GCFI Life Expectancy?

[Baumgrenze]

We added a seldom used third bathroom in a 2010 remodel. The project was contractor supervised and subjected to approval in multiple building inspections.

The 20A Leviton GCFI breaker receptacle no longer responds to 'test/reset' and it no longer provides power to devices plugged into it. It reads 'Spec Grade.' I measure 120V between the single common terminal (left side) and the lower of the two terminals on the opposite side, so there is power to the receptacle.

Is this just yet another 'our QC department is our customer' product from China, Inc? Is it a 'feature' of Leviton's 'tamperproof' technology?

Before I take the GCFI out to replace it I decided to create this post to see if 8 years or less is now the expected lifespan of such a receptacle.

Thanks
baumgrenze

 

[Reach4]

It could be that there is a circuit hooked to the load terminals that is contracting ground and preventing the device from resetting.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Are the feed-through wires, if present, being used at that GFCI? If they are, temporarily disconnect them and try again to reset the device. IF it now works, that means that something downstream from the GFCI has a defect.

 

[Baumgrenze]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I do not believe that it applies. The only connections are black and a white wires to the appropriate 'Line' terminals on the GFCI; the yellow tape is still in place across the 'Load' side. The installation is the very simplest possible.

There is an indicator light at the upper right corner of the receptacle but it is unlighted.

Can there any other explanations than product failure at 8 years?

I cannot find a part number anywhere on the product that Google recognizes.

On the lower mounting tab I see "1C0O" and on the upper tab "Leviton" "SPEC GRADE" and "NOM 057." On the top is a sticker that reads:
LEVITON
INSP . 1C40O
30510-016 ZR 6

I called Leviton support thinking I'd missed something. I was asked 'is it one of our older products?' Apparently in 2010 they may not have marked their products with a part or product number. I don't even see a "Made in ..." designation anywhere. Their only solution was for me to mail it in for them to identify. All this makes me even more uncomfortable replacing it with a Leviton product that automatically self-tests every month and that may well be a product of China, Inc. Their frequent policy that the end user is their QC department is reason to try to find a Made in USA label if possible.

Do experts find there are other brands that are more reliable?

thanks,
baumgrenze

 

[Reach4]

Can there any other explanations than product failure at 8 years?

Check for voltage at the line input terminals.

 

[Baumgrenze]

My apologies, I buried this information in the second paragraph of the original post. Yes the 'line' terminals are live. The indicator light is dark.

I've since measured the receptacle. It is 1.75" wide x 2.5" tall x 1.5" deep.

I will try to post an image.

https://imgur.com/a/2Q7O14t

thanks
baumgrenze

 

[Reach4]

My apologies, I buried this information in the second paragraph of the original post. Yes the 'line' terminals are live. The indicator light is dark.

Line terminals live. Load terminals disconnected. Therefore replace GFCI.

Just buy it. Less work than trying to prove a warranty case if they demand proof.

 

[Kreemoweet]

GFCI's are complex, intricate things, especially the newer "childproof" versions. They do not stand up well to
heavy loading. This summer I had to replace a couple of them that were in service for only a few months
for a friend who had little tiny ants get
into all her electrical devices (and most everywhere else in her house). I used to install them as temporary power
outlets for the construction crew I worked with, but they would constantly trip, and would burn up after a week or
so, so I said phooey on that. It seems a good portion of them are made in China. It also seems a good portion of them
are counterfeit. If you got 8 years of service with yours, I would say you're ahead of the game.

That said, those "SmartLockPro" GFCI's will lock up if not powered correctly. It's not enough to
have 120V, it also has to be the correct polarity, I believe.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Anything electrical you can never put a timeframe on how long a device should last. I just had one GFCI go bad after a few months but what it made go bad is ??? Since this was in a rarely used bathroom a surge from the line or lightning hitting near by could have cooked it a long time ago.

 

[Jadnashua]

They are not all created equal. IF there's a choice, consider getting an industrial rated one. They tend to be built a bit better.

Lightning can chip away at anything electronic. I highly recommend a whole-house surge suppressor mounted on the power panel and dedicated ones on your more expensive items like TV's and computers.

 

[Baumgrenze]

Thanks for all the insights.
This installation is near San Francisco Bay about midway between San Francisco and San Jose. Lightning is a remarkable rarity (at least for the last 45+ years.) This GFCI was installed 8 years ago.
For about the first 3 years it had a 1/4 W night light installed in it. I tried to learn more about it but turned up no information. My guess is that it is an LED but it might be neon instead. It is pale orange.
Am I alone in being concerned that Leviton's latest offerings are ones that 'self test' regularly? To me it seems only to add to the probability of early failure. Am I too conservative?

thanks
baumgrenze

 

[Jadnashua]

If you have a GFCI that regularly trips on its own...you likely have a wiring or fixture problem. I had one like that...it would stay on for maybe months, and then, without plugging anything new in, would just decide to trip. I tried a new one...while it took time, it did the same thing, since it was random. I then started to disconnect the things downstream from the GFCI (there were three receptacles). When I disconnected the last one in the daisy-chain...the random tripping stopped. My guess is that it was a pinched wire somewhere in that last leg of the daisy-chain. I made that last one a new home run from the panel, and everything's been fine since.

If there's something like a pinched wire, or a nail or screw, slight movements caused potentially by winds, solar heating, or a tremor, could trip the thing. All it takes is a bit over 5ma to trip one of those things...that's not much.

Just for clarification purposes...what causes a GFCI to trip is not an overload (that's the job of the circuit breaker), it's an imbalance between the power out, verses the return. All of the current that goes out the hot line MUST return on the neutral after going through the device it's powering. IF some of it finds another path (a fault typically to ground, but maybe you first!), and it's more than 5ma, the thing trips. An old motorized device, especially one that might use brushes, can have a leak to ground because the dust from the brushes (or wear from the bearings in a bad case) can leave a conductive dust so current can flow where it was not intended. If you have a really bad situation, it may not allow you to reset it...that's generally not a fault of the device, it's actually doing its job. They can fail, like anything, but they've been pretty reliable devices. SOme of mine are nearly 30-years old and still working.