Toaster tripping GFCI receptacle. New Toaster, new receptacle

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JoeNorm

Senior Member
Location
WA
I got a call asking about a toaster tripping a GFCI. The homeowner replaced the GFCI first, then the toaster after it continued to trip. New toaster still tripping. It is described as intermittent and not always tripping. It is never instantaneous.

Before I go out there I just wanted some ideas. Of course it could be in the wiring somewhere but before I go digging too deep I wanted to make sure it wasn't something obvious I wasn't thinking of. Thanks
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
First thing, I would look in the box that houses the GFCI, without disturbing the wires. Then look and see if the neutral terminal and bare EGC are close enough that they could touch. It could be that they are just close and any movement, such as plugging/unplugging, could cause them to make intermittent contact. Also check any receptacle that may be fed from the GFCI for the same problem.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Ohm out and get a reading between the neutral stab and the ground pin of the toaster. Could be there is contact somewhere in the toaster.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
OP said they replaced the toaster and it still tripped.
I know that. Did they replace it with the same brand?
Perhaps it was the cheapest thing Walmart sold and they just returned it and got a replacement.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Don't most toasters use a solenoid to unlatch the bread carrier at end of cycle?

Maybe inductive kickback causing GFCI to trip?

If it always trips at end of a cycle that would be good sign that this is it.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
Don't most toasters use a solenoid to unlatch the bread carrier at end of cycle?

Maybe inductive kickback causing GFCI to trip?

If it always trips at end of a cycle that would be good sign that this is it.
Most toasters I’ve seen the guts of just have springs and a bi-metal strip on the release latch that lets go when it reaches the temperature. The dial just adjusts the position of the bi-metal strip relative to the release.

But it’s entirely possible that someone makes an overly complicated toaster... There are probably some out there that allow you to adjust the darkness via an ap on your phone and send you a tweet when your toast pops up. My daughter would buy one of those.

As to the GFCI tripping, I’m in the wiring camp. Cut insulation or poor installation.
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
Since it’s random, receptacle and toaster have been replaced, and with the new gfi’s, they will not set if they are wired backwards, either a voltage problem on the line side, or another unknown load on the output side is tripping it.
 
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
Most toasters I’ve seen the guts of just have springs and a bi-metal strip on the release latch that lets go when it reaches the temperature. The dial just adjusts the position of the bi-metal strip relative to the release.

But it’s entirely possible that someone makes an overly complicated toaster... There are probably some out there that allow you to adjust the darkness via an ap on your phone and send you a tweet when your toast pops up. My daughter would buy one of those.

As to the GFCI tripping, I’m in the wiring camp. Cut insulation or poor installation.

I just looked at our toaster a month or so ago. A bit of electronics on a circuit board with a solenoid. Threw it out and wife got a new one. I'm sure it was not expensive but it has more dodads on it then the one before.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
I haven’t had to buy a toaster in 25+ years, I can’t even remember when I bought the one we have and we use it almost every day. Simple is reliable. But as I think about it, the one at my office has an LED display, so that means it has electronics.

Technology for technology”s sake...
 

synchro

Senior Member
Location
Chicago, IL
Occupation
EE
Some toasters don't lift the bread up very much when it's done. So if the bread is short it may entice the user to use a knife or other metal utensil to pull the toast out. If the heating element remains connected to neutral and the toaster has a ground pin on the plug, then the knife could short these two together and trip the GFCI. If that's happening it's likely to be occuring on an intermittent basis, and it would not be very noticeable when it happens except for the click of the GFCI. Also, it fits the symptom that "It is never instantaneous" because it wouldn't be happening when the toaster is turned on or plugged in.
The homeowner would have to be consulted whether the GFCI trips before the toaster releases the bread, or if he's been using a knife sometimes to get at the toast (if he'll admit to it :sneaky: ). I don't know how likely this scenario is but I'm throwing it out there.
 

FionaZuppa

Senior Member
Location
AZ
Occupation
Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
IDR ever seeing a ground pin on a toaster. Not residential, maybe a commercial unit.
I have a resi cuisinart 2slice toaster with digital controls and a up/down motor, it has a nema5 cap cord.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
OK, I had to research toasters now because of this thread.

1597173427819.jpeg
Proprietary InstaGlo heating system with large color touchscreen controls toasts fast, evenly and consistently every time; Toasters are obsolete, SEE VIDEO BELOW TO LEARN WHY
$269 on Amazone.... to make TOAST! I had no idea!

This world is insane...
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Most toasters I’ve seen the guts of just have springs and a bi-metal strip on the release latch that lets go when it reaches the temperature. The dial just adjusts the position of the bi-metal strip relative to the release.

But it’s entirely possible that someone makes an overly complicated toaster... There are probably some out there that allow you to adjust the darkness via an ap on your phone and send you a tweet when your toast pops up. My daughter would buy one of those.

As to the GFCI tripping, I’m in the wiring camp. Cut insulation or poor installation.
I might have been thinking of a commercial toaster I once used to have to service occasionally. pretty sure it had a solenoid to release.
 
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