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What trips a GFCI vs a breaker?

They protect against different things. A breaker protects the wiring from overload and short circuits. A GFCI protects you — it trips when current leaks somewhere it should not, like through water or a person.

If a GFCI trips repeatedly with nothing obviously wet, suspect an aging appliance first, then the device itself. If a standard breaker trips, count what is running on the circuit before assuming the breaker is bad.

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