"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
...
desgnr wrote:
I just installed a GFI outlet for my Washer & Dryer.
Twice in the last week the outlet was tripped when i went to use the
Washer.
I pushed the Reset & it worked fine for the whole load.
I never had any problems with the Regular outlet i replaced with the GFI
outlet.
Can it be a defective GFI ?

Hi,
Take it out. GFI is not for that kind of application.
Motor creates surge current when starts. It'll trip like that
on and off driving you nuts. Also you don't plug in fridge into
GFI for the same reason.

Not quite.

"Motor surges" don't cause GFCI trips in either washers (including
dishwashers) or fridges.

But what does cause GFCI tripping is water getting on exposed current
carrying conductors.

In a fridge, this sometimes happens when the defrost heater causes water to
run over the heater leads. If your fridge is "ice logged" you can get
water onto the lamp circuit.

In a washer (dish or clothes) it's because of a small LEAK which let some
water go onto the wiring.

My clothes washer(s) (twice replaced) have never tripped the GFCI.

Because the bad consequences of a trip while you are gone for a time, it's
not a good idea to have the ice box on a GFCI but for the washers a tripping
GFCI is a warning that you have some water where it should not be. A word
to the wish should be sufficient.