home electrical - GFCI problem

[UNC017]

In my opinion, GFCIs are not suitable for critical appliances like refrigeration. They're designed to protect you from a portable appliance dropped in water, NOT from an electrical fault in a large, metal cabinet, non-portable appliance (the cabinet if which should be grounded through the third prong of the plug anyway). They have to detect microamps of "fault" current, and that kind of current is somewhat normal in large appliances with grounded cabinets (especially inductive loads like compressor motors.)

Count me in the crowd that says re-wire so that the fridge is on a NON-GFCI outlet. Nothing else you describe on that whole circuit should be on a GFCI either. Just eliminate it, or move it to some other wet location where it can do some good.

 

[brianl703]

A GFCI is designed to trip with 5mA (milliamps) of fault current. A GFCI should not be tripping with microamps of fault current unless it is defective.

 

[kb01]

I'd just replace the GFI with a standard receptacle and then just put another GFI downstream for protection. It was a very long time ago but I vaguely remember my chest freezer containing a warning about not using it with GFI receptacles for that very reason.

If you want to keep the GFI for the freezer, I'd recommend either wiring in a kill switch w/a power indicating LED, or simply placing a small night light into the GFI itself. This way, you at least have some visual indication that it has tripped and needs to be reset.

My gut says that the GFI is fine and the freezer cycling is setting it off.

 

[tom slick]

Your freezer's manual will say something to the effect of "Receptacles protected by Ground Fault Interrupters
(GFI) are NOT RECOMMENDED." Mine does.
Example on page 3:
http://manuals.frigidaire.com/prodinfo_pdf/StCloud/297281400en.pdf

Per the NEC, equipment instructions trump NEC recommendations. Get rid of the GCFI.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
Put a Kill-A-Watt meter on the freezer and log the maximum current draw over a few days. You may be surprised at how much a compressor starting up draws. The GFCI outlet itself could be flaky. Try replacing it to see if that helps eliminate the problem.


... and I just noticed that they now sell kill a watt meters at home depot!

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
... and I just noticed that they now sell kill a watt meters at home depot!

For a while they were also available at Costco & Sam's Club. I wish I had bought a few more at the time, they're great to have around.

 

[greenjp]

Quick update - got home from vacation and got to work on this little project. Picked up the requisite supplies from Home Depot (about $50 including a nice Klein cable stripper) and got to work.

Installed a new box between the cut-off switch and the original GFCI outlet. Split the cable inside that box and ran a new wire up to the GFCI outlet, which I replaced with a new one. Ran a new cable over to a 2nd new box behind the freezer. At this point realized I accidentally bought a 240v outlet! d'oh. The old adage that you can never do a project without going to the hardware store at least twice holds true.

I put some twist connectors over the loose ends on that cable and verified that everything else is working correctly. So once I install the correct outlet for the freezer I should be all set. Thanks for everyone's help!

jeff