# Gfci breaker tripping



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

Ok. I got a gfi breaker that I got called on at some apartments we manage. The tenant was going to vacuum her car and plugged into the outlet that is there to plug your car in and it tripped. I get there thinking it to be a faulty vacuum. But resetting the breaker it held for maybe two seconds and it tripped. I removed the receptacle and tried it again. Same thing. Next thought was the is a switch that is connected to a light in the apartment. Switch is on power on at pole. Just removed light and the same thing. Shut off switch and it holds. There is a central j-Box and isolated the uf wire from the apt and it held, upon reconnecting it trips within 2 seconds. Tried swapping a Gfci breaker from an unoccupied apt and it held. All was good until I tried the vacuum and I was right back to the few second trip. Think it to be uf wire is got a problem, but not a dead short. So in your opinion do you start digging, or is there something else to test? It is not in conduit so it would envolve breaking ground. Like to be sure that I'm sure. Thx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I would remove the GFCI breaker and put it in my truck. Replace it with a regular breaker. Then install a GFCI outlet where needed.


----------



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

That is an idea. It would be a much simpler and easier fix then digging a new wire in. Especially being it goes under a 4 ft wide sidewalk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

There shouldn't have been a GFCI breaker there in the first place. If there wasn't, you would never have known about this buried ground fault and all would be well. Replace it with a regular breaker in confidence :thumbsup:


----------



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Family guy said:


> That is an idea. It would be a much simpler and easier fix then digging a new wire in. Especially being it goes under a 4 ft wide sidewalk.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Jrzy said:


> There shouldn't have been a GFCI breaker there in the first place. If there wasn't, you would never have known about this buried ground fault and all would be well. Replace it with a regular breaker in confidence :thumbsup:


wtf :blink:

are there 2 Hax on here now :whistling2:


----------



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

emtnut said:


> wtf :blink:
> 
> are there 2 Hax on here now :whistling2:




Not sure what is meant by hax. Code wise it might be an issue only because burial depth might be in question being that is a different column in table 300.5. 
Try to keep a standard. Which we all do I believe. Any other ideas?


----------



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Family guy said:


> Not sure what is meant by hax. Code wise it might be an issue only because burial depth might be in question being that is a different column in table 300.5.
> Try to keep a standard. Which we all do I believe. Any other ideas?


If you suspect your U/G wiring, meg it !


----------



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

Don't have access to a megger right now.
And the recepticle is still gfi just not the branch circuit. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## PlugsAndLights (Jan 19, 2016)

Could be a neutral contacting ground somewhere in the cct. The GFI 
wouldn't like the parallel return path. To test, turn off the breaker, 
remove the neutral from the breaker, measure resistance from 
neutral to gnd. If the 2 are shorted, merely open every box on the
cct until you find it. 
P&L


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Family guy said:


> Not sure what is meant by hax. Code wise it might be an issue only because burial depth might be in question being that is a different column in table 300.5.
> Try to keep a standard. Which we all do I believe. Any other ideas?


Hax is just a really awesome and handsome gentleman who sometimes partakes in this wonderful forum.

The inspection is over with, you can't confirm the depth of the cable. I say pull the GFCI breaker!


----------



## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

Jrzy said:


> Hax is just a really awesome and handsome gentleman who sometimes partakes in this wonderful forum.
> 
> The inspection is over with, you can't confirm the depth of the cable. I say pull the GFCI breaker!


Don't let Jrzy fool you. Hax is a hateful mean spirited person who enjoys everything evil! Or he's the split personality of Jrzy. You know like Jekyll and Hyde. 😈


----------



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Jrzy said:


> Hax is just a really awesome and handsome gentleman who sometimes partakes in this wonderful forum.
> 
> The inspection is over with, you can't confirm the depth of the cable. I say pull the GFCI breaker!


He seems to dance funny thou 

Apologies in advance to SBRN :thumbsup:


----------



## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Family guy said:


> Ok. I got a gfi breaker that I got called on at some apartments we manage. The tenant was going to vacuum her car and plugged into the outlet that is there to plug your car in and it tripped. I get there thinking it to be a faulty vacuum. But resetting the breaker it held for maybe two seconds and it tripped. I removed the receptacle and tried it again. Same thing. Next thought was the is a switch that is connected to a light in the apartment. Switch is on power on at pole. Just removed light and the same thing. Shut off switch and it holds. There is a central j-Box and isolated the uf wire from the apt and it held, upon reconnecting it trips within 2 seconds. Tried swapping a Gfci breaker from an unoccupied apt and it held. All was good until I tried the vacuum and I was right back to the few second trip. Think it to be uf wire is got a problem, but not a dead short. So in your opinion do you start digging, or is there something else to test? It is not in conduit so it would envolve breaking ground. Like to be sure that I'm sure. Thx
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Do you have a high impedance meter? Check resistance between conductors in the UF. Or megger them.


----------



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

Using fluke 337 clamp-on. Might have to look at getting something better for things like this. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

emtnut said:


> He seems to dance funny thou
> 
> Apologies in advance to SBRN :thumbsup:
> 
> ...


If you play this vid. and scroll up to Jrzy's avatar, it's pretty much in sync. :laughing:


----------



## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

Probably been said. Meg the line in question. 

Switch the breaker on a budget or dig.


----------



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Family guy said:


> Using fluke 337 clamp-on. Might have to look at getting something better for things like this.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It sounds like the u/g is going bad .
You can 'possibly' band-aid fix for now with GFCI recept.

Let your customer know it's a pay me now, pay me later deal :thumbsup:

Oh ... and as P&L mentioned ... check your connections to be sure !

Megger is the cats azz ... but you can eliminate all other possibilities and get by without one :whistling2:


----------



## Family guy (May 15, 2016)

PlugsAndLights said:


> Could be a neutral contacting ground somewhere in the cct. The GFI
> wouldn't like the parallel return path. To test, turn off the breaker,
> remove the neutral from the breaker, measure resistance from
> neutral to gnd. If the 2 are shorted, merely open every box on the
> ...




I will look a bit more at connections. There may be one more box that I thought of it might run through. Thx
I've had a nuetral to case/ground on a gfi before but it tripped immediately when powered. Makes sense though if it is not a solid connection, or at least not yet.


----------



## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

Gfci receps go bad all the time. I don't see why this shouldn't be true for breakers. If there's another GFCI breaker in the panel I would use it to test with and see if it trips as well.


----------

