I just moved into a new house and I have a GFCI outlet in my garage that has become problematic. It controls the lights and fan in my master bath and 2nd bath, as well as the outlet at the front of my house. There is also an ADP security system tied to it. The problem I have is it keeps tripping. Sometimes it will go for a few days, other times it will trip every 1/2 hour or so. I am not sure if there are any other outlets in the house it controls. The funny thing, I can have nothing at all on in the house, I'll go to turn the light on in the master bath, and it has tripped.

Please help, this is getting frustrating

Replace the GFCI - if it keeps tripping, it is faulty. Any GFCI that gets tripped multiple times needs to be replaced as the internal workings are getting worn and may actually cause malfunctions. Have an electrician also check the circuit to make sure there are no shorts on the line at any point. It could even be caused by a loose connection on anything down the line from the GFCI

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Originally Posted by vaderman

Any GFCI that gets tripped multiple times needs to be replaced as the internal workings are getting worn and may actually cause malfunctions.

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Hmm... that's news to me. Do you have any documentation to support this?
Unless if by multiple you mean hundreds.




lvhomeowner, have an electrician check the circuit. Best bet would be to replace the GFI in the garage and NOT put the inside lights on the load side. He will also have to put a GFI at the outside receptacle, but that is not at all a bad thing either.

Hmm... a "new" house with the garage, master bath, outside receptacle and security system on the same circuit? I think I'd try to break that up a bit. Any way to separate the bath circuit from the garage circuit?

Check for fire ants hauling in dirt to make a nest in an outdoor outlet box. When the pile of dirt gets wet, it trips the GFCI. After you clean out the box, seal it with RTV or dumb dumb.

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Originally Posted by Missouri Bound

Hmm...a "new" house with the garage, master bath, outside receptacle and security system on the same circuit?

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Hopefully he does not mean "new" new. ;)

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Originally Posted by TxGreaseMonkey

Check for fire ants hauling in dirt to make a nest in an outdoor outlet box. When the pile of dirt gets wet, it trips the GFCI.

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I've seen it happen.

What do you think of the fan being on the GFCI? I thought it was discouraged because of the inrush and the inductions and what not.

I replaced the GFI outlet. Problem solved!

Thanks for all the input

I changed the outlet. Problem solved. Thanks for the help