I'm currently remodling my basement. As such, I have had to move my rack of servers (4 dell servers, 2 pc's, 2 APC SmartUPS 1000VA UPS'es) out into the garage, until my basement office is finished. I have a 20A circuit servicing the garage, with a faceless GFCI (you may recall this from another of my posts) between the panel and all the outlet runs. Originally this circuit was feeding outlets inside the basement, so no GFCI was requried, but once the carport was enclosed, I simply flipped the outlet boxes in the stud bay to point into the garage, hence the need for GFCI protection - but while I was waiting for them to arrive, I left the circuit live, commenting to the inspector that this was technically "old-work" and that the GFCI that I wanted was on order and would be in place by final (the outlet box was properly wired for it) and he said this was fine. The The problem is that before the I placed the GFCI in, power was running fine, voltage levels were fine and the outlet tester reported correct wiring. I outlet test *every* outlet that I install. Once I put the GFCI in, it would trip within 5 to 10 minutes, after power-up and reset.
Since I actually have two 20A circiuts in the garage, i ordered two faceless GFCI's. thinking it could be a faulty unit, I tried the other GFCI, and even tried a 20A GFCI outlet (to be installed in a bathroom) to see if it were a faulty protector. every unit tripped withing 5 to 10 mintues.
I slapped a clamp-on meter to the wire and saw that it was drawing about 14 amps - well within the tolerance of a 20A circuit on 12/2 wire.
I again checked all the receptacles for wiring faults and voltage drop and everything looked fine.
given what i've read about nuisance tripping, especially with regard to motors, is there something to be said about servers, UPS's or surge protection strips on GFCI protected circuits, that may cause them to trip? or is there a deeper problem here?
I suppose the computers could be considered a "permanent appliance" in which case they would not need to be GFCI protected, despite the location, but the repeated tripping is anomalous behavior that has me searching for an explanation.
Thanks
BeekerC
PS. please, no lectures about how I need have the GFCI installed regardless.
I am aware of the risks, and I have mitigated them as such.
1) currently on the back of the garage is actually wired (live outlets are at least 15 feet from any exterior door - ie. water source)
2) only one outlet is being used, by the servers, all others are capped with child proof plugs and will not be used until the GFCI is installled
3) once the servers can be moved into the basement, the GFCI device will be installed.
in my limited, but semi-educated, opinion, this outlet poses no greater risk than the originally installed, non-GFCI outlets on my bathroom countertops - which have not managed to shock or kill in 18 years and will be upgraded to GFCIs later this month.
Since I actually have two 20A circiuts in the garage, i ordered two faceless GFCI's. thinking it could be a faulty unit, I tried the other GFCI, and even tried a 20A GFCI outlet (to be installed in a bathroom) to see if it were a faulty protector. every unit tripped withing 5 to 10 mintues.
I slapped a clamp-on meter to the wire and saw that it was drawing about 14 amps - well within the tolerance of a 20A circuit on 12/2 wire.
I again checked all the receptacles for wiring faults and voltage drop and everything looked fine.
given what i've read about nuisance tripping, especially with regard to motors, is there something to be said about servers, UPS's or surge protection strips on GFCI protected circuits, that may cause them to trip? or is there a deeper problem here?
I suppose the computers could be considered a "permanent appliance" in which case they would not need to be GFCI protected, despite the location, but the repeated tripping is anomalous behavior that has me searching for an explanation.
Thanks
BeekerC
PS. please, no lectures about how I need have the GFCI installed regardless.
I am aware of the risks, and I have mitigated them as such.
1) currently on the back of the garage is actually wired (live outlets are at least 15 feet from any exterior door - ie. water source)
2) only one outlet is being used, by the servers, all others are capped with child proof plugs and will not be used until the GFCI is installled
3) once the servers can be moved into the basement, the GFCI device will be installed.
in my limited, but semi-educated, opinion, this outlet poses no greater risk than the originally installed, non-GFCI outlets on my bathroom countertops - which have not managed to shock or kill in 18 years and will be upgraded to GFCIs later this month.