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I recently remodeled a SoCal home built in 2014. We added some new GFCI outlets and there were already some existing GFCI outlets. There are occasional planned outages here and when the power comes back on, ALL the new GFCI outlets are tripped and need to be reset at the outlet. NONE of the original GFCI outlets are tripped and work just fine. There are no breakers tripped at the circuit box.
Is this normal behavior? Should I call an electrician to investigate?
Certain GFCIs do that on purpose.
First, follow the Q&A here to make sure you didn't install redundant GFCI receptacles.
It is perfectly common for builders to GFCI-protect circuits at the first receptacle rather than at the circuit breaker (GFCI receps are $18; GFCI breakers are $45). Every GFCI has the ability to protect a downline circuit, and indeed that is the ONLY legitimate use of the "Load" terminals.
If eliminating any redundant GFCI receptacles doesn't do the trick, next, let's look at build quality. If these things came off a mail order site (Amazon ahem), they may be cheap counterfeits/knockoffs - look for the familiar "UL" mark or the similar CSA mark, both with a 6-8 digit file number. I must urge you to go through the returns process and get your money back. These counterfeiters will never be punished any other way.
Lastly, that "trip on power failure" behavior is simply a characteristic of certain GFCI devices. They just do that; that's how they're built. In some cases, that can be a desired feature, i.e. it assures that a power interruption is noticed for equipment where that might be a concern, e.g. automated equipment with a powerline-powered clock.
A home built in 2014 will have been built under NEC 2011, which did not yet call for the huge variety of AFCI and GFCI devices required in NEC 2014 edition.
