a day and then trip. I can't find anything or anyway to make it trip other than what would cause one to trip.
Well today I just happened to be near the panel and heard a "click". I looked at the breaker and it was tripped. I went directly to the bathroom and nothing was being used. The hair dryer was plugged in but no one was in there. I ask my wife if she had been in there and she said she hadn't.
Now this GFCI is a Gould/ITE breaker that is about 28 years old. Do you think it's just at the end of life and needs replacing, or should I try and check out the circuit more.
What I plan on doing is just put GFCI receptacles in and replacing the breaker with a regular breaker. The only thing on the circuit is one bath receptacle and one on the front porch. Nothing is plugged in to the porch recep. In fact it only gets used maybe once a year if that. It is recessed in the brick with "flap" covers. It was not raining or any kind of moisture when I caught the breaker tripping.
What I don't understand is why it just trips with no load. I could see if there were a load, even a small one, and the breaker was weak why it might trip. But to trip without a load or a fault of some kind, that I don't understand.:happyno:
If the breaker is just weak why would it reset and hold so long before tripping?
The breaker went for quite a while without tripping, but started again. It can go as long as a month or so and not trip. It can also go as little as a day and then trip. I can't find anything or anyway to make it trip other than what would cause one to trip.
Well today I just happened to be near the panel and heard a "click". I looked at the breaker and it was tripped. I went directly to the bathroom and nothing was being used. The hair dryer was plugged in but no one was in there. I ask my wife if she had been in there and she said she hadn't.
Now this GFCI is a Gould/ITE breaker that is about 28 years old. Do you think it's just at the end of life and needs replacing, or should I try and check out the circuit more.
What I plan on doing is just put GFCI receptacles in and replacing the breaker with a regular breaker. The only thing on the circuit is one bath receptacle and one on the front porch. Nothing is plugged in to the porch recep. In fact it only gets used maybe once a year if that. It is recessed in the brick with "flap" covers. It was not raining or any kind of moisture when I caught the breaker tripping.
What I don't understand is why it just trips with no load. I could see if there were a load, even a small one, and the breaker was weak why it might trip. But to trip without a load or a fault of some kind, that I don't understand.:happyno:
If the breaker is just weak why would it reset and hold so long before tripping?