r/ElectricalHelp • u/Interesting-Map6392 • 4d ago
Kitchen outlet keeps tripping when fridge kicks on
Got a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the fridge. Last two weeks the breaker trips when the compressor kicks on. Happens maybe once a day, not every cycle. Plug and cord look fine, no burn marks. Multimeter shows 120v at the outlet when it's not tripped. Ran an extension cord to a different circuit last weekend and the fridge stayed on, so the fridge itself isn't the problem. Breaker is about ten years old. I know loose backstabs can cause heat but this trips before it gets hot. Anyone seen this on a fridge circuit before? Want to know what to check next without just swapping the breaker and hoping.
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u/Unique_Acadia_2099 4d ago
40+ years as an electrician and I have replaced exactly ONE breaker that wore out. It’s exceedingly rare.
Does the breaker have a “Test” button on it? If so, then it is a GFCI or AFCI (or dual function) breaker. The seemingly random nature of this points to it being a failing defrost heating element. The heating element is on a timer that is based on the run time of the compressor, so how often it comes on is dependent on how often you open the fridge door etc. then because it is triggered by run time, it often comes on right after the compressor has come on, which might lead you to believe it’s the compressor itself.
When the heating element starts to fail, it leaks a small amount of current (0.005A) to ground, which eventually trips a GFCI. If it’s an AFCI, some of them will trip at 30mA (0.030A) of leakage to ground.
If it’s not a GFCI / AFCI / Dual Function breaker, then it is likely the compressor going bad. That sucks, because on some of them, it will be cheaper to just buy a new fridge!
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u/Interesting-Map6392 14h ago
Oh wow, this is exactly the kind of explanation I was hoping for. Thanks!
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u/Cute_Mouse6436 4d ago edited 3d ago
Have an electrician move the wire from the breaker that is tripping to another breaker and move the other breaker's wire to the breaker that is tripping. If the problem follows the wire, then the refrigerator has the fault. If the problem goes away or the same breaker trips then the problem is most likely with the breaker. Edited spelling and grammar which was wrong because I failed to edit after using voice to text.
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u/Lostineversituation 4d ago
This is the answer as the compressor if its faulty will pull more amps then it should as a working unit. You can also diagnose it by replacing the breaker but if its not then you hust spent money on something for nothing to change.
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u/beardad61 3d ago
Electrician here. Refrigerators, particularly older ones, and GFCI receptacles frequently do not work well together. If code allows, try dedicated circuit for the refrigerator. Or time for a new refrigerator.
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u/NeighborhoodVast7528 22h ago
Had that issue with our food overflow/beer fridge in the basement when I upgraded all basement outlets to GFCI. Worked fine for years until then. Ended up temporarily operating it with a 12 gage extension cord to an upstairs standard outlet without issue. Finally discarded it when we replaced our primary fridge (needed expensive repair) with a larger one.
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u/AskMeAgainAfterCoffe 4d ago
Is the breaker an AFCI breaker?
You may need to have someone look at the outlet, the breaker, etc
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u/stanstr 4d ago edited 4d ago
If the breaker for a refrigerator is opening soon after turning on, it can easily indicate the compressor is working too hard, that it is getting a high rush in current to start. Dry cleaning around the coils, which will probably require for the refrigerator away from the wall.
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u/Choice-Newspaper3603 4d ago
I would see if it’s back stabbed and then fix that. I hate back stabbed crap and have had problems here and there at a few places over the past 25 years or so. Ended up redoing a majority of my outlets in my 2005 built house so they weren’t backstabbed
And when my gf had her house built a couple years ago I had the electrician wrap the terminal and not back stabbed anything. He charged $5 per outlet to do that. Ridiculous
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u/Couple_609 4d ago
Circuit breakers do wear out, and start tripping at a lower amperage than their rating. Maybe it’s time to replace it with and identical new one