What other circuits does this GFCI control? Any motorized appliances such as a ceiling fan? Fluorescent lights?

I've came across faulty motors and ballasts leaking current to ground which caused intermittent GFCI tripping.

Plugged in is one thing, but was the hair iron actually turned on and hot for three days? YIKES!

Is there anything else on the GFCI circuit? Have you pulled out the GFCI for inspection? Hair dryers and curling irons pull as much as 1800 watts which is a lot of heat over 3 days. New GFCIs are around $12..

I have a spider box and one of the gfi's keeps tripping. Can I buy a replacement for it at a local retailer?

GFI's absolutely do go bad, and we are seeing that in this community where homes are not about 6 years old. Several have complained about GFIs popping off for no apparent reason, and replacing the GFI's solved the problem. Since they are mandated by law, and since they apparently have a limited life span, looks like it's going to be a costly proposition for many.

My Toll Brothers home is 5-1/2 years old and one GFCI has just gone bad for the fourth or fifth time. What could cause this?The only load on it are a simple lamp timer into which is plugged our low voltage landscape lighting and a digital timer in lieu of the indoor wall switch controlling the pump in our courtyard fountain.

What makes you think you don't have a ground fault?

I just changed a GFI yesterday in the hall bath that stopped allowing current to go through it. It was installed in 2002 when I did a total remodel of that bath so it went almost 16 years. I think those outlets going south must also have to do with the amount of current that flows through them. I have three GFI's in my garage that are low use,still work perfectly and were installed around 1995.

I doubt that it has anything to do with the current passing through them. GFIs may have a limit on how many times the mechanical parts and contacts can cycle before failing, but even monthly tests probably will never approach that limit.

I suspect they "wear out" because GFIs use sensitive electronics to detect ground faults. They're designed to recognize a current difference between neutral and hot of just 5ma (0.005 amps). With time, the values of the electronic components can drift, especially when they're low-bid quality in the first place. So they may think that they see a ground fault when none is there -- or, worse, not recognize one when it happens. That's why they have that test button.

When a GFI trips, first check for an actual ground fault. If you don't find one, change the GFI.

I have had a heck of a time with the newer cheaply made ones. I built a shop building and used them on all circuits since it's a concrete floor. I've had them trip just by plugging in an extension cord or a tool that's not even turned on yet, with no known ground fault problems. After tripping a few dozen times they just don't stay on at all and you have to replace them.

You can use a GFI breaker in the power panel but they can be expensive. I just replaced one in my mom's 1978 house, cost $59. Probably an odd one at that age and newer ones would be cheaper. I considered just changing the outlets on the circuit but no idea which is the first one in line and replacing them all with good GFI's would have cost as much as the breaker. At least I didn't have to pay an electrician. And yes I am pretty sure there was no actual ground fault involved, and all the sockets and outside lights work again.

I haven't had to buy one in a few years,the one I replaced a couple of days ago was an extra I had. All of mine have been Levitron's. Like I said in my post the hall bath GFI I replaced was almost 16 years old,the master bath GFI would be pushing 15 years. Downstairs bath would be about 8 years old and the three in the garage are about 23 years old. Three or four more outside on the deck and other places were installed around 2003 when I put in new siding.

My electrical system is one of those that's "double protected" with the original GFI in the breaker box which was to code specs here in 1981.

GFCIs can indeed go bad over time. They are made for the least possible cost, and they can get more trippy over time.

It is at least as likely that there is a wee current leak to ground has developed in the wiring downstream of the GFCI. This could be down to a variety of things - water, rodents chewing on the wiring, etc.

If a new GFCI is cheap and cheerful then try replacing it, but beware that this may be applying a very thin band-aid to a wiring problem.