Should you have your freezer plugged into a GFCI?

Answer 1

<><><> Whether or not your freezer should be protected by a GFCI depends on the locality (Town/State) where you live. The latest Wiring Codes or Regulations in some localities insist that GFCIs must be used to protect appliances in any room or area where there are pipes supplying running water, such as a kitchen or utility room, or in any area which can be subject to water splashes or spray, such as a bathroom, a shower room or any "outside" area such as on the exterior wall of a house, in a garden or by a pool.

The additional current drawn when a freezer's compressor motor starts up shouldn't cause a GFCI to trip because the current should always be the same in both the "hot" and the "neutral" wires.

One possible reason a GFCI might trip when the compressor motor starts up could be because the motor has a fault which only happens when the motor "shakes" during start-up. Such extra vibration at start-up is quite normal - and should not cause any current to leak to Ground - but this can sometimes happen if the wiring to the motor was done carelessly or its wiring's insulation has gotten worn-through at some point because of the vibration taking place over a long period of time. The answer to the Related Question shown below has detailed information about the way that GFCIs and RCDs operate.

<><><> No, unless it is equipped with a soft start compressor motor the freezer's compressor will draw additional power when it starts up likely causing the gfci to trip. same is true for refrigerators. (a common catch-22 is that if the receptacle is in a wet location or concrete floor location, like a garage, the NEC requires it to be GFCI protected.) <><><>