The GFCI in my bathroom keeps tripping, but there is very little load on that circuit that I'm aware of. I believe that it is for both bathrooms, but the only thing plugged in either is my beard trimmer and it's just charging. There is an outlet in the crawlspace that has some outdoor lighting plugged in (I'm assuming it's on the same circuit), but even with that off it still trips.

I just noticed this today. Earlier I could reset it and it would stay for a while, but now it trips as soon as I hit the reset button. I'm thinking it's busted and replacing it will do the trick, but I just wanted to check with some of you engineering folk before to make sure I'm not missing something else.

[Edited on February 25, 2008 at 3:09 AM. Reason : .]

2/25/2008 3:08:59 AM

Turn off circuit.
remove suspected outlet
check suspected grounds.

2/25/2008 5:09:09 AM

I replaced the outlet, new one tripped the same. So I went under the house and unplugged the outdoor lighting. Problem solved. I am guessing that there is a little too much water somewhere in one of the bulb housings. That will be a solution for another day, at least my beard trimmer can charge now

Thanks for your response.

[Edited on February 25, 2008 at 5:40 PM. Reason : outlet durr.]

2/25/2008 5:39:34 PM

this is an entirely new question, but somewhat related and i don't want to make a new thread.

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What is the purpose of the circular holes in the blades of an electrical plug? The reason I ask is because I bought something on eBay a while back that does not have these holes and it got me wandering what they are for.

2/27/2008 1:00:21 PM

save material costs?

2/27/2008 2:54:37 PM

^yep -- from the nema WD-6 specs:

2/27/2008 3:17:30 PM

well that is the last thing i would have thought of. makes sense i suppose.

2/27/2008 3:32:45 PM

i was being glib. i dont know why the holes are there.

holes can't really save cost, i don't think... you got to spend more effort punching the holes, and then theres the inevitable wastage. im fairly sure it would be cheaper to manufacture solid blades.

i'm thinking maybe it reduces wear and tear on the contacts in the receptacle, or prevents them from splaying out as much thus keeping more solid electrical contact.




[Edited on February 27, 2008 at 5:10 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2008 5:09:49 PM

The gfci will only trip if there is an imbalance in the current that leaves the "hot" and returns to the "neutral"

That current imbalance is somewhere.


How is the circuit from your bathroom the same one running the outdoor lighting lol?

2/27/2008 10:49:44 PM

Yes it is kind of strange. The outlet is in the crawlspace. As I'm sure you know it is required to be on a GFCI circuit, and it looks like that bathroom is the closest one. The outdoor lighting is (and this is the crappy part) plugged into this outlet in the crawlspace via extension cord going through one of the foundation vents on the other end of the house. Just to give myself a little credit, I bought the house this way.

I don't like it, and I think since I've narrowed it down to AFTER the outlet, I'm going to take this opportunity to do it right and put an outdoor outlet near the lighting controller. I will be sure to read up on the code first, but does anyone know off hand if a permanent outlet can be attached to a non-permanent structure (in this case, my deck)?

2/27/2008 11:36:10 PM