Plasma cutter trips GFCI

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
20,311
Location
west Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Dave Taylor
This plasma cutter is tripping either GFCI receptacle (there are two available) on a generator as soon as the trigger is pulled.

The plasma cutter works fine when plugged into an ordinary 15A duplex in the barn.

The generator also has circuit breakers; it's not those which trip, it's the duplexs' gfci-s which trip.

Plasma cutter: (it's new)
ESAB (Thermal Dynamics) ie Victor according to their phone greeting
Cutmaster 42
https://mam.esab.com:8443/assets/1/...66217C518/V430150-en_US-FactSheet_Main-01.pdf

Generator: (3 years old)
Generac XG10000E 10mw their images show two 20A gfci duplex receptacles with their CBs
plus other receptacles.
http://pdf.lowes.com/dimensionsguides/696471058024_meas.pdf
 
Have you tried any other high-draw devices in the receptacle that pops?
I have an outdoor outlet that worked ok for small things, but when I plugged my toaster oven in, it popped the breaker. I have one of those little circuit testers that lets you know if the outlet is wired and grounded properly. If failed the ground test and when I removed the receptacle, the corroded ground wire broke off. Fortunately, there was enough room to cut it off, strip it back and screw it in (as opposed to the insert method it was using). It now works.

Full disclosure: I really have no experience with electricity and don't know if something else was going on that I accidentally fixed or not. But I did know enough to make sure the breaker was tripped before working on it. (My little circuit tester had a trip button on it, so that was easy).
 
It's probably an AFCI and detecting exactly what you're doing and tripping...
 
The generator may need to be grounded. It may be seeing that since all the current to the device isn't coming back(some wandering off to ground) and it's properly tripping. Seems to be a common theme on the internet that they trip them.

Make a cord with a twist lock plug and use that on one of the not-GFCI outlets.
 
idahoflier said:
It's probably an AFCI and detecting exactly what you're doing and tripping...
Click to expand...
I'm going to guess that you know a whole bunch more about this than me. I don't even know enough to know if you are replying to me, or if you are joking.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
This plasma cutter is tripping either GFCI receptacle (there are two available) on a generator as soon as the trigger is pulled.
Click to expand...
So, current through the hot and neutral are not the same. Could this be due to the current flowing to ground to do the cutting?
I think I would be more surprised if it didn't trip the GFCI.
 
Yeah, I really am not surprised that a plasma cutter is tripping a GFCI. All the GFCI is doing is comparing the current in the neutral wire to the hot wire. If there is more than a few miliamps difference between them, it trips.

Having the generator, plasma cutter, and work piece all isolated from ground might help. But things with High voltage, high frequency power supplies will often trip a GFCI, even without an actual current leak.

Can you replace one of the GFCI outlets on the generator with a conventional outlet?
 
-KLB- said:
Yeah, I really am not surprised that a plasma cutter is tripping a GFCI. All the GFCI is doing is comparing the current in the neutral wire to the hot wire. If there is more than a few miliamps difference between them, it trips.

Having the generator, plasma cutter, and work piece all isolated from ground might help. But things with High voltage, high frequency power supplies will often trip a GFCI, even without an actual current leak.

Can you replace one of the GFCI outlets on the generator with a conventional outlet?
Click to expand...

This. I had the same issue on my air compressor. Kept tripping the GFCI on the circuit in a brand new garage/electric panel. Swapped a regular 15A outlet and fires up without issue.
 
I had a similar issue in my kitchen and ended up replacing the outlet with another GFI and no problems in 10 years
 
Generator, plasma cutter. Working up your portable safe cracking rig ?
 
weilke said:
Generator, plasma cutter. Working up your portable safe cracking rig ?
Click to expand...
For that job use a thermal lance....then you can be like Jimmy Caan in Thief.

19mm-OD-Thermic-Lance-x-2-7m_4654429.l.jpg
 
Another idea is to find one of those 2-prong to 3-prong adapters. Try the plasma cutter with the ground NOT connected to the generator.

Not recommended for regular use, but that'll tell you if it's a grounding issue. Most small generators use a "bonded ground," i.e., the neutral may be connected directly to ground.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top