GFCI help please

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

Rick is traveling through New York, so I can't call him, so any help here would be appreciated!

I have a "safety thing" in my shed that I think is called a GFCI~something. It actually plugs into the regular electrical outlet and has 4 places to then plug things into.

I use it for a heater and a light in the window and that way if the heater kicks off from an overload, I can tell because the light in the window goes out.

So, 2 questions. Do those go bad? And what exactly are they called?

My heater is kicking off and I'm thinking it is the safety thing rather than the heater.

I want to replace it, but can't find one, because I don't know what it's called.

jagermeister · Feb 27, 2013

GFCI = ground fault circuit interrupter... I think.

Yes, it's a safety thing. And yes, it could go bad. Is it possible that there are too many things plugged into it and the circuit is overloaded? Or is it just the heater that's plugged in?

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

Just the heater and a night light. It's been working fine for 2 years and suddenly is kicking off, but the heater is brand new. One of those energy efficient infrared heaters.

Well, brand new in that I have used the heater for not quite 2 months.

jagermeister · Feb 27, 2013

Here ya go...
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question117.htm

"A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit. It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second."

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

That's it, but not quite. This one didn't have to be wired. Instead it plugs into the electrical outlet, then I plug the heater into it.

I tried a search (lowe's and Walmart) and can't find one, but I think that's because I don't know the name for it. I wanted to ask my son to pick one up, but I don't know what to tell him to look for.

Dannmann801 · Feb 27, 2013

got a picture of it?

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

I'll go take one...........

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

Well, I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words! Seems the name was actually on it. <<embarrassed icon here!>>

So, here's a link to the Lowe's page, seems they do have it. I'm going to replace it just in case, but does anyone know if they do go bad? I've used this one for over 2 years and the heater itself is only a couple of month old.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_223791-3353...&currentURL=?Ntt=shock+buster+gfci&facetInfo=

Sorry guys, just in a slight panic here!

jagermeister · Feb 27, 2013

Does the heater have a built in thermostat? My guess is that the heater kicking on and off is what's tripping the GFCI.

hickslawns · Feb 27, 2013

I am far from an electrician so i will stay out of the "suggestion department." I do have one question for you Diane: Does it feel pretty good knowing you have a resource of people you can ask "guy questions" to when Rick is out of town? lmao

Guess I never thought about this before, but you essentially have a darn near endless supply of guys you can seek out for questions like this when Rick is out of town. I say endless only because if the guys on TOO can't figure out a solution for a problem like this then you are probably screwed anyway. lol

Outdoorsfellar · Feb 27, 2013

I am not an electrician, but I've slept in a Holiday Inn, so I'm qualified to answer this. Chances are, the plug in went bad, so try taking it back to Lowes & have them look at it. OR, try changing to a different light. Those are my two TOO advises for the day.

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

jagermeister said:
Does the heater have a built in thermostat? My guess is that the heater kicking on and off is what's tripping the GFCI.

Yes. When it heats up, then a fan blows the heat out. When I went out to take a picture, I barely, barely brushed the GFCI thing with my finger and it tripped. So I'm thinking (hoping!) the GFCI is not working properly and when the fan turns on, it is causing the GFCI to go out, except only on occasion as it turns on and off all day and night and it's only tripping every day or so. I've been using this set-up for a couple of years and never had a problem before now, so I'll replace the GFCI and hope to h*ll that's the problem.

Does it feel pretty good knowing you have a resource of people you can ask "guy questions" to when Rick is out of town?

Yes it does! You guys came to mind immediately!

ickle:

Ricer2231 · Feb 27, 2013

The GFCI is just like anything else Diane, it can go bad. I would just tell your son to pick one up at Lowes for ya and try it. I guess the best way to tell him what to get is maybe it would be called an add on GFCI that just plugs into an existing plug. And maybe text him a picture of it too to show the guy at Lowes. Sorry, that's about all I can tell ya.

Dannmann801 · Feb 27, 2013

We use a lot of those "power strip" extension cords in our office that have the GFCI feature (which is essentially the same thing). Electrician told us that they should be replaced sometimes as that gfci thing can go bad after tripping a few times. The cord still works, but the gfci can't be relied upon.

So it could be that you just need a new gfci outlet

Or not. hell, I don't know for sure. But that's probably the cheapest place to start

Outdoorsfellar · Feb 27, 2013

Also, if you need any further assistance, such as deciding what beer to buy, what type of pizza to order or whether to leave the toilet seat up or down, we've got `ya covered.

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

Thanks, guys.

My son is going to pick me up a new one after work. Hopefully that will correct the problem.

I am not an electrician, but I've slept in a Holiday Inn, so I'm qualified to answer this.

I've never stayed at a Holiday Inn, which now explains why I didn't know the answer! :smiley_crocodile:

RedCloud · Feb 27, 2013

Sounds like you have a bad "power strip" and that is also known as a surge protector. You should be able to find those just about anywhere.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_90827-66906...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=power+strips&facetInfo=

They come in all kinds of colors and different amounts of open plug spots so you just need to find a small 4-6 slot one to plug into the main outlet.

Beentown · Feb 27, 2013

GFI's can go bad but so can the electric heaters. When they fail they become erratic in the amount of amps they pull which will trip a GFI.

jagermeister · Feb 27, 2013

Outdoorsfellar said:
Also, if you need any further assistance, such as deciding what beer to buy, what type of pizza to order or whether to leave the toilet seat up or down, we've got `ya covered.

Funny stuff right there! ^^^ lmao

Beentown said:
GFI's can go bad but so can the electric heaters. When they fail they become erratic in the amount of amps they pull which will trip a GFI.

That was kind of my line of thinking as well. I think it could easily be either component... the heater or the GFCI. The easy solution is replace whichever one is cheapest (in this case, the GFCI) and see if the problem is resolved. If not, you'll know it's the heater and you can just return the new GFCI.

I guess there's a small chance it could also be the power supply going to the GFCI, but the other two scenarios are more likely.

Diane · Feb 27, 2013

I think it could easily be either component... the heater or the GFCI.

My new heater had been designated as a stored back-up heater in case the other one went bad. Close to 2 months ago, the breaker kicked twice, so I started using the new heater.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe it was the GFCI starting to act up then. Seems funny that 2 heaters would do that, when I have been using this set-up for a couple of years. Hopefully, I'll know for sure in a few days.

GFCI help please

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