aelectricalman
Senior Member
- Location
- KY
Is this possible. The lady calls me today and states that the treadmill company told her not to put the treadmill on a GFCI Plug because it would decrease the treadmills lifespan. How is this? Is it true?
GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
- Thread starter aelectricalman
- Start date
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charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
It is possible if the treadmill is improperly made and causes the GFCI to trip a lot thus burning up the motor due to frequent cycling. That is my best guess.
It is possible if the treadmill is improperly made and causes the GFCI to trip a lot thus burning up the motor due to frequent cycling. That is my best guess.
aelectricalman
Senior Member
- Location
- KY
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
It is a brand new treadmill and this is the companys policy on GFCI's. Thanks
It is a brand new treadmill and this is the companys policy on GFCI's. Thanks
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
- Occupation
- Master Electrician
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
Is the treadmill listed? If so what does the product standard allow for acceptable leakage? GFCI are very reliable and dependable, your mgf may have a product that allows excessive leakage. If it trips the GFCI then there is 4-6 mA or more, you could get shocked, esp with wet sweaty hands.
Moderators-who do we know at UL?
Is the treadmill listed? If so what does the product standard allow for acceptable leakage? GFCI are very reliable and dependable, your mgf may have a product that allows excessive leakage. If it trips the GFCI then there is 4-6 mA or more, you could get shocked, esp with wet sweaty hands.
Moderators-who do we know at UL?
aelectricalman
Senior Member
- Location
- KY
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
Im not sure I follow you on the getting shocked once the GFCI is tripped. Can you please be more clear. Thank you.
Im not sure I follow you on the getting shocked once the GFCI is tripped. Can you please be more clear. Thank you.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
I don't see how the GFCI itself could possibly reduce the treadmills lifespan.
Its essentially just a switch, its either on or off. If its off its no worse than if you just turned the power switch off.
As for excessive cycling, you would have to stop, get ioff the treadmill and reset the GFCI who knows how many thousands of times for this to have an effect.
My guess is what really is happening is that the treadmill has some kind of RFI problem they have solved with filtering and the filtering sometimes results in GFCIs tripping.
They just don't wnat nusiance calls. I can't imagine that a treadmill would be especially dangerous if put on a regular circuit, anymore than plugging your Tv into a regular circuit is especially dangerous.
I don't see how the GFCI itself could possibly reduce the treadmills lifespan.
Its essentially just a switch, its either on or off. If its off its no worse than if you just turned the power switch off.
As for excessive cycling, you would have to stop, get ioff the treadmill and reset the GFCI who knows how many thousands of times for this to have an effect.
My guess is what really is happening is that the treadmill has some kind of RFI problem they have solved with filtering and the filtering sometimes results in GFCIs tripping.
They just don't wnat nusiance calls. I can't imagine that a treadmill would be especially dangerous if put on a regular circuit, anymore than plugging your Tv into a regular circuit is especially dangerous.
sandsnow
Senior Member
- Location
- Southern California
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
Tom
If UL has investigated this phenomenon, then it should be in the written instructions for the treadmill or it should be in the guide info for loads not suitable for GFCI's.
It would be great if there was a UL employee here on the forum. I think anyone can ask a question of UL through the website, but unless like you say the product is listed they won't be able to respond. If it is listed, then unless they have investigated it regarding GFCI protecton, they won't have an answer either.
aelectricalman
I'm curious as to what location you would have a treadmill where GFCI protection is also required.
Tom
If UL has investigated this phenomenon, then it should be in the written instructions for the treadmill or it should be in the guide info for loads not suitable for GFCI's.
It would be great if there was a UL employee here on the forum. I think anyone can ask a question of UL through the website, but unless like you say the product is listed they won't be able to respond. If it is listed, then unless they have investigated it regarding GFCI protecton, they won't have an answer either.
aelectricalman
I'm curious as to what location you would have a treadmill where GFCI protection is also required.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
http://www.smoothfitness.com/support/Smooth_91_Series.manual.Mar2002.pdf
Interestingly, this instruction manual for a treadmill actually does say (on page 4):
"1. NEVER use a ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) wall outlet with this treadmill."
I sent an email to their service dept asking for additional information onm why this is. I'll let you know if what/if they respond.
http://www.smoothfitness.com/support/Smooth_91_Series.manual.Mar2002.pdf
Interestingly, this instruction manual for a treadmill actually does say (on page 4):
"1. NEVER use a ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) wall outlet with this treadmill."
I sent an email to their service dept asking for additional information onm why this is. I'll let you know if what/if they respond.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
I got two emails back from them. neither is especially helpful nor informative.
The first one said "The unit will not work off a GFI outlet it will trip it most of the time when motor first starts up."
I send them a reply back asking for more information and I got this. "The motor on treadmills will make a large surging when starting which will cause gfi to trip."
My guess is the guy responding just does not know why it does this.
I got two emails back from them. neither is especially helpful nor informative.
The first one said "The unit will not work off a GFI outlet it will trip it most of the time when motor first starts up."
I send them a reply back asking for more information and I got this. "The motor on treadmills will make a large surging when starting which will cause gfi to trip."
My guess is the guy responding just does not know why it does this.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
The guy responding is a sales person, not a technician. But the answer is probably correct. I second the "guess" submitted earlier by "The Other Charlie," though it need not be a defective machine to have this problem.
The guy responding is a sales person, not a technician. But the answer is probably correct. I second the "guess" submitted earlier by "The Other Charlie," though it need not be a defective machine to have this problem.
aelectricalman
Senior Member
- Location
- KY
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
The location is actually in her "Finished Basement", so the GFCI wasn't even require to start with. Rather than change the receptacle (didnt have one at the time), I just basically put the load on the line side of the GFCI and took the protection off of the rest of the receptacle and connected the Treadmill to the next plug in series. She still wanted a GFCI in her basement, so I honored her request leaving the 1 GFCI and took the stickers off of her "once protected" receptacles. She's happy now. Thanks for help in solving this matter.
The location is actually in her "Finished Basement", so the GFCI wasn't even require to start with. Rather than change the receptacle (didnt have one at the time), I just basically put the load on the line side of the GFCI and took the protection off of the rest of the receptacle and connected the Treadmill to the next plug in series. She still wanted a GFCI in her basement, so I honored her request leaving the 1 GFCI and took the stickers off of her "once protected" receptacles. She's happy now. Thanks for help in solving this matter.
aelectricalman
Senior Member
- Location
- KY
Re: GFCI causing a treadmills lifespan to decrease?
O, and there were no receptacles on the series that required protection, so I did ok.
O, and there were no receptacles on the series that required protection, so I did ok.
- Status