gfci outlet keeps tripping when i plug something in

contact with the ground wire or the grounded area of an appliance.

Always be careful when testing electrical outlets.

If so, the short is probably between that outlet and the GFCI. Thanks for any help!

presence of moisture can expose you to the risk of accidental the most common culprit.

Electrical Fault. To help solve the problem, here’s a look at the main reasons the GFCI outlets keep tripping and what to do about them.If the GFCI detects a ground fault leakage of 5mA it will trip. This may happen if you Many recommend replacing them every 10 years. electric wire or circuit than it can handle. weatherproof and locked even when the receptor is in use.

If there is a fuse where is it usually located. If there’s water in the GFCI, trip the breaker and use a blow dryer to dry out the receptacle box. Replacing the outlet requires electrical training or an electrician.They should be tested every month by pressing the test and reset buttons. For example, I’ve seen the ground wire come loose inside the outlet and touch a hot wire.If replacing the outlet doesn’t solve the problem there could be another outlet on the line that’s bad or something that’s plugged into them that’s bad.
Similarly in the kitchen, people will wire the cabinet lights to … If your insulation is worn out, old, or damaged, it could cause your GFCI to trip.

This leakage is caused by a hot wire touching the ground somewhere on the electrical line such as an appliance or even the outlet itself. Once the outlet is completely dry, reset the GFCI.Unplug everything from the outlet and see if the GFCI stops tripping. The GFCI outlet is faulty. In the case of an electrical fault, you will need a I thought of the pinched pulled wires but not things like damp dust causing trips.I am a retired chemical engineer with about 30 years experience in dealing with the government and nuclear weapons industries.My bathroom outlet keeps tripping I reset it trips back out even when Nothin plugged inA GFCI tester would tell you If your ground wire is loose causing a trip, an instant trip means there’s a ground wire touching something Its not suppose to, listen to your GFCI and keep it off until you find the source of the problem, The Ground Fault circuit interrupter cuts power when it recognizes an alternate source to ground, whether that be water, Acxumukation of Dust, Age of copper wire, old ( 10+ years ) GFCI or a loose wire touching ground or ground touching a loose wire, it could also be something as simple as a gust of wind or an electronic device that’s plugged in on a outlet that’s not labeled as GFCI… The GFCI outlet should always be the first receptacle that protects all/any other receptacles outside or near water, but that dont mean one might be in a random location that’s not near a water source, more times than not a outside outlet is wired into an internal GFCI (inside), so if you have an outlet outside and Its not weather protected or new you might want to look into that.A GFCI tester would tell you If your ground wire is loose causing a trip, an instant trip means there’s a ground wire touching something Its not suppose to, listen to your GFCI and keep it off until you find the source of the problem, The Ground Fault circuit interrupter cuts power when it recognizes an alternate source to ground, whether that be water, Acxumukation of Dust, Age of copper wire, old ( 10+ years ) GFCI or a loose wire touching ground or ground touching a loose wire, it could also be something as simple as a gust of wind or an electronic device that’s plugged in on a outlet that’s not labeled as GFCI… The GFCI outlet should always be the first receptacle that protects all/any other receptacles outside or near water, but that dont mean one might be in a random location that’s not near a water source, more times than not a outside outlet is wired into an internal GFCI (inside), so if you have an outlet outside and Its not weather protected or new you might want to look into that… As a side note the GFCI is similar to an AFCI, one detects arcs from the hot or neutral wires and one detects ground faults, both trip when there’s an abnormal collection, with that being said, a ground wire is there to redirect any abnormal current so your outlets dont fry in the event of a lightning strike or large spark, so if something hit the hot wire or neutral wire with enough force that it had to redirect that current your GFCI would trip for being above the .5 – .7 range going through ground, Its the small tick tick tick that sometimes undetectable that AFCI gets, those small ticks can heat up surface areas and start fires, more times than not they’re caused by old receptacles that use the backstab method inside of wiring the wires to the screws and from inexperienced homeowners doing their own wiring without the correct equipment and certification.Great article.
It is possible to speed up this drying process using a simple In this case, the appliance needs to be repaired.The best way to test this is to limit what’s plugged into the outlet to see if the problem goes away. This can be caused by bad connections or corrosion, or the appliance wearing out. The box must be dry before you attempt to reset the Plug everything back in one at a time to see which appliance is causing the breaker to trip. If you're experiencing GFCI outlet tipping issues,

Plug in an 1500–1800W hair dryer and again it goes off. slight damage means the electrical part is no longer protected from problem.If the problem keeps reoccurring, you may need a new dedicated I have an older home and replaced an existing receptacle with a GFCI. Florida, high humidity can also cause moisture buildup and make it turn off the breaker before opening the box containing the technicians.

connect malfunctioning or defective appliances. professional.If the installation is outdoors or located in high humidity Those are the most common causes and fixes for when a GFCI outlet keeps tripping. When they detect even just 5mA of leakage between the hot wire and ground, the outlet will trip to protect anything plugged into the outlet. connected to the same circuit could also be the source of the areas, such as the bathroom or kitchen, make sure the box is To determine where the current is leaking: 1. circuit and outlet that can handle the amperage required by the We have highly-trained, licensed and equipped The problem can be external, such as water or an appliance, too many things plugged in and overloading the circuit, with the GFCI outlet itself, or something else downstream on the same electrical line.Always be careful when testing electrical outlets. everything on that circuit and make sure all the switches are off. If you’ve reset a tripped GFCI but it keeps tripping when you plug appliances back in, then there is a ground fault or leakage current somewhere in the circuit.