Replies

1. 
   Scott | Jan 24, 2011 01:54pm | #1

   Are the fridge and computer receps the only two outlets on this circuit?

1. 
   tcleveen | Jan 25, 2011 01:10am | #7

   there is another plug on the opposite side of the wall from the problem GFCI and is fed by the GFCI circuit before going on to the refrigerator. The tenant has been instructed not to plug anything into that plug because of increasing the load on the circuit.

2. 
   tcleveen | Jan 25, 2011 01:10am | #8

   there is another plug on the opposite side of the wall from the problem GFCI and is fed by the GFCI circuit before going on to the refrigerator. The tenant has been instructed not to plug anything into that plug because of increasing the load on the circuit.

2. 
   oops | Jan 24, 2011 02:32pm | #2

   electrical question

   I'M NOT AN ELECTRICIAN   but if I read you correctly-----

   Simply  substituting a GFIC receptacle  for a ungrounded receptacle does not make it a grounded circuit.  Also, you can't make a 15 amp. circuit a 20 amp. circuit by simply installing a 20 amp. receptacle.  That is a definite No No.

   Don't do anything untill someone comes along and gives you a professional response to your question. You may literaly be playing with fire.

3. 
   [email protected] | Jan 24, 2011 02:55pm | #3

   GFCI is not a surge protector

   The GFCI monitors the current on the tow legs of the 120-volt circuit, and trips if there is an imbalance. 

   It will not protect a device from surges. 

   There are some devices, such as surge protectors, that require a ground path to function correctly.  When plugged into and ungrounded GFCI, they can cause it to trip. 

   My guess is that the surge protector for the computer is tripping the gfci, but imbalance cause by motors starting can also trip them. 

4. 
   DaveRicheson | Jan 24, 2011 03:59pm | #4

   Need more info.

   Putting a 20 amp receptical on a 15 amp circuit is no big deal. If the wireing of the circuit is protected by a 15 amp breaker or fuse, that is all of the allowable load you are going to get on it. (Not technically correct, but you don't need to know all the inrush current, time delays , and waht have you that is built into the breaker)  As long as the wire is 14 gauge and protected by a 15 amp breaker you are within the code, no matter what rated device you but on the outlet end.

   That said, now we need to know  how old the house is and if it is wire with BX cable, old Romex type NM, or conduit. Are the convenience boxes plastic or metal?

   The GFI on an circuit that has an appliance on it, regulary tripping is telling you something. As others have pointed out the GFI measure the current differance between the hot and neutral wire. If it trips you have current going wher it should not be going. It doesn't take much of a differance to trip a GFI, because it is ment to protect people, not anything plugged into it.

   Now take the GFI off the circuit with the refrigerator on it and put in a  standard three prong 15 or 20 amp receptical. If you have metal boxes and BX cable, flexible metal conduit, or rigid or thin wall conduit that is continouse back to the panel box, you can now groud your new receptical.  It is as simple as adding a bonding jumper wire from the device to a bonding screw tapped into the metal box. You can buy bonding junbers at most big box store as well as bonding srews (green). If you have doubts about the grounding path being continouse then call a competant electrician and have him rewire that circuit for you.

   Remember a GFCI receptical is there to protect you. Not the appliance.

5. 
   Amish Electrician | Jan 24, 2011 08:16pm | #5

   The GFCI is doing its' job, and tripping because somewhere, somehow, some electricity is getting 'lost.'

   Chances are that 'someplace' is the refrigerator. An old fridge will often begin to leak some current through the coolant when the compressor starts up. Take this as an early warning to replace the fridge.

6. 
   booch | Jan 24, 2011 08:16pm | #6

   Downhill view

   Ok you could put a 500A duplex receptical (if they made them) downstream of a 15 amp circuitbreaker and It won't be a problem other than having an underpowered 500A receptical. 'Grasshopper think like a raindrop' to paraphrase a zen guy. Breakers disallow overcurrent based on their size. Size of the breaker is based on the size of the wire going downstream. NEC rules determine the size of that breaker. 15 a is a pretty safe size.

   Why did you put in the GFI?

   Refrigerator & computer on the same circuit? Why? It is hard to believe that there isn't something else on that branch.

   How old is old wiring and what type? after 1957?  after 1938? BX, Romex, knob & tube? SO cord in the wall. Aluminum wire? The cheezier the wiring, the more you should worry. if in doubt, cut it out and drop a new feed from above or below. Wiring does not get better with age. 

   Separate topic is the GFCI. GFCI tolerates no more than 30ma of 'missing current' . That is the definition of personnel protection electrically. GFCI's monitor the common path and the source path of the electricity. In the + and - math of the GFCI if more than 30ma are missing then it trips. Motors may cause it to trip but only cruddy old motors. You have to ask yourself is grandma's refrigerator worth the loss of energy in inefficiency. The respondent that commented on the referigerator motor may have the answer to your problem. However, I run my tablesaw in the basement off of a 20A 2pole GFI and never have had a problem. it isn't the fact that a motor is running it is a fact that you have some ground fault perception of leakage.

   It could also be that your "new Ground" wire (not to be confused with the common white wire) is intermittent (i.e. a bad connection somewhere). If that green ground wire is not continuous the GFCI will trip. Then again you may have a no name GFI that you have reused. As long as you are describing your wiring, name the brand of your installed GFCI. How about the size of the box vs the size of the GFCI receptical. did you find it hard to pack all the wiring in the box? Could be something is loose or intermittently shorted. ( terminal screws touching the side of the handy box come to mind)

   It could be you have done everything right. it could be that your grandmothrs Philco refrigerator has used up its electrical insulation and it does have a ground fault. If that is familiar thought, then save up a couple bucks and buy a new refrigerator if it is over 15 years old. You could find 15$ a month or more in energy savings to finance the new ice box.

7. 
   tcleveen | Jan 25, 2011 01:42am | #9

   I originally put in a 15 amp GFI and when it started tripping (with only the refrig on i.e tenant was on vacation and nothing else was on or drawing power) I went to the 20 amp Leviton brand breaker as a replacement but it still trips off thinking the first GFI was defective but such was not the case obviously. There is no ground wire in the metal recepticle box, and it looks like old romex wire, not knob and tube. I installed the GFI as it was my understanding that I could effectively ground that recepticle without opening walls up and running an extra ground wire thus adding an element of safety to an ungrounded outlet. If I put in a standard 15 amp plug without a ground slot I'd avoid the tripping off event but I can't imagine that a safe situation would be there or would the circuit breaker back in the house panel start tripping instead?

1. 
   DanH | Jan 25, 2011 02:57am | #10

   It's still not clear why you installed the GFCI in the first place.

   If your intention was to provide an "effective ground" for the computer, that's not gonna happen.  The GFCI provides safety against electric shock, but nothing more.  It is not a substitute for a ground when equipment needs it for surge protection, noise control, etc.

   And GFCIs are generally NOT recommended for refrigerator outlets due to the sort of problem you're experiencing.

8. 
   HWG | Jan 25, 2011 04:01pm | #11

   GFCI tripping

   As stated above, you raise a lot of questions about what you've done, and why, and those need to be researched and answered. But do be aware that you can install a GFCI outlet and wire it so that the outlets downstream from the GFCI (the fridge) are NOT controlled by the GFCI. In other words the fridge outlet would still be hot even after the GFCI has tripped. The GFCI will contain instructions for wiring it this way, which is as simple as connecting the downstream hot leg to the "line" side of the GFCI and not the "load" side.