I just got a fridge for the garage...its an older one that I picked up for $25 in a yard sale....I'm not sure if it's safe or not .....when I plug it into ANY GFCI outlet in the garage it immediately trips......when its not on a GFCI it works beautiful....it is on concrete.....I heard that may trip it and to put a piece of carpet under it???....I really dont wanna go grab my first beer out of the sucker and get a surprise shock if there is a ground fault on it or something and I happen to be leaning on the sink or something with my other hand....I think if I test volts from a ground to the frame of the fridge ill get my answer just not sure if theres more to it than that.....thanks Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Not an electrical guy, but know enough to be dangerous. The fridge may be fine, but drawing too much load. Try and turn the cold settings to warmest position and see if the GFI takes the load. If it works, turn the temp down gradually and you owe me a cold one.
Deal man....it was on almost the highest setting so ill give that a try and let you know Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
It's not drawing too much load, that's not the purpose of a GFI. You likely have a small current to ground, this will happen even if its the neutral. Sometimes older appliances just dont get along with GFI's. It may or may not be a hazard, but I would try to find the problem.
What else is on the GFI circuit? Is it there for code reasons. (Is it within 6 feet of a water source or where it may become sprayed?) Any ground sensing will trip a GFI and there may be a slight amount in the fridge but I would first trust the GFI. You may have a problem with the neutral (white wire) in your fridge plug whereby the case ground has become the primary grounding source. They sell circuit low-cost testers at Lowes that you can simply plug in and the lights tells you whether the wiring is correct at the house. If that checks good. I would check the plug. they sometimes get damaged under the insulation.
One other thing to think about.....how cold does it get in your garage ? If it gets very cold, the refrigerator may not work 100% in the winter. Don't ask me how I know, just trust me.
The requirements are usually within 6 feet of a water source or potential for spraying with fluids such as in an unfinished garage. You may have a defective GFI but I too would be cautious of going to plain circuitry.
Debating.......the warmest setting still kicked it so not sure whats going on yet.....opinions are basically 50/50 with people ive talked to (including professionals) between the gfi shouldnt be a problem so fridge is not safe and has a ground fault that will only get worse-get rid of it to just keep it plugged in the regular outlet if it works fine there (which it does)....when I get some time ill take a look and see of anything looks out of place or chewed up as far as wires go...if there is ill fix it and give it a try....im thinkin on the side of the GFI is there for a reason so if I dont see anything wrong I may look into a newer one Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
I've had issues with GFCI's before that would nuisance trip. After replacing them with a newer one, everything was fine.
