1st year, Local 1. Last week my journeyman had me do the water and drain on a dishwasher in a Bay Ridge apartment, the electrician did the circuit. Customer called back: it runs through wash and rinse fine, then the GFCI trips on the heated dry. Electrician says it's the appliance. Customer's blaming us because we were the last ones under there lol.
Is there any way a water connection trips a GFCI, or is this not our problem?
Electrical Contractor · 22 years · Monmouth County, NJ
Mentor✓ Accepted answer
Honestly the dry-cycle detail is the clue. Heat makes a failing element leak, and heat plus a little water in a box makes a GFCI unhappy. Look at your fitting first because it's free: dry the whole area, run a cycle with the kick plate off, flashlight on the connection. If it's bone dry and it still trips on heat, it's the appliance and the customer calls the manufacturer. Either way, nobody bypasses the GFCI.
Electrical inspector (former contractor) · 26 years · Ocean County, NJ
Mentor
It can absolutely be your problem without being your circuit. A GFCI trips when current leaks to ground. Two common causes on a new dishwasher: the heating element leaking current once it gets hot, which is the appliance, and water getting into the junction box under the front, which can be a weeping supply fitting right above it.
My uncle tapes the threaded side of the dishwasher elbow (never the compression side) and checks it with a paper towel after the first fill. The paper towel shows drips you can't see.
1st-year apprentice, Plumbers · 1 year · Brooklyn, NY
update: went back with my journeyman. elbow was weeping right onto the j-box. redid it, ran two full cycles, no trip. so yeah it was us lol. paper towel trick is going in my bag
had a callback like this in cherry hill... the elbow on the supply was weeping onto everything, you couldn't see it unless the kick plate was off and it was running