Issues with GFCI and dishwasher


  #1  
Old 06-25-19, 09:35 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 103
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Issues with GFCI and dishwasher

I had my kitchen remodeled nearly a year ago. During this time my dishwasher was plugging into a GFCI under the sink. Recently the gfi started tripping and the dishwasher would not finish a cycle. I figured something in the dishwasher but two different repair guys swore up and down it was due to the dishwasher being plugged into a gfi and not a regular outlet. This is under the sink so i would rather not have a regular outlet there, so instead i thought to change to a new gfi. That didnt resolve the issue, but I read where using the holes for wires instead of the screws MAY cause this type of issue. So I installed the original gfi using the screws and not the holes in the back. Using the holes was originally the way the electrician wired it up.

Now for reasons I dont understand, the gfi is tripping when the dishwasher is not in use, or possibly at the very end of the cycle. Dont quite have it figured.

Questions. Is there really something to this concept of using a standard outlet vs using a gfi? I dont think so but I am not an electrician, but neither are the dishwasher repair guys.

Any other thoughts about this? Thanks!
 
  #2  
Old 06-25-19, 10:08 AM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,928
Received 3,947 Upvotes on 3,540 Posts
On a standard receptacle..... the holes in the back for wiring are called push-ins or stabs. It's just a friction fit. With a GFI receptacle..... the holes in the back allow the wires to go under a plate that the screw tightens against. Those holes are perfectly acceptable to use. This method is used to keep the screws tighter to the unit. When you wrap the wire around the screw.... typically it's too wide to fit comfortably in the box without shorting.

Usually when a dishwasher starts to trip a GFI circuit it's because the heating element gets a leak to ground in it.
 
  #3  
Old 06-25-19, 12:27 PM
D
Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Southern Arizona
Posts: 139
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
There are more than one kind of GFCI. There is the common outlet to protect people trips around 5 miliamps of current. WHICH HATE MOTORS. Then there is another ground fault for protecting equipment, around 30 miliamps of current. The easy fix is to remove your offending outlet and replace it with a 20 amp model available at any box store or hardware store. The correct way is to contact someone at a electrical supply store, not an big box store. Purchase a equipment ground fault receptacle.
Say thank you to your contractor for not knowing the difference.
 
  #4  
Old 06-25-19, 08:35 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,976
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
The latest codes require the gfi protection.

The UL standard leakage amount for motors should be below the trip level of a 5mA gfi device.
 
  #5  
Old 06-26-19, 04:20 AM
Geochurchi's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,074
Received 161 Upvotes on 147 Posts
Drangd, What is the mfg.# for this GFCI with the 30 ma. rating ? It would appear that these types of devices are not intended for this use, best option would be to find the problem and correct it.
https://legacy-uploads.ul.com/wp-con...iveDevices.pdf
Geo
 

Last edited by Geochurchi; 06-26-19 at 05:37 AM.
CasualJoe voted this post useful.
  #6  
Old 06-26-19, 06:17 PM
CasualJoe's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 9,871
Received 185 Upvotes on 166 Posts
The easy fix is to remove your offending outlet and replace it with a 20 amp model available at any box store or hardware store. The correct way is to contact someone at a electrical supply store, not an big box store. Purchase a equipment ground fault receptacle.

No manufacturer makes a 30 mA trip GFCI receptacle, they are all 4-6 mA trip. The only way to get the 30 mA trip is to buy a 30 mA trip GFCI breaker from a supply house, but that wouldn't meet code for a dishwasher. The GFCI receptacle does not need to be 20 amp rated, a 15 amp rated is all that is needed or required.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: