Numerous of Customers' GFCI Tripping

[bytebyte]

I've been researching on GFCI's and have an understanding of its purpose and reasons why GFCI trips. However, from a utility's standpoint, we've recently had 20+ customers (on the same circuit) calling in in 2 days complaining about their GFCI's tripping, and I can't understand why. I know GFCI's trips when it detects a differential current that is greater than its threshold, so is it possible that there is a high impedance connection somewhere along the static wire? If so, how can a lineman locate the problem in an efficient and feasible manner? Can the momentary inrush current of a switching of a capacitor bank trip household GFCI's? If so, how come it has never been a problem before until now?

 

[bphgravity]

Perhaps all the gfci's were installed at roughly the same time period and are all failing at once. It is highly doubtful the problem is originating from the serving utility. there must be another explanation.

 

[wbalsam1]

Poster doesn't state where he's from, but I wonder if there's a ground-fault on a municipal water line that is common to the problem area. Could be a welder thawing lines in the neighborhood and disconnecting grounded conductors and the return current finding alternate return paths.....or if in a southern state, some other "systemic" problem. :smile:

 

[bytebyte]

The homes in the area were developed within the last 5 years. The problem was resolved when we changed out a cap bank that seemed to be hung up and was cycling intermittently.