Slider Issues

[MCarter]

Guys,

Hope everyone is doing well.

Yesterday I got out my Carter's Ideal Slider to put on the back porch and  when I plugged it in the GFCI trips. But if I unplug the compressor plug its fine. So my question is....The compressor shot? or is it the fan? or both?

Thanks

[johnieG]

It could be either the compressor or the condenser fan motor,  or as I have found, sometimes a spider has built a nest inside the wiring housing that’s attached to the compressors chassis, so with the power off, remove the retention screw from the covers front & inspect the wiring guts carefully for the little buggers ( arachnids) web-nest , also inspects the wiring for signs of deterioration, dry-rot, crumbling, worn spots in the insulation, loose connections, etc.  if it looks clean & dry and in good condition ( for its age) The only way to test which component would be tripping your ground fault is to isolate each one. Electrically.

First use an ohm Meter on each prong of the compressors plug, one side at a time to the metal of the compressors housing ( you may have to sand paper off a small spot of the paint to get clean metal for the test) to see if you getting a reading between that prong & the chassis/ground. 

If you don’t have an ohm meter, you could snip the condenser fans motor wires temporarily & use some wire-nuts to protect the lives ends from shorting out & plug the compressors plug back into its control socket & attempt to power it back up to see if it trips out the GFCI,  if it holds & the compressors runs again, you’re looking at a bad fan motor,
(cheap fix)  if it’s tripping again, it’s probably the compressor itself or the start/run relay assembly.

By the way, you didn’t power wash the compressor area did you?  Old condenser motors really don’t like getting wet, nor do the wiring guts inside the compressor cover, plus wet spider nests also conduct electricity.