GFCI: what do you do when a fault is triggered

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Jun 22, 2015
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In the US, it's mandatory to use GFCI outlet in the garage. Used server/switch power supplies seem to be very prone to trigger faults on my 20A GFCI outlet.. In all cases if I plug them into old non-GFCI 15A outlet everything is fine. What do you do in this case: move to non-GFCI and forget about it? Or ditch the power supply?
I have asked an electrician to look at the outlet and he said the problem is with my power supplies.
Or do you simply ask electricians to install non-GFCI outlets? I guess most of them would be reluctant to do this for liability reasons.
Another thing I want to add that for the power supplies that trigger GFCI, I tend to see sparks when I plug them into the PDU.
 

Blinky 42

Active Member
Aug 6, 2015
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It sounds like your power supplies are sketchy and need to be replaced, or something in the server/switch is leaking current to the ground lead causing them to trip (open it up and see if there are any damaged components, lots of dust etc?). Do you have a pdu/power strip in there or the equipment directly connected to the outlet? Might be that or even the supply cord.
 
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Jun 22, 2015
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The APC link is very interesting. I have UPSes directly attached to the outlets. Maybe that explains the enhanced sensitivity to the ground leak. In my case the trigger could happen even with just the IPMI on in the middle of night. I have a hp server with 4 PSs, and I replaced two of them over time so that they don't trip with one of them replaced after a few months of use.
I have a brocade icx6610 that also trips. And I simply moved it to the non-GFCI outlet because I can't find cheap PSs for it like HP.
So it might be a combination of UPS and component leaking and they could be just normal behavior?
 

Blinky 42

Active Member
Aug 6, 2015
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I have several APC UPS's that are on GFCI outlets / breakers without issue.
It could indeed be a combo of the UPS and equipment that is causing the problems - anything that leaks current could trip it.
 

pcmoore

Active Member
Apr 14, 2018
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New England, USA
Another point to keep in mind is that it is possible to hang multiple non-GFCI outlets off a single GFCI outlet such that the GFCI outlet provides protection for the non-GFCI outlets. It's an easy way for the builder to save a little money and while they are supposed to mark the non-GFCI outlet as being GFCI protected (retail packaged GFCI outlets often come with stickers) I personally haven't regularly seen them marked as such.

It might be that the non-GFCI outlet you are using is actually hanging off the GFCI outlet which is causing you problems; so even though you think you've moved the equipment to a different outlet you haven't from a GFCI perspective.