Customer callback-GFI circuit in laundry room is tripping from the washer being run. Customer plugged a toaster into the same outlet, as well as a wet dry vac, No tripping of the GFI. Plugging the washer into an extension cord from bathroom GFI and it does not trip that GFI. Any ideas before I run out there? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW-customer changed the laundry room GFI out for a new one and it still trips.
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The washing machine is bad. First I would blow all the dust bunnies out of the motor and other electrical parts, then look for chafed wires and water leaks. Sometimes it is a high resistance short in the motor or one of the solenoids.
Edited 9/27/2008 1:42 pm ET by gfretwell
but why doesn't it trip the other GFI?
Two guesses, either the extra length of the cord limits the ground fault to less than 5ma or the bathroom GFCI is not grounded/bad.
It's also possible that hot and neutral are reversed on the failing unit.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
As I understand it, there's no need for a properly-grounded washing machine to be on a GFI, and many reasons for it not to be on one.
"As I understand it, there's no need for a properly-grounded washing machine to be on a GFI, and many reasons for it not to be on one."Sorta.There is not require for a washer to be on a GFCI, but there are requirements for GFCI in some locations where a washer might be used.Within 6 ft of a laundry/utility sink. This is fairly new I believe with 2002 or 2005 cycle.ANY 120v receptacle in a bathroom.In an unfinished basement or garage. However, if there was a nominaly fixed applicance then you can use a non GFCI simplex receptacle or duplex if there are 2 such appliances plugged in. I understand that this exception was removed from the 2008 code..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
That plug must be dedicated to the washer only.
I assume that you mean receptacle.And that is not exactly true."210.11(2) Laundry Branch Circuits In addition to the number of branch circuits required by
other parts of this section, at least one additional 20-ampere branch circuit shall be
provided to supply the laundry receptacle outlet(s) required by 210.52(F). This circuit
shall have no other outlets.""210.52(F) Laundry Areas In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for
the laundry."It says nothing about a washing machine. Only laundry. And gas dryer and iron are part of doing laundry..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
"Plugging the washer into an extension cord from bathroom GFI and it does not trip that GFI."
Does that extension cord have a functioning ground? If there were a slight ground fault in the washer as mentioned by other posters, wouldn't isolation from ground prevent any difference in current flow between hot and neutral as seen at the GFI, thus preventing it from tripping?
You might try connecting to the laundry GFI through the extension cord.
Possibly, but probably not. The washer will tend to be grounded (enough to trip a GFCI) through the water hoses.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
"Possibly, but probably not. The washer will tend to be grounded (enough to trip a GFCI) through the water hoses."Not really.First water is typically not that good of conductor.And if it is rubber hose then it is not conductive.And if it is a braided one I don't have any idea of how there the different parts are bonded.And if it was braid and the braid was well bonded to the screw end the pipe might be plastic..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
True, water is typically not a "very good" conductor, but it has enough conductivity to trip a GFCI.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
Yes, with 120 v on it.But you might have low level leakage. Say 10 ma, when connected to a hard ground.But when only grounded through a water connection it would be much less than the 5 ma needed to trip the GFCI.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I would say that is false. Water in its purest form may not be, the problem is pure water is hard to come by. Water that you will most likely be standing in before you grab those hot wires is an excellent conductor. If you don't belive me, try testing that theory at home.
Edit: I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just relaying what my first year instructor told me.
Edited 9/29/2008 6:24 pm ET by arcflash
"Possibly, but probably not. The washer will tend to be grounded (enough to trip a GFCI) through the water hoses."Really? What would be the path? On my 25-year old Maytag, three-foot rubber hoses connect the house water pipes to a plastic valve body, so there is really no path from the grounded appliance frame to the water in those hoses. Even if the valve body on the OP's machine were metal, the tap water in those hoses is a very poor conductor of electricity; about 50 million times weaker than copper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conductivity). A GFI senses a few milliamps of current difference between hot and neutral, not a few millionths of an amp.BruceT