GFCI's are more sensitive to sudden loads than normal receptacles and the startup load of a freezer coming on often trips them, especially if they're old (either one, the freezer or the recep). You might be able to solve the problem by simply replacing the GFCI recep.
One way to get the freezer off the GFCI is to find the next farther recep in the circuit and swap receps to move the GFCI recep there. The rest of the circuit from that point on will still be protected from ground faults, but the GFCI won't see the startup amperage from the freezer, and it will quit tripping.
But then the problem will be determining how to wire the GFCI recep. The "line" and "load" wires must be attached correctly to make sure the rest of the receps on the circuit are GFCI protected. You'll need a circuit tester or volt meter to determine this, which means handling a live circuit. I would recommend getting an electrician to do this, but you might have trouble finding one. The code technically requires all ordinary receps in the garage to be GFCI-protected. An electrician may require that you let them install a dedicated circuit without a GFCI, which the code allows specifically for this case of a dedicated single appliance circuit in a garage. This will be much more expensive, although it's obviously the best solution.
The cheapest solution is to try replacing the GFCI recep. Just be careful to insure that the circuit breaker is off (test it, don't rely on the label) and be careful to attach the same wire to the same lugs on the new recep. If that doesn't work, it's time to call an electrician.
And keep in mind, so long as that freezer is on a GFCI, there is always the possibility that something ELSE on the circuit can trip the GFCI, causing the freezer to lose power. That's why the dedicated circuit is the best solution.
|