I have a water circulator that worked fine plugged in the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. Currently the GFCI trips anytime the water circulator is plugged in even when the water circulator is turned off. Plugging it while off trips the GFCI. I checked the plug and device, they appear dry. Other devices don’t trip the outlet.
1 Answer
If it's tripping the GFCI it is almost certainly defective. you could ask a second GFCI for a second opinion.
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that depends on how the switch is wired and what form the defect takes.– JasenCommented May 8, 2021 at 10:36
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@AymanKhafagi the GFCI trips if there is an imbalance of current between the line and neutral wires. Basically if more than ~15mA make it back to the source on any path other than the neutral the device trips. If water is not causing a short, simply something else is. A burnt out or overheated motor or heating coil can often be culprit or a stressed crimp, displaced or broken part. If you've dropped it, pinched the cord or yanked hard on the cord recently maybe suspect broken parts. If it was running against a blockage, maybe suspect overheated motor.– K HCommented May 8, 2021 at 12:12
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@Ayman yeah, such a trip is not unusual. GFCIs monitor both hot and neutral wires. Typically the appliance switch only switches the hot. Neutral is still connected. Commented May 8, 2021 at 16:38