GFCI Mystery

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titan1021

titan1021

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
I installed a small sub-panel in a residential garage and ran separate circuits for the receptacles and the lights. I installed (2) switched outlets for shop lights in the ceiling. Occasionally when turning on these switched outlets one of the GFCI's trips and a radio plugged into the same circuit will produce static sound with the movement of the light switch. I'm not sure how this is happening because the neutrals are separated from the two circuits until there termination at the neutral bus. I've ruled out a staple or nail penetration because these two circuits are not run together and don't enter the panel on the same side. Another set of lights turned On and Off, on a different switch getting power from the same 15amp circuit doesn't affect the GFCI or the radio.

I've never run into this kind of problem before, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You !
 
Are there flourescent lights plugged into the switched outlets? Fluorescents can cause radio interference when they are switched on. If the GFCI is tripping then you either have an occasional short somewhere or maybe a bad light.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Are there flourescent lights plugged into the switched outlets? Fluorescents can cause radio interference when they are switched on. If the GFCI is tripping then you either have an occasional short somewhere or maybe a bad light.
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It is good to see that someone posts that it is not necessarily a bad GFCI...that there actually may be something wrong within the circuit. :cool:
 
bad?

bad?

Pierre C Belarge said:
It is good to see that someone posts that it is not necessarily a bad GFCI...that there actually may be something wrong within the circuit. :cool:
Click to expand...

It doesn't take too many years in this field to understand that it MIGHT be a defective GFCI, but only if it's not the BAD BREAKER. :)
(take into account, GFCIs that are accidently reversed wired are automaticall "bad")

I don't know how many times, as an electricain, I have been called to replace a "bad breaker" (true maybe what? 5% of the time, and as a contractor, how often journeymen would diagnose a "bad breaker"(true maybe 50% of the time)

It's ALWAYS a bad breaker!
 
If you hold a light switch midway between on and off, you can often cause a crackling sound. That is an arc developing and extinguishing itself inside the switch. If it is dark enough, you can see the arc inside the switch.
 
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