June 29, 2025, 07:10 AM
gpbst3Electricians I need help: desk fan tripping GFCI
I have a table top fan
amazon link to fan which is tripping the bathroom GFCI when I turn it off. I thought it would be more likely to trip when turning on.
I have done zero investigative work so far

. The GFCI is over 10 yrs old, so that may be an issue. I also need to try the fan on another GFCI outlet to see if it trips.
Any other ideas on the cause? Thanks
June 29, 2025, 08:30 AM
selogicWhen you turn the fan OFF you get a little spike in the waveform , for lack of a better description . This is normal . Replace the GFCI anyway . If it still trips , chunk the fan .
June 29, 2025, 09:43 AM
sig operatorselogic covered it very well.
June 29, 2025, 09:56 AM
sig2392I hate GFCI outlets.
I used to have to replace them all periodically.
They seem to have a limited lifespan, but I live near the water.
I ripped them out and replaced them with a breaker in the panel.
It has not tripped once and outlasted all the outlet GFCIs.
Breakers are more expensive but buy once cry once.
June 29, 2025, 12:14 PM
ShaqlReplace it with a standard outlet and swap out the breaker for a GFCI breaker
June 29, 2025, 02:04 PM
Skins2881Try the fan in a different GFI. It is possible that the GFI is just doing it's job and there's a fault within the fan.