Oh My! FIRE!

I had the same problem for no reason with one of the plug-in GFCI's. Need to get the outlet replaced with a good one probably.

 

Alright. I was hoping to avoid a permanent one, but I'll try. I'm worried that it will trip all the time too, because the one in my garage trips allll the time for no reason.

 

I also worry about this. I am often away from my house for a week at a time, and I would be all different kinds of pissed if it tripped while I was gone, and it was 24+ hours before it was discovered by my cat and fish sitter, and my tank crashed.

 

pay the electrician to be sure it's done right, and have him check out that other circuit as well, sounds like a loose conection somewhere.

 

As complex a task GFCIs perform, their design is pretty simple. Current comes in on the "hot," and returns to the source on the neutral. There is ordinarily no disparity between these two wires. When a disparity exceeding 4 mA exists, the GFCI senses this and opens the circuit (no current may flow). This all happens in 1/40th of an electrical cycle: about 25 milliseconds. You can get shocked, but you will not be electrocuted.

If a GFCI is nuisance tripping, rest assured it's not for "no reason." There is a problem somewhere in the circuit.

The inconvenience is a pain to be sure, but you should know that the vast majority of GFCI users, take me for example, has their entire system plugged into a GFI circuit and has never experienced a trip.

 

So how would you recommend tracking down what is causing the problem. Each one of my MH trips the GFI. They can run for hours with no issues. Sometimes it would trip while they were starting. It makes no sense.

 

Is the halide fixture a retro fit, or factory?

 

Reefsparky is absolutely correct. I had the same problem...high dollar GFI strip would trip so I installed outlets and they would trip. Turned out to be a good thing because the problem was in the house wiring on that circuit and could have potentially caused a fire that would have surely burned the house to the ground. Since the electicians were in the house rewiring anyway I just had them add 2 new breakers and circuits just for my tanks.

 

My lights are what kept tripping the GFCI too. Every time I would turn the light on, the GFCI would trip....

 

I wonder if you are exceeding the rated capacity of the GFCI. I am not sure if they will trip when current goes higher than the rated amount but, how many watts or amps do your lights pull, and what is the GFCI rated for?