Have a combination Outdoor Carriage Light & GFI Plug by the Back Patio Door, On / Off Switch just inside.. Problem is the GFI Plug seems to only last 14 months.. I'm assuming the Unit being exposed to the Elements doesn't help ?? I'm thinking of Replacing the Unit with just a GFI Receptacle enclosed in a Weatherproof Case.. And still use the On / Off Switch from inside to power the Receptacle.. As for Lighting which covers the Back Deck we'd just use a String of (15) Weatherproof Lights plugged into the GFI Receptacle.. Shouldn't be any problems , Thoughts / Opinions Appreciated...

 

You can replace the circuit breaker in the panel with a GFCI model. You can also find a outlet, indoors that is upstream of your outdoor light and install a GFCI there and wire the outdoor light to it's load side to provide GFCI protection. I personally prefer the circuit breaker route as that's always easy to find if the GFCI trips. With an indoor outlet tripping in can sometimes be a hunt just to find the outlet with the GFCI.