GFCI Troubleshooting

In this video, Chris shows the steps he takes to troubleshoot an issue with a GFCI-protected circuit.

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💳 – We purchased a product with our own money

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[leelee]

Thanks so much for your video. Two of our outlets in our kitchen weren't working. Our microwave stopped working too. None of the breakers weren't tripped. I checked all the outlets in the kitchen, and it ended up being an air freshener that was plugged in, that was super hot. I think it definitely was that air freshener that was causing the other outlets to trip. Once I unplugged the air freshener, I reset the two outlets that weren't working, and thank goodness it worked. No more issues, and now the microwave works again!!!...This saved us from having to call our electrician!!!👍👏👌😊

[DOLRED]

Some of these GFIs are just plain quirky. I have learned a tiny amount of variant voltage (Usually from electric motors) can trip them. Although a coffee pot is just a heating appliance, they do have a heat thermal cut off switch/ Thermostat which cycles. The longer the pot is left "On, " the better the chance of the GFI tripping due to the action of the stat. Our refrigerator used to trip its GFI about once annually or more, usually near vacation time (Must have been a subtle divine warning!). I remember getting an extension cord and using a connection to a plain outlet while we were gone. My word to the wise is: Be cautious, you could come home to spoiled food and a smelly refrigerator. Almost happened to us. I believe they now say do not use GFIs for appliances with compressors or motors (Because their internal switches and motors will arc and trip a GFI on occasion (Probably will when you are away).

[dirkplummer]

Not all Heroes wear capes. Thank you Sir, the wiggle did the trick.

[christophersmatla]

Great video. Thank you. Going to figure it out now. Subscribed

[shawnarider]

Kevin Rider - Having the same issue with a commercial coffee maker at a building I take care of. I've watched it trip while operating fully and pulling 11A, and have replaced the GFCI but have had it trip since I installed it. Found when I flipped the breaker off I still had 10V at the outlet and then at other times I was getting 1.8V at the circuit. It's been 1.8V at the circuit a while now with the breaker off and haven't had any issue with it tripping for a while now - weird what you find sometimes going on with electricity.🤨

[alessandropieri]

Hello, Thanks for video!

I just bought a GFCI outlet and am wondering if the test button (breaker) should pop when pressing the reset in when it’s fresh out of the box and not connected to any power?

TIA 🌻

[legs]

Many thanks, I figured it out thanks to you ❣️

[ralfk]

That's an awfully hot coffee pot!

[nicoleancell]

My reset button keeps getting stuck. I’m guessing I just need to replace the entire housing.

[Aerialphotovito]

Hands down it’s the GFCI I work at a large scientific facility with a lot of kitchens and break rooms and we get work orders for tripped GFCIs all the time and it’s usually the coffee pot or some weird appliance.

[vijayppatel]

In my home all bath room plugs are off ( no gfci ). EB switch is on for bathroom.
I checked dollar rama night LED light its turn on with very low light but nothing else.

Can someone help here

[worldpeace]

I installed Leviton GFCI in two bathrooms, since the outlet stopped working all of a sudden. One of the GFCI outlet has the small green light ON but still not working. The other GFCI’s green light is NOT ON and is also still not working. On both GFCI outlets the test and reset button is also not working. The black test button does not go in but the red reset button goes in and that is it. I searched all over the house and I found/reset 4 other working GFCI outlets, one in kitchen and one in basement and 2 in garage and they all work good. What May be causing the issue in the bathroom GFCIs please?

[kaltrex]

My shaving cream bottle exploded and splat is on the GFCI. In the nooks and crannies. Is it worth it to vacuum out the outlets and Q-tip after shutting off the breaker?

[pxkjfoc]

I purchased a new GFCI outlet and installed it correctly using the voltage detector. About 1-year later the outlet stopped working again. So this is twice. Original why I replaced it. Any recommendations. Thank you

[Speckled_Butterfly]

My moms house has older gfcis and weirdly only 1, but we tried to do some floor work whichcause some issues, which i tried fixing the symptom, not knowing to go for the root which may be the bathroom gfci. Now when i tested it with the sniffer, it beeps for the hot side but not on the neutral, and the small plug in tester shows both are plugged correctly. But the down stream symptoms are 3 of our kitchen plugs do not work at all. Oh and the gfci reset buttons do not let me reset it either.

Now that i know about them needing to be near water, we really should have 3 in the house.

[Victorseafog]

so nice you make a video that only applys to well off folk some of us have fuses and old very old panels and when a GFCI goes off and won't reset there is no clue but okay everyone lives in this world in a modern house with modern breakers ....I have fuse in my garage and I can't reset the GFCI the button is full stop. You have what you have . 1940 home Its a hybrid between breakers and fuse with central AC its awful and the house needs to come down Thsnks it is good.

[robertalbert]

It's definitely the coffee pot. It's probably pulling too many amps. I have this problem at the hotel I work in. The ladies like to bring their own hair dryers instead of using the ones the hotel provides. And of course, the ones they bring are of a much better quality that draws more amperage, causing the gcfi to pop off.

[eliascruz]

Great investigation work I try to do that too process of elimination

[CarlosColucci]

I installed one GFCI today and it seems to be working well except for one thing. I connect a lamp and press test and it trips and turns the lamp off. But the green LED light never turns on. Then I press reset, it makes a sound again and the lamp turns on. Do you know why the green LED in the GFCI won't turn on? I have 130V from L to N, 130V from L to G and close to 0 V from N to G.

[edallard]

Another thing. Was there anything else plugged into that circuit?