Electrical wiring trip

[ktulu]

About the most knowledge I have in terms of electricity is how it feels going through you.....not really warm and fuzzy.

Okay, every time my wife plugs in her hair dryer, it trips the outlet. Then she has to reset the outlet. What is causing this? I would really like to get this fixed before she burns the house down...

Thanks,

ktulu

 

[Dark Knight]

About the most knowledge I have in terms of electricity is how it feels going through you.....not really warm and fuzzy.
Okay, every time my wife plugs in her hair dryer, it trips the outlet. Then she has to reset the outlet. What is causing this? I would really like to get this fixed before she burns the house down...

Thanks,

ktulu

It is plugged to the GFI outlet? That might be the reason. The dryer has a motor and everytime the motor starts will draw current in such a way that the GFI might be seeing that as a fault. That is call a start-up or starting current. That momentary current is usually very high for most of motors because it has to create the magnetic field in the motors windings so it can work, and blah...blah...blah...

Try plugging it to a regular outlet. There is no danger in that because the breaker at the Load Center will take care of the protection of the circuit. If your dryer is bad will probably trip that breaker too but I do not think that will happen.

Good Luck!!!!!!

 

[Flyer_PE]

I'm assuming it's a bathroom outlet with GFI.

Do any other appliances trip the GFI?

If not, you may want to consider a new hair dryer. If there is a leakage path to ground inside the dryer (due to moisture maybe), the GFI will trip.

Jim

 

[ktulu]

it is a GFI outlet - right by the sink.

Just plugged in my electric clippers - no problem. So I guess the problem lies in the hair dryer.

Thanks guys...

ktulu

 

[mudpuppy]

Just want to clarify--you said she has to reset the "outlet" which I assume means a button on the outlet itself? If so then then it is a problem with a ground fault (or the GFI itself) as BIO and IFR have covered. If she's having to go to the circuit breaker box then it could be an overload (too many Halloween decorations?).

Edit: Never mind, you just answered this.

Just because I'm anal, I'd also test with something that draws a similar load to the hair dryer, like a vaccuum or maybe a toaster.

 

[ktulu]

Just want to clarify--you said she has to reset the "outlet" which I assume means a button on the outlet itself? If so then then it is a problem with a ground fault (or the GFI itself) as BIO and IFR have covered. If she's having to go to the circuit breaker box then it could be an overload (too many Halloween decorations?).

she has to reset the outlet directly - not the circuit breaker