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Is There an Electrcian in the House?

C

Carbo

Diamond Member
An outlet in my bedroom came up dead this morning. It had been working perfectly fine until then. I started looking around for the cause and I found a tripped GFCI switch in the garage. I have a second refrigerator plugged into it.
Well, the reset button won't reset. When I push it in it just pops out again. I have since unplugged the fridge until this is fixed. In the meantime, any suggestions? Can it be a simple matter of a bad switch that needs to be replaced? Or is there a bigger issue at work here?
 
It trips when the fridge is plugged in?

Is the bottom of the fridge wet by chance? Frost free freezer combo? -M-
 
Originally posted by: Minerva
It trips when the fridge is plugged in?

Is the bottom of the fridge wet by chance? Frost free freezer combo? -M-
Click to expand...
No. It had been working fine until this morning. There is no water under the fridge, which is only about four months old actually. I have since unplugged the fridge from the outlet, but I still can't reset it.

 
Well it is odd that an outlet in your bedroom would be connected to a GFCI in your garage, but it is possible.

Yes GFCI outlets can go bad, or it could be refusing to reset because of an actual problem. (although I would think you would hear it trip immediately every time you pushed reset)

The "easy" (not necessarily the safe/smart) way to find out is simply to go buy a new $10 GFCI outlet and replace the one you have, and see what happens. If that solves it, it was just a bad GFCI. If a new outlet does the same thing, then you have a real electrical problem somewhere. (not necessarily anywhere near that outlet... do you have other GFCIs that are working correctly?)
 
I have a GFCI outlet in the master bath. It is connected to all outlets including the garage. You must have something plugged in on another outlet in the house and the item could be defective or rated for a higher amp draw than the GFCI.
 
Flot, I have one other GFCI in my home office. I just tested it and it is working fine.
And it is tripping imediately after I reset it, even with nothing apparently on the line. I just walked through the entire house looking to find any other outlets that are downstream from it. All I found was the hall bathroom outlet, which had an electric toothbrush plugged in. So as far as I can tell, the line has nothing running off of it presently, and the reset button trips instantly when it is pushed in.
Hope it's just a bad outlet, but I don't think that happens too often.
 
I had a GFCI that went bad like that, not uncommon. Before changing it, make sure you disconnect everything that it may be connected to.
 
Originally posted by: yellowfiero
I had a GFCI that went bad like that, not uncommon. Before changing it, make sure you disconnect everything that it may be connected to.
Click to expand...

FTW
 
Residential-grade gfci outlets not known for excessive longevity. May well just be a worn out sensor. Replace with industrial grade, about double the cost.
Another possibility is that somewhere on that circuit the ground has come loose or otherwise "failed". Might want to check all the receptacles/switches and the mains on that circuit.

Another possibility (its happened 🙁 ,) is a water leak in wall somewhere keeping that circuit too damp.
BION high humidity can cause them to trip immediately, but longshot during winter (usually dry air then).

If you know an electrician, they do have some nice tools that will diagnose the actual "fault".
 
Originally posted by: yellowfiero
I had a GFCI that went bad like that, not uncommon. Before changing it, make sure you disconnect everything that it may be connected to.
Click to expand...
Ironically, the outlet that isn't working now was replaced about five months ago, when I purchased the new refrigerator. I figured, what the hell, new fridge, why not replace the approximately 20 year old existing GFCI outlet. I guess this falls under the category: If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Anyway, just returned from Home Depot with a new one. I'll hook it up tomorrow and see what happens.

 
With the hope that I just have a bad outlet I went out and bought a new unit. We'll soon see if that was the problem, or if I have a bigger issue that will require the services of an electrician. (Hehe. . .A man's got to know his limitations ).
Quick question in the meantime. When I look at the instructions, it appears that the outlet is installed "upside down". That is, the three prong receptacle has the one prong on the top and the two prongs on the bottom. Seems to be counter intuitive since the three prong plug from the refrigerator seems to be opposite. Am I crazy, or is there a reason for this?
As always, many thanks!
 
Originally posted by: Carbo
...it appears that the outlet is installed "upside down". That is, the three prong receptacle has the one prong on the top and the two prongs on the bottom. Seems to be counter intuitive...

....is there a reason for this?
Click to expand...

Code states that wall outlets be installed with the ground tab on top, with hot and neutral below.

It does seem counter-intuitive.....actually upside-down of every house you have grown up in or any other house you have other seen, but the Electrical Code DOES have a very good reason for this. If you have something plugged in, and something falls onto that plug, it will fall onto the harmless ground terminal, and fall to the floor. If hot/neutral were on top, and something fell on top, and came to rest, you would get a nice big spark!! (or, if your fuses/breakers malfunction, a nice big fire)

I flipped all of the outlets in my home to ground on top. Gotta respect the code!! <lol>
FJ
 
I agree with the post about checking other outlets downstream from this one. I had a similar problem once and it was due to a wire coming loose in a different outlet. This is fairly easy to check.

As for the "upside-down" installation: this is becoming more common. The reason is that if a plug is partially out from the outlet and something falls across the prongs, the first thing to be contacted is the ground, not the pair of hot and common prongs. This may look strange, but it's a good idea.

Good luck.
 
Originally posted by: Carbo
With the hope that I just have a bad outlet I went out and bought a new unit. We'll soon see if that was the problem, or if I have a bigger issue that will require the services of an electrician. (Hehe. . .A man's got to know his limitations ).
Quick question in the meantime. When I look at the instructions, it appears that the outlet is installed "upside down". That is, the three prong receptacle has the one prong on the top and the two prongs on the bottom. Seems to be counter intuitive since the three prong plug from the refrigerator seems to be opposite. Am I crazy, or is there a reason for this?
As always, many thanks!
Click to expand...

As lame as the answer seems, the reason the ground is placed up is because should something such as a pc. of paper fall down onto the prongs, it would not contact the hot prong.
 
So there is a reason, and it does make sense. Off to change the outlet I go. If you don't hear back from me, something has gone terribly wrong. See ya on the other side, boys. . .
 
I'm back. Everything on the line is working fine, and the outlet hasn't tripped. So I guess it was a defective POS outlet after all. Five months and it goes south on me. Planned obsolescence at its finest. :frown:
 
Originally posted by: fatjohnny
Originally posted by: Carbo
...it appears that the outlet is installed "upside down". That is, the three prong receptacle has the one prong on the top and the two prongs on the bottom. Seems to be counter intuitive...

....is there a reason for this?
Click to expand...

Code states that wall outlets be installed with the ground tab on top, with hot and neutral below.

It does seem counter-intuitive.....actually upside-down of every house you have grown up in or any other house you have other seen, but the Electrical Code DOES have a very good reason for this. If you have something plugged in, and something falls onto that plug, it will fall onto the harmless ground terminal, and fall to the floor. If hot/neutral were on top, and something fell on top, and came to rest, you would get a nice big spark!! (or, if your fuses/breakers malfunction, a nice big fire)

I flipped all of the outlets in my home to ground on top. Gotta respect the code!! <lol>
FJ
Click to expand...


It is a recommendation, but it is not code. At least not in our area. A common misconception.
 
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