4 Things You Should Never Plug Into GFCI Outlets At Home – BGR

If you live in a home or apartment in the United States, you probably know about unplugging certain appliances to save on your electric bill. But have you ever wondered about those funny outlets with the black and red buttons on them? Known as a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), these outlets were introduced in the early 1970s. They are required in new construction to protect homeowners and have led to an 81% reduction in home electrocutions since being introduced.  These outlets are designed to prevent electrocution by shutting off when a ground fault is detected. 

You’ll see GFCI outlets in wet locations as the National Electrical Code (NEC) originally required having them within six feet of a water source. New NEC rules implemented in 2023 state that all kitchen outlets now must be GFCI, which caused some confusion, even with professionals. While these outlets serve an essential purpose in homes, they aren’t always the best type to use when you need to power certain devices such as refrigerators and  microwaves. 

A microwave is a great tool to reheat or cook frozen meals, and we all know microwaving metal is a problem for safety reasons. However, there have reports for years about people having issues plugging their microwave into a GFCI outlet. Microwaves draw large amounts of power when activated and this sudden power spike can cause a GFCI outlet to trip. The outlet isn’t necessarily protecting you from electrocution when this happens, instead it is shutting off because of the sudden surge in electricity that it sees as a potential fault in the line. 

This is considered nuisance tripping and it can be quite annoying to reset the outlet whenever the microwave it. With new NEC rules implemented in 2023, all microwaves in the kitchen now need to be plugged into a GFCI outlet. This can be an issue if you have an older microwave, as worn out internal components tend to draw more power. So, if you live in an older home, keeping the microwave plugged into a standard outlet is your best bet to avoid nuisance tripping headaches and uncooked food. 

Some recommend that a refrigerator not be plugged into a GFCI outlet because the appliance has a high inrush current, meaning it draws lots of power when turned on. This can lead to a GFCI outlet tripping when a refrigerator is first turned on, or whenever the compressor cycles, which happens multiple times during the day. While other appliances shutting off will often give you a visual indication of the fault, a fridge may give you no clear indication of a fault. 

And since it needs to be on at all times in order to function, any sort of tripping while you are asleep or at work can mean a fridge full of spoiled food. NEC rules from 2023 have left many doing kitchen remodels confused, as GFCI outlets are now required for all outlets inside a kitchen. In the past, however, refrigerators have been placed on dedicated 120V non-GFCI circuits.  If you are in an older home with an older fridge, it’s better to steer clear of plugging it into a GFCI outlet. 

A window air conditioning (AC) unit tends to draw high loads of anywhere between 500 and 1,500 watts when in use, due to the condenser. Wall-mounted AC units have also seen several recalls throughout the years over faulty components which can lead to tripping, including from major brands such as Amana and York. Even smaller portable AC units can draw a large load, easily coming close to maxing out the 15 to 20 amp rating of a circuit. 

However, window and portable AC units should have line protection built right into the plug, usually in the form of a Leakage Current Detection Interrupter. Because of this it’s not recommended to use an AC unit on a GFCI outlet, as it could lead to nuisance tripping. Your best bet is to have an AC unit plugged into a dedicated non-GFCI circuit. You might also consider converting your air conditioner into a smart AC, if just to make life a bit easier.

A GFCI outlet is designed to help save lives inside your home, but sometimes having a device plugged into one can actually carry some risk. Like with the various types of essential home medical equipment that many people rely on. Devices such as CPAP machines depend on a constant source of power to function properly. If one of these devices is plugged into a GFCI outlet, a trip on the line can lead to a potential problem for the user when it shuts off. As with CPAP machines, portable oxygen machines are often run at night, while the user sleeps. 

If it is not monitored during these hours and the GFCI outlet it’s plugged into trips, the shutdown could go undetected and lead to a medical issue. It is vital that these types of medical devices be plugged into a standard outlet for a consistent flow of power, preferably with nothing else hooked into the same line. While every other item on this list will cause some level of annoyance if they cause a GFCI outlet to trip, a medical device shutdown has the potential for causing a more severe problem.