Does anybody know about electricity?

[LizStreithorst]

I had a minor flood this evening during WC.  The GFI which is part the circut breaker tripped.  When this has happened before.  I've always just waited a few minutes, reset the circut breaker and all was right with the world.  This time it has been several hours.  I reset the breaker and it trips immediatly.  This breaker has only one wall of tanks and my overhead lights on it.  I have unplugged everything on that circut and turned off the overhead lights.  The breaker still trips with nothing on it!  The only thing I can figure is that water got into one of the recepticals and the water's electrical conductivity alone is making the breaker trip.  Anyone have any other ideas?

This is no emergency.  I have 4 circuts in my fish room.  It only took a bit of reaching and one extension cord with a 3 plug in thing to take care of the tanks on that wall.  I just wish I new for sure why it's doing like this.  If it's water in the receptical I need to buy some of those plastic plugs for the outlets I'm not using so it won't happen again

[Mugwump]

You can try a hair dryer and blow dry it.....it shouldn't be bad....but???

[JR]

It may have shorted out one of the recepticals. The line will not be hot with the GFI triped. Pull out the recepticals one at a time check for black marks or melted spots on them. if one looks this way replace it.

[Mugwump]

It may have shorted out one of the recepticals. The line will not be hot with the GFI triped. Pull out the recepticals one at a time check for black marks or melted spots on them. if one looks this way replace it.

True..also, while you've pulled it out look for moisture/water...if it got behind the wall, it'll continue to trip....dry it out....even before replacing, if it needs to be...

[LizStreithorst]

It may have shorted out one of the recepticals. The line will not be hot with the GFI triped. Pull out the recepticals one at a time check for black marks or melted spots on them. if one looks this way replace it.

Thank you so much.  I hope that it will reset in the morning or after work tomorrow afternoon.  If it won't, I will do as you suggest.  I'd rather crawl on my back in the dirt under the house with a flashlght doing plumbing, but I know that I won't die doing this electrical repair, and if I can make the repair myself I will save a ton of money.

[BillT]

GFI's can go bad over time or break from abuse. It may need to be replaced.

In general, you maybe able to test it by detaching it from everything thing else it has domain over (cords or other outlets it is controlling) and seeing if it can be reset.

It sounds like it is in a circuit breaker box. If it is, detach the out going wires in the circuit breaker box to separate it from the things that may still have problems and try to reset it. If it is not resetting with no load on it, it is probably busted.

[LizStreithorst]

So far so good this morning.  Fingers crossed that I don't have to be an electrition this week end.

[Mugwump]

Did it reset?....if so, you can give a quick squirt of WD-40 to take the last moisture away, and remove deposits on the contacts....

[LizStreithorst]

It reset and is still working now that I'm home from work.  I'd do the WD40 thing before I start plugging things back in where they belong.  Thanks all for the information.  One day I may need it.  Thankfully, not today.

[Frank The Plumber]

To assume that the power is off because the GFCI tripped is not a safe thing to assume. Especially in a water situation.

In a short circuit situation any number of possible scenarios can make the line hot despite tripping the GFCI at the outlet. Not even factoring in the few scenarios where goofs ran the neutrals to the hots and had the power running through the neutrals on a couple homes I've been in. In that case the pipe as the ground was hot and the neutral was energized. Owww.

Turn off the circuit by switching off the breaker at the panel prior to doing any sort of investigation or any type of trouble shooting. Do not even touch the exterior of the conduit until the breaker is switched off.

A GFCI outlet has a small trip device which can become aged and need to be replaced. When testing the GFCI do not plug the power cord into the outlet with the breaker set. Plug in a radio or other noise maker into the non energized GFCI enable the device and switch the breaker. If the GFCI trips or shorts you will not hear the radio turn on, you will them switch the breaker off and check the GFCI again.

[LizStreithorst]

Frank,  I know that you are trying to save me from going up in a puff of smoke.  My GFI is on the breaker itself.  I'm such a sissy that I will turn off the main before I pull the circut breaker.  I have a fear of electricity.  I will hate this job.  My fish room is only a year old.  A great electrition wired it, but when it came time to put in the recepticals and breakers the great electrition was in the hospital and I had to have an idiot do it.  I'll check it in the morning.  Until then I think I'll just flip the breaker off and stick with my big fine electrical cords.