GFCI tripping

[ichimo23]

I've done two service calls in the last few months (under warranty after kitchen remodels) for tripping GFCIs. In both cases, the GFCIs tripped ONLY when using a citrus juicer. The juicers were the kind where you apply pressure from the top with a halfed orange or grapefruit to activate the juicer motor. In both cases, I tested the GFCIs and found them to work fine. Used a resistive load (heat gun), but was unable to get them to trip. I was also unable to get the GFCIs to trip using the same juicer that the customer was using. I suspected a possible defect in the appliance, but in one case the customer had purchased a brand-new juicer (after the first one 'caused' the tripping), but had the same problem. Just wondering if anyone else has encountered this problem, or if there are any theories as to why this might occur only with juicers. Not an earth-shattering issue, wasting time due to ANOTHER day off due to lack of work

 

[ceknight]

.... I suspected a possible defect in the appliance, but in one case the customer had purchased a brand-new juicer (after the first one 'caused' the tripping), but had the same problem.

Can we assume you (or the customers) tried plugging it into different GFCI receptacles to see if it trips them?

 

[Mike Lang]

I've had that happen with a toaster I think after I did a kitchen remodel. It would work on a non GFCI circuit but not on a GFCI circuit. If the plug is a 3 prong is there a neutral to ground fault? That will trip the GFCI but work fine on an unprotected circuit. I told the customer to buy a better toaster and that worked fine.