Showerthought: Skipping GFCI on my patio lights was a bad idea

Put up lights over my patio without a GFCI outlet. First rainstorm, the whole circuit blew. Now I'm stuck with dark evenings. How do I fix this without redoing everything?

5 comments

5 Comments

the_taylor1mo ago

Did you reset the breaker yet, or is there maybe water in the connections? Sounds like a mess lol.

hall.joel1mo ago

Always look for water in the connections first before you reset the breaker. A wet connection can cause a short, so dry it out with a hair dryer on low heat. Once it's bone dry, try the breaker again, but get help if it keeps tripping.

baker.willow1mo ago

If there's water in there, just resetting the breaker could make things worse. @hall.joel had it right about using a hair dryer, because water can hide in tiny spots. Be totally sure it's dry before you flip the switch, or you could cause more damage.

jason_lewis31mo ago

My neighbor's outdoor outlet shorted last month from a hidden leak. People always rush to flip the switch before checking the real cause.

wyatt_mitchell261mo ago

Honestly, the hair dryer trick is a good start but it's not a real fix. Tbh, if water got in once, it's going to happen again without a GFCI. That breaker tripping was a safety feature doing its job. You really need to get a GFCI outlet or a GFCI breaker installed, even if it's a pain. Just drying it out and resetting things is asking for the same problem next time it rains.