GFCI tripping
 

In my kitchen, my espresso machine is making the GFCI trip. When
plugging something else (such as toaster), it doesn't trip.
Also, plugging the espresso machine to another GFCI in my kitchen, it
doesnt' trip neither.
So is it due to the espresso machine or shall I just change the GFCI ?

thanks.

Fred.

If the machine doesn't cause another GFCI to trip, assuming that the second
GFCI is working properly, I'd have to assume the first GFCI is at fault and
would change it
"fredinstl" wrote in message
oups.com...
In my kitchen, my espresso machine is making the GFCI trip. When
plugging something else (such as toaster), it doesn't trip.
Also, plugging the espresso machine to another GFCI in my kitchen, it
doesnt' trip neither.
So is it due to the espresso machine or shall I just change the GFCI ?

thanks.

Fred.

fredinstl wrote:

In my kitchen, my espresso machine is making the GFCI trip. When
plugging something else (such as toaster), it doesn't trip.
Also, plugging the espresso machine to another GFCI in my kitchen, it
doesnt' trip neither.
So is it due to the espresso machine or shall I just change the GFCI ?

thanks.

Fred.


Assuming the expresso machine is sitting on a nonconductive countertop
and it trips the GFCI as soon as you plug it in without you or anything
else touching it....

If it has a two prong plug it's probably the GFCI.

If it has a three prong plug it's probably the machine.

Like the previous poster said, try it on another GFCI, but not just
another outlet controlled by the same GFCI.

HTH,

Jeff



--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

Assuming the expresso machine is sitting on a nonconductive countertop
and it trips the GFCI as soon as you plug it in without you or anything
else touching it....

If it has a two prong plug it's probably the GFCI.

If it has a three prong plug it's probably the machine.

Like the previous poster said, try it on another GFCI, but not just
another outlet controlled by the same GFCI.


My guess is that the GFCI is OK and you have leakage either in the
downstream wiring or one of the appliances connected to the circuit.

GFCI's are calibrated to fairly tight tolerances and it just sounds
like it is working correctly and doing its job.

Remember, there are two ways a GFCI will trip.

1. A current difference in the hot and neutral wire of .005 A or
more.

2. A downstream connection between the neutral wire and the ground
wire.

Many are unaware of condition #2, but this is the reason that there is
a 2nd toroidal transformer in the GFCI. Another safety feature.

Beachcomber

Fred,

I see two possible situation:

1) The problem GFCI is defective and needs replacement.

2) That GFCI is protecting other downstream circuits and
is detecting some minor GF problems from downstream.
The espresso machine may then become the "straw
that breaks the camel's back." GFs are accumulative
and the GFCI is effectively summing all of the GFs on
circuits that it controls. Note that the GFs may be
real problems or just so-called "nuisance" GFs.

Somebody really needs to market a plug-in device which measures
the level of GF for any device plugged into it. If anybody is aware of
a reasonably priced device that does this, please let me know before
I start building one.

Such a device should be pretty easy to put together with a portable
GFCI, a 120V outlet splitter which makes it possible to plug 2 loads
into the portable GFCI, a potentiometer for inducing a variable and
measurable GF, a fixed value resistor to limit the induced GF level,
a multimeter for a one-time calibrating of the potentiometer, etc.

Fred, you probably should buy or borrow a GFCI tester which has
user selectable GF settings. MCM Electronics sells such devices
and I'm certain that there are many others who sell this item. This
makes it possible to test your problem GFCI and to determine what
level of GF plugged into that GFCI will trip it. You can perform the
same test for the other GFCI in your kitchen.

Also, remember that GFCI units are relatively inexpensive and very
easy to replace. I paid $4.49 each for the most recent batch that
I purchased. To simply replace the GFCI and see what happens
may be the most pragmatic approach.

Let us know what you discover. We all appreciate the feedback.

Good luck,
Gideon

thanks for your responses.
I installed a new GFCI, and it was still tripping.
I then tried again to plug it into the other plug I tried before, and I
realized it actually wasn't a GFCI (I couldn't see it as it was behind
a 2 - 6 plug adaptor :-( Being in the kitchen, I just assumed it was
GFCI, but it wasn't).
So now I know my espresso machine is at fault.
I opened the expresso machine, tied all connectors I could find, tried
it again, and it made the GFCI tripped.
Next thing I tried: changed the cord. I had one at home, so simple
enough. One thing I wasn't sure about is that it had blue, brown and
yellow-green cables (the espresso is made in Italy), but the cord I had
was the typical black, white and ground.
I connected in: black/brown, white/blue and yellow-green/ground (found
that info on the internet)
When plugged in, it doesnt' trip anymore. However, if I activate the
pump, it trips again.
Any idea before I take it to repair. I probably should do that, but I
bought it used on ebay, not exactly for cheap, and sent it to repair
about 5 months ago (they cleaned everything), so my 10 years old
machine already cost me more than a new one :-(
I would hate to fork another $100 on it...

thanks in advance. Fred