GFCI Just Started to Constantly Trip

CodyRVA · Jul 23, 2018

I'm still waiting on a new GFCI, I did clean up all of my pumps this weekend. While I still experienced issues without the heater plugged into the GFCI, I wonder if it didn't damage it. That being said, i've been plugged straight into the wall for days now with no issues, no hot cords or anything... knock on wood.

Brew12 · Jul 23, 2018

CodyRVA said:
I'm still waiting on a new GFCI, I did clean up all of my pumps this weekend. While I still experienced issues without the heater plugged into the GFCI, I wonder if it didn't damage it. That being said, i've been plugged straight into the wall for days now with no issues, no hot cords or anything... knock on wood.

A new GFCI is a good start. They can and do fail.

Another common issue that causes GFCI's to not trip immediately is heat. When a motor fails it can form cracks in the housing or insulation. When it operates and heats up it, the copper will expand and open up the cracks causing a trip.

If you want to play with it to check for this, you can take an extension cord from a different outlet and use your GFCI to plug one device in at a time to see if one causes a trip.

If you have a meter, you can remove your ground probe and try to take a current reading between your water and the ground of an outlet. This is one of the most fool proof methods to determine if you have faulty equipment.

CodyRVA · Jul 23, 2018

Brew12 said:
A new GFCI is a good start. They can and do fail.

Another common issue that causes GFCI's to not trip immediately is heat. When a motor fails it can form cracks in the housing or insulation. When it operates and heats up it, the copper will expand and open up the cracks causing a trip.

If you want to play with it to check for this, you can take an extension cord from a different outlet and use your GFCI to plug one device in at a time to see if one causes a trip.

If you have a meter, you can remove your ground probe and try to take a current reading between your water and the ground of an outlet. This is one of the most fool proof methods to determine if you have faulty equipment.

Thanks for the advice, I might try my heater with this GFCI on a separate outlet and see what it does. I did try this GFCI in a different outlet, but only tested a small lamp so i'm not sure that speaks volumes. It did confirm the GFCI isn't entirely toast, but with such a small load, that's about all it told me.

ATI North America · Jul 23, 2018

For what it is worth, ATI requires a GFCI with a trigger point greater than 1.0 milliamp. No idea what lighting you are using, but perhaps our product is not the only one with a requirement.

CodyRVA · Jul 23, 2018

ATI North America said:
For what it is worth, ATI requires a GFCI with a trigger point greater than 1.0 milliamp. No idea what lighting you are using, but perhaps our product is not the only one with a requirement.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm using a 4 foot 6 bulb ATI fixture. As mentioned, this GFCI has been setup for about a year now, so i'm more inclined to think something went or is going bad. Currently re-evaluating each component.

CodyRVA · Jul 30, 2018

Update: Hooked up a new GFCI and it did the exact same thing so clearly the GFCI isn't the issue unless i'm that unlucky to buy a brand new one that's faulty. I'm going to tear each piece of equipment apart until i find the culprit. I'm still leaning towards the heater... we'll see.

WVNed · Jul 30, 2018

Buy a meter. They are cheap and the test is simple.
DVM on Amazon $9.46

Don't guess, know.

Brew12 · Jul 30, 2018

CodyRVA said:
Update: Hooked up a new GFCI and it did the exact same thing so clearly the GFCI isn't the issue unless i'm that unlucky to buy a brand new one that's faulty. I'm going to tear each piece of equipment apart until i find the culprit. I'm still leaning towards the heater... we'll see.

Let me know if I can help!

Mark3 · Jul 30, 2018

WVNed said:
Buy a meter. They are cheap and the test is simple.
DVM on Amazon $9.46

Don't guess, know.

How do you test with meter.... If I touch my light fixture and water, I get a jolt. the light is above the tank and doesn't come in contact with the water, and NOW I am careful not to touch the two at the same time... everything is GFCI

Mark3 · Jul 30, 2018

now I am wondering if I have stray current in the light or is it in the tank?

Brew12 · Jul 30, 2018

Mark3 said:
now I am wondering if I have stray current in the light or is it in the tank?

I would suspect the light, especially if it isn't on a GFCI.

Some times GFCI's can have a hard time sensing faults on the secondary side of DC power supplies, also.

Brew12 · Jul 30, 2018

Mark3 said:
How do you test with meter.... If I touch my light fixture and water, I get a jolt. the light is above the tank and doesn't come in contact with the water, and NOW I am careful not to touch the two at the same time... everything is GFCI

There are a few ways to test things. I would start by testing for AC voltage from the frame of the light to the ground connection on a receptacle. This should always read 0 volts AC. You can do the same test from your water to a ground receptacle, but it may not always be 0 volts AC due to induction and capacitance. Taking an AC current reading from the water to the ground connection will let you know if you have a failed component. If it is more than a few milliamps you may have a problem.

CodyRVA · Jul 30, 2018

Brew12 said:
There are a few ways to test things. I would start by testing for AC voltage from the frame of the light to the ground connection on a receptacle. This should always read 0 volts AC. You can do the same test from your water to a ground receptacle, but it may not always be 0 volts AC due to induction and capacitance. Taking an AC current reading from the water to the ground connection will let you know if you have a failed component. If it is more than a few milliamps you may have a problem.

Maybe a stupid question, but any resource (video) on how to do this. I don't want to assume and zap myself. I have a grounding probe on this tank, how does this come into play?

Brew12 · Jul 30, 2018

CodyRVA said:
Maybe a stupid question, but any resource (video) on how to do this. I don't want to assume and zap myself. I have a grounding probe on this tank, how does this come into play?

Not that I am aware of. If you have a grounding probe then it is highly likely to be a problem with your light fixtures.

Taking voltage readings is very easy but it can be slightly different depending on the meter used.

WVNed · Jul 30, 2018

The meter has 2 leads. To measure a ground fault you touch one lead to ground and the other to what is shocking you.
How you set the meter for the readings will depend on which one you get.

You are measuring how much electricity can escape the tank and light and stuff if it is given a path to the earth. The planet is part of the circuit.

The same connection is used to measure both voltage and current to ground.

CodyRVA · Aug 13, 2018

Update

So, by process of elimination, I ran an extension cord with my GFCI and one by one disassembled my entire electrical panel until I found the culprit. It was one of my Hydor power heads. When I plugged it into the extension cord directly (learned during this process that the extension cord increases the amps) it actually tripped the in wall GFCI that the extension cord was plugged into. Since removing the power head and reinstalling the GFCI on the system, everything has been running fine. Thanks for everyone's help!