LG fridge works for a while + then trips. Checked, its not the power supply/plug. Electrician replaced 20A circuit breaker with 25A. Worked for 3 days then tripped again. Works when I use normal 2-core cable to plug in fridge i.e. unearthed. Don’t have LG agency or fridge experts in our small town. Can unearthed connection cause harm? What is the prob? THANKS
Fridge trips power
refrigerator
Related Solutions
Residential Kitchen
In a dwelling unit (residential), GFCI protection is only required for kitchen receptacles that serve the countertop surfaces. There's no requirement to GFCI protect receptacles that serve a refrigerator. Unless the fridge is plugged into a countertop receptacle.
National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 210 Branch Circuits
I. General Provisions
210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (C). The ground-fault circuit-interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.
(A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (10) shall have ground-fault circuit interrupter protection for personnel.
(6) Kitchens— where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces.
Garages, Unfinished Basement, and Other Locations
If the refrigerator is in a garage, boathouse, or unfinished basement. All the receptacles are required to be GFCI protected, so the fridge will have to be plugged into a GFCI protected receptacle.
Why does the fridge trip the GFCI?
Any inductive load when switched off, can produce electromagnetic interference (EMI). This interference can, and often does, trip GFCI devices. Most vapor compression refrigerators have a few inductive loads, any of which could cause the trip.
Is there anything that can be done?
There are devices called snubbers that can be used to reduce, or eliminate the effects of EMI. Installing one between the fridge and the GFCI device, could prevent nuisance trips. The best solution though, is to connect the fridge to a non-GFCI protected circuit.
If that's all it takes, why isn't there already one built in?
While most (all) manufacturers are aware that refrigerators can cause nuisance tripping of GFCI devices, most (none) seem willing to provide a solution. It would be complete speculation for me to try and tell you why they don't care, so of course I'll go through a few possibilities.
- Cost.
Plain and simple, it costs money to implement a solution. - Warranties and Operating Conditions.
Most refrigerators are designed to operate in a kitchen. Running them in dusty, dirty garages and basements could lead to more warranty covered repairs.
The defrost heater is clearly marked in the diagram, so it is extremely unlikely the "compartment heater" is used for defrosting. Most probably the compartment heater is for what used to be known as the "butter keeper" compartment, which maintains a slightly warmer temp than the rest of the fridge so that butter is not rock hard when you want to use it without waiting for it to soften after taking it out. The "compensating thermo" would be used to generate the right amount of heat to keep the compartment at the ideal softened butter temp regardless of what the main fridge temp is set to.
Best Answer
GET A NEW ELECTRICIAN! Not only is putting a 25a breaker in a code violation at least in the NEC it is probably a real issue. Things like defrost coils go bad think of your heating element on an electric stove this is similar to what may have failed . Increasing the breaker has increased the fire risk! I say this as a licensed Electrician that also has HVAC licenses. Track the cycle of tripping and contact an appliance repair person, some HVAC shops also do repair refrigerators but at a 3 day cycle this is most likely the problem and it will burn open in some cases then your fridge will start icing up or not cooling correctly. Don’t risk a fire get it fixed and get the 20 amp breaker back in place if it is the right size for the wire or possibly 15 amp.