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GFCI Trips Overnight

13K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  skymaster 
#1 ·
I have a kitchen/mudroom circuit that is GFCI protected (first receptacle) which feeds into a six (total) receptacle circuit. All other receptacles are standard non-GFCI.The only items connected at present are a gas range (electrical ignitors/no clock), computer and a blender. Overnight (every night) I wake up to find the GFCI tripped. I have unplugged the computer and the blender and the GFCI still trips. I have not unplugged the stove yet (as it takes two men and a mule to move it).

Would anyone have an idea where to start looking? I plan on moving the stove this weekend and unplugging everything from the circuit. I replaced the GFCI with a new one with no luck. The house is one year old.
 
#2 ·
You must have a current leakage somewhere at one of those 6 protected receptacles. Sounds like moisture invasion somewhere. The fact that the gfci trips during the night tells me that something is turning on during the night and the gfci trips when it does or you have water dripping or getting into one of your receptacles boxes and eventually allows some very small amounts of current to flow to ground causing the gfci to trip.

Do you have anything on an extension cord plugged in to one of those outlets?
 
#3 ·
Only the first receptacle is protected. The only thing that is plugged in is the range (overnight), but I plan on moving it and unplugging it this weekend. I don't think that moisture is the problem as all outlets (except one) are on interior walls, but I will check the exterior wall outlet for moisture. There are no water lines anywhere near this circuit.

Nothing else is plugged into the circuit (except the stove) overnight at present. A friend ( a retired electrician) thought that maybe a neutral was nicked and is causing some leakage. He indicated that not much will cause the GFCI to trip.
 
#4 ·
I'm confused. In your first post you said:
I have a kitchen/mudroom circuit that is GFCI protected (first receptacle) which feeds into a six (total) receptacle circuit
In your next post you said:
Only the first receptacle is protected
Which is it?

Try pulling the gfci receptacle out of the box, making sure none of the wires are touching. If you can safely do so, leave it this way overnight and see if it trips. If it does, then try it again, but this time with the wires on the LOAD side disconnected.

Does it only trip at night or will it trip during the day also?
 
#5 ·
I considered it a GFCI protected circuit as the first receptacle in the circuit is a GFCI receptacle. The remaining 5 receptacles are standard receptacles. The GFCI is in the kitchen.

I'll try this. The breaker seems to trip only at night..... when the gremlins are out I guess.
 
#6 ·
Well this is proof of the legend :] With Gremlin's you CANNOT get em wet or feed em after midnight:yes::laughing:
Sorry the Devil made me do it LOL
There was another thread just today with almost same problem and seems after much investigation the culprit was a loose connection downstream of the GFCI
 
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