GFCI's work, Chinese light fixtures don't

Feb 04, 2013 10 Replies

A couple of years ago I built a shed and ran power to it through some underground PVC conduit. Power to the shed is sourced from a GFCI receptacle under my deck. The shed has an interior light fixture, an external receptacle and an external motion sensor light fixture.



Last week I noticed that the motion sensor fixture was not turning on so I went out to the shed and found that the GFCI receptacle had tripped. I reset the GFCI, both lights came on and seconds later the GFCI tripped again. I turned off the disconnect switch in the shed, reset the GFCI and it stayed on. Flipped on the disconnect and the GFCI tripped.



Satisfied that (thankfully) it did not appear to be my underground wiring, I opened the junction box for the motion sensor fixture and disconnected it. When I reset the GFCI it stayed on. OK, problem found.



I took the Made In China light fixture - which was clearly marked "For External Use" - off of the shed and into the workshop. I opened the bulb housing and saw water around the wires that went to the bulb socket. I guess it's "For External Use" in dry locations only. The best I can tell is that the water got in through the ball and socket joint that allows you to aim the light.



I let the unit dry out and then filled the tube from the ball and socket joint to the light socket with silicone so the water can't reach the socket. I remounted it, aimed the light and then put some more silicon around the exterior of the ball and socket joint to hopefully prevent water from entering the fixture in the first place.



Piece of crap Chinese fixture. Maybe the GFCI was made in China also, but at least it works the way it is supposed to.



A heavy load *shouldn't* trip a GFCI. It's more likely that it's trying its best to save your life.

Good idea.

FWIG, it was an "abnormality" in the power grid that the Superdome electrical system caught and then promptly dumped, as it was designed to. Obama probably pulled the plug on another coal-fired power plant.

Well, in this case, the one protecting the shed did exactly what it was supposed to do, so I'm pretty satisfied. I've had the one in the garage trip when the receptacles on the extension cords for the Halloween decorations get wet. I try to wrap the ones that are going to be lying on the lawn in plastic and/or to position them under a chair (or tombstone) to keep them as dry as possible, but it's not always possible.

I had one near the kitchen sink that was used all the time for juicers, coffee grinders, etc. It was there for years and never tripped except when I tested it. It was looking kind of grimy so instead of trying to clean it, I figured I'd just grab a spare from the shop and replace it. Now when we use the juicer or coffee grinder, it will trip maybe 25% of the time.

These devices do not trip any other GFCI's nor did they trip the original one, so I have to assume that the new one is faulty. I keep thinking about replacing it but I never remember...until it trips.

I think all the computer generated animations during Beyonce's performance sucked the power out of the grid.

As I mentioned in response to Oren...

I had a GFCI near the kitchen sink that was used all the time for juicers, coffee grinders, etc. It was there for years and never tripped except when I tested it. It was looking kind of grimy so instead of trying to clean it, I figured I'd just grab a spare from the shop and replace it. Now when we use the juicer or coffee grinder, it will trip maybe 25% of the time.

These devices do not trip any other GFCI's nor did they trip the original one, so I have to assume that the new one is faulty. I keep thinking about replacing it but I never remember...until it trips.

I don't know if it simply more sensitive to motors than the old one or if it's faulty.

Long ago, motors would trip GFCIs (the reason for the exclusion of freezers from GFCIs). Newer ones are much better. Perhaps your "spare" is that old? Or perhaps the one you replaced was bad. It

*shouldn't* happen.

Or perhaps it was Flacco's F-Bomb.

The F-bomb was at the end of the game, long after the power came back on. "Holy S---! F------ awesome."

formatting link

As I'm not a football or commercial fan, I didn't watch the Super Bowl. I did however take advantage of the few hours of light traffic it provided... a rarity in my parts.

Having said that, a friend postulates the blackout might have been intentional... conveniently 'inserted' to run bonus rations of multimillion dollar ad's to a frenzied near global audience.

Wouldn't doubt it...

Erik

DerbyDad03 wrote in news:ebf33553-5156-4842-88d5- snipped-for-privacy@y9g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:

Wow! You have a lot of time on your hands.

It took less time to add some silicon to the old fixture than it would have taken me to go to the store and buy a new one.

Removal and installation was required in both cases, so that's a wash.

The adult generation repairs things. The kid generation throws it out and replaces.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

formatting link
.

It took less time to add some silicon to the old fixture than it would have taken me to go to the store and buy a new one.

Removal and installation was required in both cases, so that's a wash.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required