How to clean out battery charger?

[Silverstreak]

Hi. Haven't been here in a while. Long story Long..........We have a exterior GFCI outlet which were using with a 100' heavy duty extension cord to reach the cart charger. This circuit goes to a GFCI breaker in the house.

For awhile, the GFCI breaker has been tripping.,,,,Last week DH replaced the exterior GFCI and put it under a weatherproof cover, and replaced the older extension cord with a new one, but it's still tripping occasionally. Not all the time. Our wiring is copper. It's easy to know approximately when it happens because our bathroom nightlight is on that circuit, and it goes out. It seems (I think) to happen when I've unplugged the cart charger from the exterior GFCI outlet....but I'm not completely certain. Very little else is on that circuit.

Someone mentioned to me that it could be a problem with the battery charger.
It appears to charge the cart okay. I use it after every use.
Yes, I know I shouldn't be using an extension cord all the time, but it's the only option we have at this time.

I thought maybe it was an older GFCI breaker, but I've been told they rarely malfunction by tripping too easily. Is that your experience too?

So....how does one clean the inside that charger? Not being very educated on electrical things, could we possibly use an air pressure machine to blow things out of it, or would that possibly kill it?

Also....if you have any possible ideas why this breaker intermittently trips, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for listening.

[Sergio]

Most GFCI faults are caused by a unintended Neutral to Ground current path.

You can blow the inside of the charger to make sure there are no dead bugs or debris on the circuit board.

Pay close attention to the white wire from the AC cord inside the charger and make sure there is no insulation degradation or cuts on that wire.

If the male AC plug on the charger is not "molded", make sure the white wire inside the plug is not frayed.

[Silverstreak]

Thanks Sergio. I'll check that out.

[LukeL]

You can take the cover off of the charger and blow it out or brush it carefully. Pretty easy to clean. Make sure it’s unplugged, of course.

[Silverstreak]

Thanks Luke!

[Silverstreak]

Originally Posted by Sergio

Most GFCI faults are caused by a unintended Neutral to Ground current path.

You can blow the inside of the charger to make sure there are no dead bugs or debris on the circuit board.

Pay close attention to the white wire from the AC cord inside the charger and make sure there is no insulation degradation or cuts on that wire.

If the male AC plug on the charger is not "molded", make sure the white wire inside the plug is not frayed.

Okay Sergio...I have had more time to think about your post and my ignorance is showing. Could you please explain to me what/where the AC cord inside the charger is? Do you mean I have to take the housing off, or do you mean where it comes out of the housing? And I'm afraid I don't understand your other comment about the male AC plug on the charger. Sorry I'm so confused. It doesn't take much these days. Thanks!

[Sergio]

You are looking for the three individual wires that come OFF the electrical power cord (AC) inside the charger.

Yes you have to open the charger to clean it, when you open it, look for where the AC power cord comes in and the individual wires go to different places.

Make sure the white wire insulation is not cut or damaged anywhere.

Also look at plug on your charger power cord where you plug it to the extension cord to make sure the wires are not frayed.

I am assuming both the charger and where the charger is plugged to the extension cord is out of the elements like rain and morning dew.

[Cobra,1]

Maybe plug charger into a different receptacle and see if problem persist?

My experience with gfi’s is some things pluged into them they just don’t like.
Power tools,motors refrigerators,ect. They can be sensitive to loads.
If you suspect breaker trips when unplugging charger, very possible due to how gfi’s work. Not all 3 prongs on cord/plug break circuit at same instand. Turn off breaker before unplugging.
I prefer to use regular outlet pluged into surge protector then charger.fwiw

[Silverstreak]

Thanks Cobra. I appreciate your input!

[Threeput]

A GFCI is there for your protection against a resistive fault that does not blow the breaker.. but could make the casing of a piece of equipment 'HOT"...simply put a GFCI has sensor that is across the hot wire and the neutral wire.. so if the same amount of current goes into the equipment via the hot wire...the same amount must come out along the neutral wire... the circuit is balanced.. no leakage...
But if there is leakage to ground inside the equipment ...then there will be an unbalance and the GFCI will open..be careful trying it on another non GFCI outlet...
My first suspect would be the extension cord ..make sure it is intact.. no cuts or damage
Then checking the internal wiring of the charger and cleaning...as mentioned ..dust... frayed insulation on wiring etc