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I am original owner of 1986 house where the refrigerator was put on kitchen GFCI as it is 5' from the sink. I lived there 25 years and never had the GFCI trip for any reason. I had GE fridge, then Whirlpool fridge, then Samsung fridge.

18 months ago I gutted the house to bare studwalls and renovated it for a rental. With the walls open I had an electrician inspect the panel and all wiring, and had him replace all the GFCIs just because of age. I also asked him about a dedicated non-protected circuit for the fridge but he said it wasn't allowed because of being 5' from the sink. So he left it on the GFCI.

The first renters experienced one nuisance trip in over a year of renting, no idea if their fridge or something else caused it. The new renters' fridge, however, is tripping the GFCI several times a day (we have narrowed it down to the fridge). Their fridge is less than 10 years old and works fine on an extension cord to non-protected outlet as a temporary measure to preserve their food.

I'm replacing the GFCI just because it has been tripped so much. I doubt the existing GFCI is faulty but I guess we'll see after I replace it. If the new GFCI continues to trip, is there anything else I can do for them? Thank you for your help.

EDIT to add: The fridge is on the last outlet in the circuit. In other posts I saw mention of a "snubber" - is that something I can add to the fridge's outlet and would it help stop the fridge from tripping the GFCI?

Kat
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1 Answers1

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  • Replace it:

When you replace it use a different brand. In a quick search at Big Orange, I see mostly Leviton and some Legrand. Big Blue mostly Eaton. Big Green mostly Legrand and Smart Electrician (house brand?). Pick something of a different brand and, preferably, as little "smarts" as possible, though since they all (or nearly all) now have self-test, there are always some smarts in there. And then hope for the best. The big unknown is whether it is a truly faulty refrigerator or an overzealous GFCI.

  • Get rid of it:

This is where you run into a code issue, as you know. But at 5' away, is there any place that would be just over 6' where you could mount a receptacle? That would likely be the easiest fix.

Now one catch is "renter". In most places, a landlord can't do their own electrical work. I can see the argument for extremely simple stuff - e.g., straight receptacle swap. But certainly adding a receptacle at a different location (whether new circuit or chained off an old circuit) is "real work", which means that legally you most likely need to call a licensed electrician to do the work. $$$

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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