I installed a new bath vent fan and light about 7/11. It seemed to operate correctly last night when all three switches were on it tripped the GFI I don't understand wheat's happening. Help
Asked by [email protected] in electrical

Greetings. Welcome.

Okay, I see from your post that the fan and the light take 2 switches (?). What does the third switch control?

Is the branch circuit for the bathroom a 20 amp branch circuit?

There are 3 switches fan, light on fan and vanity. Yes it is a 20 amp circuit. Also, there is an interior light and the outside deck light, but I never have on all at once.

A bathroom fan is such a small motor, the inrush amps, which is called locked rotor or starting current when dealing with motors, is not the issue.

I attached a spec sheet for a 150 CFM fan, which is a fairly large one that most people would not install, and the motor draws 53 watts, the motor is so small not even rated in horsepower. Clamping the rotor of a 53 watt fan would not affect the GFI or any circuit breaker.

When did motors on GFI devices become a problem? All pools, hot tubs, and spas have much larger motors that must be GFI protected, and run for years with no problems.

Also, we do not know if the GFI is a receptacle or a circuit breaker.
A GFI circuit breaker will detect short circuit, ground fault and overload.

A GFI receptacle will only detect ground fault.

http://nutone.com/PDF/Specifications/NuTone_QTXENFLT_Spec_Sheet_99044467A.pdf

There is either a defective device,s such as the fan or light, in the circuit or a short in the wiring, or a defective GFI device.

Need to determine exactly what part of the circuit or device is tripping the GFI.

I am going to replace the gfi, as it will not reset. If that does not "fix" the problem I suspected I'll have to backtrack everything on the load side. Also thanks to all that responded, I will keep everyone posted

A GFI device that will not reset may be defective, or maybe doing it's job, tripping due to a ground fault.

We still do not know if this is a circuit breaker or a receptacle.

I am guessing a receptacle.

I have just finished tracking the prob down, and the winner is the... GFI. The elimination process, which I took each item fan ,light etc. Out of the picture. After I took the gfi out everything came on,no trip. Could I still have ground fault? Can the quality of the gfi come in to play? Your thoughts please.

I have just finished tracking the prob down, and the winner is the... GFI. The elimination process, which I took each item fan ,light etc. Out of the picture. After I took the gfi out everything came on,no trip. Could I still have ground fault? Can the quality of the gfi come in to play? Your thoughts please

Where is the GFCI located that controls lights, fans etc. Outside? Is it an outlet or a breaker? Yes, it could be a bad GFCI. Did you check each light, fan individually and then reset the GFCI again or all of the items at once. I would turn off every switch that is controlled by the GFCI and then reset the GFCI. If it doesn't trip, turn each switch back on. Are there outlets on the GFCI also?

Only the deck light is outside.I thought if the switch was open it shouldn't trip till its turned on.Yes I disconnected ever thing individually. Yes it has two outlets.

How can I find the GFault if it trips out every time I test? Is there a test that can be done with a multi meter? I have never had gfi fail so I am in the dark. I'm going to buy a GFICI tomorrow. If it doesn't work I'll problebly have to eat it.

Certwelder56,

Please do not start a new thread for each comment. Stick to one thread. Right now you have three threads open and two of them say that you have found the failure.

Is the failure corrected or is it still occurring?

Also, there are rules governing the electricity being fed to bathrooms.

For example, if the 20 amp branch circuit is used for lighting, fan and receptacle, it can only service one bathroom. The circuit cannot leave the bathroom to service other outlets.

If the 20 amp circuit is used to feed the receptacle in one bathroom, the circuit can be extended to include another bathroom's receptacle. However, there can be nothing else on the circuit.

A GFCI receptacle is a device that is manufactured to protect people from accidental electrocution.

It works by sensing a difference in the feed and return (Neutral) conductors.

Just curious, has there been any repair or remodeling work completed in your home near this bathroom?

The test button of the GFCI is designed to open the circuit every time it is used. The Reset button allows the GFCI receptacle to be turned back on.

Personally, I never want a GFCI on a circuit where I have lights. If the GFCI trips and the lights are downstream of the GFCI, there yo are standing in the dark.

Thanks for the tip about the threads as I am new to this. I bought this house 13 yrs ago and I am finding problems as I remodel. So what your saying is that split the lighting to another circuit and leave the bath receptacle on its own. I will do this tomorrow Thanks

Maybe I'm missing something but, why is this a GFCI circuit? Run off a kitchen line? Bath? Garage? An outside light doesn't need a GFCI. There is always power to the GFCI and if it is bad, it may not reset, even with no load.