"RBM" rbm2(remove wrote in message
...
Since we in NY have been having torrential rains lately, I'd guess your
wiring is getting wet and tripping the gfci. Possibly when the ground
water lowers, the unit can be reset. I'd pick a mid point in the string
and remove the fixture and separate the wires and cap them. This will tell
you where in the string the problem exists. You can keep narrowing it down
like this until you find the location of the fault. Also there are special
gel filled wire nuts that can be used which prevent water entry.


"Dave Schwartz" wrote in message
...
I have a series of 5 or 6 120V AC patio lights, controlled by a ground
fault
which has been working fine for years. Now, this season, after 1-2
hours,
the ground fault trips, and I cannot reset it for hours. If there was a
short, it would trip immediately, right? What would be the condition
that
would cause it to trip a few hours later, and then not reset? Thanks

I expect he is correct. You should understand that nothing has to actually
get wet to trip a GFCI; it is not the same as a short. I had an outlet that
would trip my GFCI every time it rained, eventhough it never actually got
wet. Replacing the outlet solved my problem.
So, you have to identify where the problem is; and then repair or replace.