Outdoor GFCI Issues


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Old 12-16-18, 07:09 AM
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Outdoor GFCI Issues

The two GFCI’s on the front of the house are tripping every day and have been for the last several years. When we hook up our Christmas lights on timers they never work for more than a day. I’m constayhaving to reset the GFCI.

What can I do?
 
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Old 12-16-18, 07:25 AM
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Are the insides of the boxes dry? Are you using buble covers not the old style flappers?
 
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Old 12-16-18, 07:46 AM
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They are the bubble types but perhaps they have become moist inside. It seems these two have been nothing but problems. I am going to break down both of these today and replace the boxes. At least one of them is run off a series, from the outlet on the other side of the wall inside house. For that one I will install an all weather outlet on outside with a GFCI on the inside wall.
 
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Old 12-18-18, 07:14 PM
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@Ray2047 - So now I’m completely flummoxed. I replaced both boxes, fully sealed and caulked. Put in commercial, weather resistant GFCI’s and they are both tripping again on day 1.

😩
 
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Old 12-19-18, 01:08 AM
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Then it is the Christmas lights, Try one string at a time to isolate the bad one but may be more than one string.
 
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Old 12-19-18, 03:27 AM
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Try plugging something else in to see if they trip.
 
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Old 12-19-18, 05:41 AM
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Ray, I’d be inclined to agree with you but every set of light we’ve tried all do the same thing. They are indeed getting wet but all outdoor light strings do.

Can I just replace the GFCI, with a outdoor, weather resistant outlet?
Worst case I trip a breaker?
 
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Old 12-19-18, 07:20 AM
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What else is plugged into the circuit downstream from the GFCI's? Might even be the panel circuit breaker. Do the test/reset buttons on the GFCIs work properly?
 
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Old 12-19-18, 07:29 AM
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Nothing else is plugged in. Just the 5th or 6th set of outdoor Christmas light strings we have tried. I replaced both GFCI’s with commercial weather resistant GFCI’s in new sealed bubble boxes. Still tripping every few hours.
 
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Old 12-19-18, 07:46 AM
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Anything else on load side of GFCI?
 
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Old 12-19-18, 08:01 AM
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Nothing else on load side of GFCI.
 
 

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