GFCI Troubleshooting

[Al G]

All my outside outlets and lamp post are fed by a GFCI outlet in the basement. For a while it has tripped occasionally when we get a really heavy rain. I suspect one of the outlets is getting water inside. Now it is tripped and won't reset, probably due to recent rain and melting snow. Is there a way to find the fault short of starting at the farthest connection and disconnecting things until it will reset?

 

[Rookie2]

I would suspect the lamp post or a cut wire underground first. then a wet or insects in an outlet.

 

[larry_g]

Is there a way to find the fault short of starting at the farthest connection and disconnecting things until it will reset?

Good trouble shooting says start in the middle of a circuit. If you break in the middle of the circuit and the problem goes away then the problem is downline. If the problem still exists then go halfway back again and repeat. Eliminating 1/2 the circuit at a time goes faster.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Al G]

Good trouble shooting says start in the middle of a circuit. If you break in the middle of the circuit and the problem goes away then the problem is downline. If the problem still exists then go halfway back again and repeat. Eliminating 1/2 the circuit at a time goes faster.

lg
no neat sig line

Thanks. I hadn't thought of it that way.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

GFCI do go bad.

Have u tried a new GFCI?

 

[C96]

insects in an outlet.

Lol, I found this to be the problem one time; unfortunately the GFI didn’t save the bugs life. Once the dead bug was removed the outlet was able to be reset…