Gfci Gfi Outlet
My refrigerator trips the GFI (GFCI)?
It only happened after we connected the copper water line.
The fridge has been in use for 2 months with no problem, until now.
I reconfigured the wiring so that the outlet behind the fridge is not gf(c)i, now it works fine.
I tested the case of the fridge to see if it had any voltage potential and, of course, it doesn't.
I put an ammeter around the copper supply line and couldn't see any current.
Any thoughts on why this happened?
Incidentally, it's an old sub-zero, but new to us.
I neglected to mention that none of the circuits in the place are grounded (old apartment complex), so I added gfci protection in most places.
I will take a guess and will dispel some misinformation also.
There is a good chance that the water pipes are being used as the main grounding means by your service. That is how it used to be done 'back in the day'. You may not even have grounding rods (as is required in most installations today). I'm guessing that when you connected the copper water pipe, you gave the chassis of the fridge a better ground path through the pipe than it had through the receptacle, which was none. Although a GFI receptacle is a code-approved receptacle replacement when no grounding means is available, it still does not provided a ground. Hence the requirement that such a receptacle be labeled as "no equipment ground". This is probably enough to make the GFI believe that there is a problem, although there may not be. The starting of the compressor can also cause nuisance trips of a GFI.
Contrary to other answers, (although it is not a bad idea and I have done it many times myself) there is not a NEC requirement that your fridge be on a dedicated circuit (sorry, but every now and then, someone in this forum makes this claim. I'll admit to getting a little irritated when people take personal opinions or rumors and pass them off as Code. If someone thinks I am wrong, please cite the proper section of the NEC for me.). As long its receptacle is not also serving the kitchen countertop, there is no requirement that it be GFI protected either. You just cannot put a standard grounded receptacle (3-prong) into this location (legally). To do it right, put a non-grounding (2-prong) receptacle in (yes, they can still be found) and use an adapter. This is a short-term solution.
In the long term, you probably should consider having some new circuits added at the very least. Probably should be looking into a re-wire, since your wiring is now at least 50-60yrs old. The insulation, back then, was nowhere near as good as todays and is, very likely, quite degraded.
EDIT:
Although not quite quoted correctly from the NEC itself, I do know of the exception that Kristen is referring to. Unfortunately, the 2008 edition of the NEC removed this exception. It no longer applies.
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Resetting GFCI Outlet
