GFI keeps tripping

[snagged in outlet 3]

My outside outlets keep tripping the gfi in the garage.   My cheap cylinder smoker with an element in the bottom on one.   And the bird bath heater on the other.   I assume some small amount of moisture for the birdbath but why would the smoker do it?

20 year old house and 15 amp breaker switch in the panel with a 20 amp breaker for the panel.   Neighbor said everyone is switching out the 15 amp gfi with a 20 but the breaker switch says it’s 15 amps in the panel   
You shouldn’t put a 20 amp gfi outlet on a 15 amp circuit right???

 

[BilletHead]

            Try another GFI outlet. They can get weak. Had one do that. Also had one that kept tripping and found out had an icemaker in freezer going bad. Those things can find the most minute weak link.

[fishinwrench]

Your first assumption should be that the GFI is properly doing its job, and that something is not right with the accessory you have plugged into it.  

I had a pellet grill explosion that wouldn't have happened if I had listened to what the GFI outlet was repeatedly telling me.   

[nomolites]

You can go over but not higher unless you swap the breaker as well.  Like BH says they can be quite sensitive.  Swap out appliances until you find the culprit.  Older appliances are often the source even though they work perfectly.

Mike

[tjm]

BH is right about the GFI outlets getting weak after a few trips, some I've seen went bad at the first trip,  but it sounds like you don't have GFI outlets but standard outlets hooked to a GFCI breaker inside?  If so, I would replace those outlets with GFI so that you can know what load is the culprit, and so that the whole circuit isn't lost when one  item shorts out. There is also the possibility that the breaker itself is bad/weak after  being tripped multiple times. Reset it with nothing plugged in then, if it holds, plug in one item at a time to test what is causing the trip. And remember that the 15A breaker is 15A for the whole circuit, not each outlet. If the smoker is 10A and the heater is 10A they can't both be used at the same time.

[snagged in outlet 3]

24 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Your first assumption should be that the GFI is properly doing its job, and that something is not right with the accessory you have plugged into it.  

I had a pellet grill explosion that wouldn't have happened if I had listened to what the GFI outlet was repeatedly telling me.   

Do a google search of smokers tripping gfi.   It’s common apparently.  

[snagged in outlet 3]

58 minutes ago, tjm said:

BH is right about the GFI outlets getting weak after a few trips, some I've seen went bad at the first trip,  but it sounds like you don't have GFI outlets but standard outlets hooked to a GFCI breaker inside?  If so, I would replace those outlets with GFI so that you can know what load is the culprit, and so that the whole circuit isn't lost when one  item shorts out. There is also the possibility that the breaker itself is bad/weak after  being tripped multiple times. Reset it with nothing plugged in then, if it holds, plug in one item at a time to test what is causing the trip. And remember that the 15A breaker is 15A for the whole circuit, not each outlet. If the smoker is 10A and the heater is 10A they can't both be used at the same time.

One gfi outlet in the garage with 3 additional regular outlets on that line.   The smoker trips it when on the front outlet and the birdbath heater on the back porch outlet.   The smoker may run for a while but will eventually trip it.  The birdbath has been on that back outlet all of last winter and just tripped it yesterday after running about a wee this year.  The birdbath has an extension cord on it but the smoker is directly plugged in.  They are not on at the same time.  

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, nomolites said:

You can go over but not higher unless you swap the breaker as well.  Like BH says they can be quite sensitive.  Swap out appliances until you find the culprit.  Older appliances are often the source even though they work perfectly.

Mike

When you say appliance you mean the smoker or the birdbath right?    Or do mean the outlet?

[fishinwrench]

37 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Do a google search of smokers tripping gfi.   It’s common apparently.  

If you really want a wake-up shocker do a search for "Pellet smoker exploding"  

I looked it up AFTER it happened to us, and was surprised to find out that I wasn't the first to witness it.    I thought that sumbitch was preparing to launch itself into orbit.   

Needless to say, after replacing everything electrical on it.....it now gets used out in the middle of the driveway instead of right next to the house. 😳

[tjm]

21 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

One gfi outlet in the garage with 3 additional regular outlets on that line.   The smoker trips it when on the front outlet and the birdbath heater on the back porch outlet.   The smoker may run for a while but will eventually trip it.  The birdbath has been on that back outlet all of last winter and just tripped it yesterday after running about a wee this year.  The birdbath has an extension cord on it but the smoker is directly plugged in.  They are not on at the same time.  

Then I'd first replace the garage outlet with a new GFCI, my assumption is that one of the appliances tripped that enough times that it is now weak. Also,  because  it is acting as  an inline fuse with many feet of wire between it and the outside appliances it may be tripping when they are drawing less than 15A due to line voltage loss.  fe, a saw drawing ~12A may trip a 15A outlet if on a 50' drop cord and not if on a 25' drop cord.