GFCI Breakers

[wagreen]

I have a most confusing situation. I just bought a new 43" DLP Projector TV because my old TV suddenly gave up the ghost. When I plugged it into the same outlet that my old TV was plugged into the ground fault breaker that my laundry room is on opens up. The outlet that the TV is plugged into is on a regular breaker and has nothing to do with the laundry circuit. In fact, although the laundry room breaker is open the circuit the TV is on is not affected and the TV continues to run. If I plug the TV into an outlet on the other side of the room a different ground fault breaker opens. I have tried plugging various things into the same outlet that the new TV was plugged into but nothing causes any breakers to open. I have tried the TV we use in our bedroom, our vacuum cleaner, the microwave oven and none of these causes the breaker to open. It would seem as though the TV is the problem since everything else works fine in the outlets. But I am confused as to why breakers would open on circuits that should be completely separate from the circuit that the TV is plugged into. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

[Jimmer]

Wagreen

First a note I found about new tv's and GFCI...

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) are very important for minimizing shock hazards in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoors and other potentially wet areas. They are now generally required by the NEC Code in these locations. However, what the GFCI detects to protect people - an imbalance in the currents in the Hot and Neutral wires caused possibly by someone touching a live conductor - may exist safely by design in high tech electronic equipment. The result - false tripping - is mostly a problem with 3 wire grounded devices with built in line filters having capacitors between Hot and Ground but may also occur with 2 wire ungrounded TVs due to the power-on surge into the highly capacitive or inductive loads of their power supplies.

Now this isn't directly related to your problem since you are not plugged into a CFGI but if you are inducing a problem on a nearby cable by the surge it may explain your problem.

Assuming the tv is working properly. You could look at running a new cable from your panel direct to your tv outlet and do not run in close parallel proximity to any other cables.

I'm not an electrician this is just my best guess!

Good luck, Jim


'Just a handyman trying to help'

[wagreen]

Thanks for info. I have a tv repairman coming Monday to see if anything is wrong with the set and then I'll check out my wiring.