Noisy GFCI

[wmccall]

We had a power failure Sunday night.  Since it came back I 've noticed by GFCI- disconnect box is humming and in the last 24 hours has begun to hum reallly loudly. Thoughts?

[stuart]

Have you tried to shut it all of the way off and back on again? You might not have gotten a good lock on both sides of the breaker when you turned it on. Otherwise it's probably time to change it.

[Drewski]

Uhhh, don't get in your spa?

Sure would like to see you make 2000...

Drewski

[HotTubMan]

Better yet, throw your neighbors cat in and if it starts crackling & popping you will know there is a problem with your gfci and as a bonus,  Krispy Kitty is gooood eatin'.

If there is a line, I'm sure you didn't see it as you crossed it.

[salesdvl]

I just got a call from Green Peace and they didn't appreciate the Deep Fried Cat comment I said, so I deleted it.  I don't have anything personally against animals.  I eat Starkist tuna cuz they dont catch dolphins in their nets.  
IM SORRY.  

[Chas]

Mr. WMcCall - Sir,

If I recall correctly, your box was made by Connecticut Swith and Electric, which oddly enough is in Washington State.  I would call their tech support. They have east coast hours.  This brand of contactor has failed quite a bit and they may have run out of replacements.  Seems to me that yours has lasted quite a bit longer than most of the others, but even though you have made it through the warranty they might be talked into sending you a replacement free of charge, if you mention my name.  The bad part is they will have to send you a non-exact replacement so you'll l have to drill a couple of holes and crimp on a couple of spade lugs, but they are speaking your language, "FREE."

[Brewman]

I loved the "sir" part.   The Mr. part was nice, too.

You're really trying not to get on the bad side of the new moderator, aren't you Chas?!
Brewman

[Chas]

I loved the "sir" part.   The Mr. part was nice, too.

You're really trying not to get on the bad side of the new moderator, aren't you Chas?!
Brewman

Too obvious, ya think?

[HotTubMan]

I just got a call from Green Peace and they didn't appreciate the Deep Fried Cat comment I said, so I deleted it.  I don't have anything personally against animals.  I eat Starkist tuna cuz they dont catch dolphins in their nets.  
IM SORRY.  

Greenpeice acknowledges your withdrawal and has cancelled tommorrows scheduled picket outside of your store.

HTM

[wmccall]

Mr. WMcCall - Sir,

You have a relay in that box, and it may settle down and shut up if you reset it a few times. First - and this is important - hit the "test" button to be sure that your GFI protection is intact. If so, try testing/resetting several times - listening each time until the relay is quiet. If it doesn't  go silent by time you have reset a dozen times, call the tech.

I'll take a look at that tonight.  Two days in the hospital and trying to get caught up with two jobs and waiting in line 2 hours to vote has me a bit overwhelmed this week.

[salesdvl]

WMC, just remember that no matter how hectic it is when you leave the hospital it is always better than the alternative.  

[wmccall]

Ok, I did find out that the contactor coil had some moisture in it and was rusting.  I bought the whole GFCI/disconnect from Spa Depot.com back in Feb '03.   The box was made by Connecticut Swith and Electic, which oddly enough is in Washington State.   I called at 9am eastern today, just to see if their tech support  had east coast hours, which they did.  Apparently this brand of contactor has failed quite a bit and they have run out of replacements.  Mine lasted quite a bit longer than most of the others, so even though I made it through the warranty they are sending me a replacement free of charge.  The bad part is they have to send me a non-exact replacement and I will have to drill a couple of holes and crimp on a couple of spade lugs, but they are speaking my language, FREE.

[windsurfdog]

Though it may be a bit inconvenient at times, this certainly makes a case for housing the GFCI in conditioned space, a la the electrical panel.

Glad you got some excellent service, TERMINATOR.....er......I mean, wm.....

[newtotubbing]

Please make sure that you can use spade conncetors on this type of service.  I have never seen crimp on conncters used in home wiring.  I use them on my boat, which is required by the USCG but have never seen them used in a home.

Just a thought.

Jonathan

[Chas]

Please make sure that you can use spade conncetors on this type of service.  I have never seen crimp on conncters used in home wiring.  I use them on my boat, which is required by the USCG but have never seen them used in a home.

Just a thought.

Jonathan

YES - required when you put a multi-strand wire into a screw terminal. Solder type connector is best for high-amperage circuits, but nobody seems to bother any more these days...