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Q. Please help me with an ongoing electrical problem related to lighting outdoor Christmas displays through a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
Two years ago a new garage addition was completed to my home. An outdoor electrical outlet was installed on each side of the garage door with an indoor switch so that Christmas lighting could be switched on and off without an outdoor trip. Naturally, these are GFCI outlets (reset button is on one unit which controls both outlets) with plastic hinged cases to cover them but cannot be in the closed position while in use. They work fine for the intended purpose— protecting people using electrical equipment in potentially hazardous (wet) conditions. For Christmas lighting, they have been a continual problem.
Whenever it rains, the GFCI trips the circuit and the light display will not operate for a day or so until the lines/cords dry out. On a rainy night this year, it happened again. As a temporary solution the next day, I ran a cord to an outlet inside the home until the warmth of current passing through the lines seemed to dry them out before reattaching the cord to the GFCI. The GFCI would still not reset until I used a hair dryer to warm and dry it. Things were fine until the next rainy evening—same problem but, that time, my previous efforts failed--nothing worked to allow the GFCI to reset. There is no tension on the reset button—just springs back and forth and will still not reset. My conclusion is that the problem has burned out or destroyed the GF CI. In addition, there is no power for any of the outlets located inside the garage—all must be wired through the GFCI circuit.
It appears that the GFCI must be replaced. Before I have that done, I’d like to know whether my conclusion is correct and also what can be done to avoid the seemingly incompatible problem of exterior lights (naturally subject to various weather condition s) with a GFCI intended to prevent such a situation. I have heard of other people having similar problems. I’ve tried protecting cord connections and the GFCI with plastic etc. to keep them dry without success.
A. I know the holidays are over and you’ve probably safely tucked those light strings away until next year but I have to speak up and warn about the dangers of what you did so that you or anyone else doing what you did will survive to see the new year.
My sense is that the light strings you were using were not intended for exterior use. Check the packaging and/or read the instructions that came with the lights carefully to see if the manufacturer has labeled the string as approved for exterior locations. It must specifically say they’re deigned for exterior use or don’t use them outside. Also, check for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL®) label-- if they don’t have one don’t use them.
They do manufacture weather tight exterior outlet/receptacle covers that can accommodate a cord plugged in and close snug. Any well stocked hardware or electrical supply store will carry them.
When a GFCI trips open it’s doing its job and its job, as you note, is to protect you. You may have had damaged cords or connectors that caused the GFCI to trip. By connecting your outside lights to an unprotected interior outlet to “dry” them out scares me because doing that quite frankly overrode the safety intent of the GFCI being where it is. Had you handled the strings while so energized you could have been electrocuted. There is a reason why any exterior outlet must be GFCI protected and your life is that reason.
Now that the GFCI wont reset take a look first in the electrical panel box to see if somehow the breaker feeding those outlets has tripped open. Since the garage is an addition it’s possible those outlets are on their own circuit and it’s tripped. If a GFCI has no power to it the test and reset buttons don’t work. And the other outlets inside the garage are required to be GFCI protected unless dedicated for a refrigerator or freezer. The ceiling outlet that powers the automatic garage door opener and the power to overhead lights don’t have to be protected.
If in fact you’ve somehow fried that GFCI by using those strings, do yourself a favor and, after you’ve fixed the problem, don’t use those strings anymore. A tripping GFCI is trying to tell you something and not paying attention to it can have lethal results.