circuit breaker trips

[1930artdeco]

Hello,

I have a general electrical question. I have a GFI circuit that trips everytime I turn OFF my little drop light. Any reason why?

Mike

 

[BillK]

Mike,
Is it only a GFI or is it possibly also an AFI (arc fault ?) The AFI ones will trip with any type of spark, like a marginal switch.

Just a thought,

 

[pattenp]

There isn't a breaker that's GFCI and AFCI in one breaker.

Mike,
Is it only a GFI or is it possibly also an AFI (arc fault ?) The AFI ones will trip with any type of spark, like a marginal switch.

Just a thought,

 

[neel2008]

maybe the drop light switch shorts to ground as it is "shutting off". I mean isn't that the only thing a gfi really does? "watch" for a short to ground?

edit: Does your light have a ground prong? maybe try one of those cheater plugs (3 prong to 2 prong adapters) temporarily and see if it still trips?

 

[1930artdeco]

The way they wired the garage there is the main GFI right below the panel and everything els is tied into that. I have the drop light plugged into a 8 outlet surge protected outlet. It is just annoying that almost every time I turn it off, it trips and i have to reset all of my radio stations.

I will try a two prong cheater and see if it still does it.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[pattenp]

What do you have... a GFCI outlet that's tripping or a GFCI breaker in the panel tripping?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

maybe the drop light switch shorts to ground as it is "shutting off". I mean isn't that the only thing a gfi really does? "watch" for a short to ground?

A GFCI does not use a ground for anything. What they do is compare current in one wire, with current out the other wire. If the current going in is different than that going back then it is assumed to be lost to ground somewhere and trips. You can legally install a GFCI on a circuit that does not have a ground at all, because of the way it works, it will work on non-ground systems.

Charles

 

[neel2008]

A GFCI does not use a ground for anything. What they do is compare current in one wire, with current out the other wire. If the current going in is different than that going back then it is assumed to be lost to ground somewhere and trips. You can legally install a GFCI on a circuit that does not have a ground at all, because of the way it works, it will work on non-ground systems.

Charles

ah ic, for some reason I thought it was using the ground. I guess what I was thinking was if the switch in the light momentary shorts to ground it would see it in the power/neutral circuit and trip it. I seem to have bad luck keeping trouble lights from well having trouble with shorting out. lol BTW im not responsible if you use an adapter and get a little tingle when shutting the light off. ha ha but you will know what it is that way....

 

[Kevin C]

Hello,

I have a general electrical question. I have a GFI circuit that trips everytime I turn OFF my little drop light. Any reason why?

Mike

For fun, try turning it off wearing gloves.

 

[monkeybar]

A GFCI does not use a ground for anything. What they do is compare current in one wire, with current out the other wire. If the current going in is different than that going back then it is assumed to be lost to ground somewhere and trips. You can legally install a GFCI on a circuit that does not have a ground at all, because of the way it works, it will work on non-ground systems.Charles

Real important point! Thanks for making it! The "GFCI" outlets now widely available, wire in anywhere, and provide ground fault protection. The GFCI circuit breakers which plug into a breaker panel, are of older design concept, and require two neutral conductor connections: one is the coiled, "stretchable" white loop of wire coming out of the breaker itself, the other being the white neutral conductor (wire) which leads to the load, the DEVICE being fed power. Either will provide "kill" protection.

There is a very distinct difference between a GFCI breaker and a GFCI outlet. The breaker has a maximum current rating, like any other breaker, and will provide OVERCURRENT PROTECTION, based on it's current rating, AS WELL AS GROUND FAULT protection, under which it will "trip" with as little as 0.005 ampere of current "going to ground". The GFCI OUTLET provides ONLY GROUND FAULT PROTECTION, they also will "trip" if they "see" 0.005 amperes of current going to ground. Thus, the GFCI outlet relies on being protected from high currents (short circuits) by the plain old regular standard breaker feeding it from the breaker panel.

Too long winded? GFCIs SAVE LIVES! monkey

 

[JoeFin]

Fluorescent Drop Light from Happy Fart (Harbor Freight) ??

If it is Fluorescent try taking the lamp out of it and see if it still trips the GFI breaker

 

[7th Kahuna]

For fun, try turning it off wearing gloves.

Going to have to try that myself. I have an ungrounded plug-in fluorescent in my kitchen that trips the GFCI outlet most times I turn it off. The other potential issue I have is multiple GFCI outlets on the same circuit. Need to fix that one day. I had kind of assumed that was the reason it was tripping.

 

[Kevin C]

Going to have to try that myself. I have an ungrounded plug-in fluorescent in my kitchen that trips the GFCI outlet most times I turn it off. The other potential issue I have is multiple GFCI outlets on the same circuit. Need to fix that one day. I had kind of assumed that was the reason it was tripping.

Personnel experience is that a lot of ballasts ( including those in CFL's) have a lot of harmonics on the power line and trip GFCI's. Commercial ballasts have a lot lower harmonics.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Going to have to try that myself. I have an ungrounded plug-in fluorescent in my kitchen that trips the GFCI outlet most times I turn it off. The other potential issue I have is multiple GFCI outlets on the same circuit. Need to fix that one day. I had kind of assumed that was the reason it was tripping.

If the GFCIs are wired off the line side of each other, then that wont cause any problems....