Gfci tripping, possibly related to VD?

[sw_ross]

I got a call from a customer regarding a gfci that is tripping.
I’m confident that the receptacle is good because I recently installed it and it tested and worked fine at that time.

Normally I blame a tripped gfci to what is plugged into the gfci. That might also be the case here, but additionally I know that the load they’re feeding is quite a distance from the gfci receptacle.

I’ve read here about the effects of distance a load is from a gfci and possible problems with that.
I don’t remember the specific cause and couldn’t find a thread with the search function that describes it.
Does it have something to do with inductive coupling or something similar to that?

How far can a load realistically be from the gfci? I’m sure it’s based on VD and wire size, etc.
Thanks

 

[retirede]

This issue is capacitive coupling between parallel conductors.
How far is too far depends on the characteristics of the conductors.
Could also be caused by a wiring fault.
Are we talking extension cords here?

 

[sw_ross]

The load is about 175’ away. It is some LED lighting for an outdoor sign. We made up a #10 awg SOOW cord (to alleviate VD). The load isn’t large, I can’t remember the wattage off the top of my head.

 

[retirede]

I don’t know for sure, but 175’ of portable cord sounds problematic. You should check with the manufacturer to see if they can give you leakage info.

I’ll also mention that using portable cord as a substitute for permanent wiring is a code violation. May or may not apply to your installation??