A new GFCI outlet is installed outside of house with typical flip cover, works for a short time (about a month), then suddenly stops / dies. What killed it? Lightning? Defective outlet?
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All I can say is that about 10 - 15% or all the GFIs we get are junk and have to be replaced.
Is it getting wet
When you reset it does it run for a while? Or is it dead all the time?
The problem could be caused by a few things.
Scott.
Conductive spiders. It's Halloween after all.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Not spiders, but ANTS.Almost every outside electrical box I have opened has had a whole colony of ants, uncles, cousins in them..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Is there anything connected to the load terminals?
Just what happens when you say it "stops working"?
What kind of cover is on the receptacle? How it is protected from the weather?.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
It's definitely not getting wet, it's in a watertight box. One thing I left out is that it's on a switch, although outlets are switched all the time, the switch controls the entire outlet (the switch originally controlled the walkway lights). The outlet was added after with the idea of plugging in Christmas lights.
Everything worked fine for a short time, then it stopped. The reset button just won't reset at all, nothing, nada.
Could the GFCI get angry at you if it's on a switch like that??
Am I correct that there is nothing connected to the LOAD TERMINALS and nothing plugged into the receptacle.Now with new style GFCI's the fail safe self testing in in being able to reset them, and not in tripping them as in the older ones.And you need to have power on the GFCI's to reset it. But it should remain reset even if the power is off.I don't have any reason to suppect that switching the power causes anykind of problem I have seen more people have a problem like yours when the receptacle is switched..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Hi Bill,The walkway lights are connected to the load terminals, but nothing is actually plugged into the outlet (yet)Are those outlets under warranty? I've never had a desire to know until now. Maybe they should be for what they charge for them now. The "TR's" are about $18.00 a piece where I am.
I really don't know what kind of warranty that there is. But guessing 90 days or 1 year.I don't know how often this is happening. But anytime that it trips and won't reset, open the box and disconnect the landscape lights. Then turn the power back on and see if it will reset..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
although outlets are switched all the time, the switch controls the entire outlet
I don't know what that means, but be sure you don't miss what Bill was saying... the power must be on for the GFCI to reset. In your case, that means the switch must be on.
As was mentioned, with the new GFCIs the power must be on at the breaker to let the GFCI reset. Make sure the breaker is turned on (turn it off and back on).
A GFCI will not reset if the downstream neutral is crossed with ground somehow, or crossed with a neutral from another circuit.
And, a fairly large percentage of GFCI outlets are defective out of the box -- 10-20%.
If the breaker hasn't tripped, it sounds like you have a dead short. Try resetting the breaker, if that doesn't do it, turn the breaker off, pull out the GFCI (still wired), turn the breaker back on, and use a tester (pen tester would be fine) to see if you are getting power. If you are, the GFI is bad. If you are not, make sure you are getting power to and out of the switch. If you are not, and you can't find out where the next device or junction is, you had better call an electrician.