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GFIC keeps tripping?

6864 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Sean-a-Tron
Hi there,
New owner of pre-owned 2011 Volt.
I installed an outdoor GFCI outlet on a 20a circuit. Attached to this outlet is a load of another GFCI outlet and lightbulb in the garage. Once a week or so, the GFCI trips.
I tried replacing the GFCI with a new 20a GFCI outlet...still tripped.
I tried turning off the switch to the lightbulb and outlet in garage so it's not drawing any power - the outlet tripped again.
Anyone else had this problem? I read other forum posts and tried the suggestion of swapping a new GFCI. I'm wondering if this is an issue with the charger?
Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Isaak
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Attached to this outlet is a load of another GFCI outlet and lightbulb in the garage.
I'm not clear on the meaning of this, but if you are saying one circuit has two GFCI outlets, that is not good. The GFCI should be on the first outlet on the circuit; it will protect downstream outlets.
I confirmed with a licensed electrician that what I did with the GFCI is correct. There are two outdoor outlets on this circuit, so both are required to be GFCI. The other outlet is not in use, so it's essentially a dedicated circuit as stated.

I've read the earlier postings with this issue and the manual states that the EVSE should be on a GFCI.

While I appreciate the responses, I was really looking for feedback if anyone has had this problem and solved it. It seems like the current suggestion is to switch this outdoor outlet to a non-GFCI outlet, which is against code.
To answer your immediate question . . . yes, with the original L1 EVSE, I had a couple random GFCI trips. I was able to solve it . . . I bought an L2 EVSE. Although I don't know for sure, I could easily believe that daisy-chaining GFCI receptacles would exacerbate the problem.

I'm surprised to hear that "the manual states that the EVSE should be on a GFCI." I presume you are talking about the Volt Owner's Manual, and I've checked my '13 manual and see no such reference.

You say the electrician confirmed "that what I did withe the GFCI is correct." What did you do? There is a way to wire a GFCI receptacle such that it protects only that receptacle and nothing downstream. It basically utilizes a pigtail at the line lug on the GFCI to feed the downstream GFCI outlets. It's a clever way to do the wiring but not common. The advantage is that a trip of a GFCI trips only the receptacle into which the offending appliance is plugged -- not an upstream GFCI. You don't have to go searching for the tripped receptacle or the problem device. It is more expensive, has more power usage in standby mode by multiple GFCIs monitoring the same circuit, and, as I say, is not the common method. Usually, downstream outlets (regular, non-GFCI) are fed off of the Load lug of the GFCI and their usage is monitored because the current flows first through the upstream GFCI (not around it).

Finally, I can't help but be shocked (pun intended) if an electrician said multiple outlets on the same circuit cannot be protected by a single GFCI receptacle. If he said that all outlets need to be GFCI protected, we all agree, but that does not require a GFCI receptacle on every outlet.
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