TransWikia.com

Whole House GFCI Trips In Cold Weather

Home Improvement Asked by Buadhai on March 7, 2021

Note that this is in Thailand where there are no rules.

My home has a main breaker which includes a GFCI. Recently the breaker has started to trip when it gets cold. (This is Thailand. Cold means around 20ºC or about 68ºF).

I have isolated this to one circuit. When I turn that circuit off, the main no longer trips. I have tried unplugging everything on that circuit and turning all the lights off. It still trips at night when it’s cool. The next morning when I turn that circuit back on, all is well. If the nights are warm, the breaker doesn’t trip.

Any ideas?

Breaker Box

Horrible Wiring

One Answer

Condensation

Some part of the circuit - a receptacle, switch, or junction of some sort - has a very minor ground fault. It is OK when warm and dry. When the air cools at night down to the dew point, water condenses. It bridges the ground fault and enough current flows through to trip the GFCI.

With one quick search, I found a current dew point in Bangkok of 60 F. It will vary a bit by day, time and location, but that isn't far off from the 68 F you noted.

The only solution is to check every single junction in the problem circuit. In particular look for any bare wire (except grounds), loose wire nuts or signs of corrosion. You can rule out, initially, any light fixtures, since you have the problem even when they are off. However, wires often go through those boxes on the way to other parts of the circuit, so the problem may be there too. You may have multiple sources of the problem, though since all your other circuits are OK, there is a good chance there is just one problem area.

Correct answer by manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact on March 7, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP