Q. Help. Our hair dryer keeps tripping the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. What is causing this, and how can I end this frustration?
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A. The cause is either a problem hair dryer or a worn-out GFCI outlet. To determine the culprit, follow these troubleshooting steps.
Plug the dryer into another GFCI outlet in a different bathroom, the kitchen or the garage and run it. If that GFCI also trips, the dryer is at fault and should be replaced. If the dryer runs normally, the bathroom GFCI outlet is faulty and should be replaced. See “Home Safety,” May ’01.
It’s also possible that the hair dryer is causing the bathroom’s circuit breaker to trip. If this occurs, the dryer (along with the other lights, fans and outlets using power on that breaker) exceeds the breaker’s rating. This happens more in older homes with bathrooms on 15-amp circuit breakers, because a modern hair dryer—by itself—can use more power than a 15-amp circuit can supply. The bathroom outlets in homes built after the mid-’90s are required to have dedicated 20-amp circuits for this very reason.
To solve this dilemma, have an electrician run a new, 20-amp circuit. Or, get a blow dryer that draws less than 1,441 watts. The label on the box will tell you.
