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Old 09-05-2010, 09:04 PM   #1
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GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

- 2004 17B, one of the pioneers, i think it might be #10.
New to me, we've now had 5 nights in it since purchased thru Reace/Tammy in fall 08.

Before recent trip, I plugged into house power non GFCI to get the fridge up to cold. No problem.
Once at campground, the big cord from the trailer would blow the GFCI immediately upon contact. Tried it at the power post at nextdoor site, same thing. Neighbor came over and lent me his adapter to see if mine was faulty, but that did not solve problem.
Gave up, and then just used a spare extension cord to plug in the fridge only to AC GFCI at campground, and used battery power for lights in trailer.

Once home, the plug fails as soon as it is plugged in to two different GFCIs. I've turned off all breakers inside trailer and it still trips GFCI right on contact.
--I've read that GFCI are super sensitive.
--Some people say dampness in a plug inside trailer can cause this. All of the four plugs seem okay.
--only thing out of ordinary is the negative power terminal is a bit corroded. I've taken the battery off as part of my effort to try everything.
--I don't recall this problem before. I'm pretty sure that last year I plugged into the same GFCI to pre cool the fridge.

Unless someone has a great idea for me, then I'll have to take it to an RV tech. Weird, especially since I have turned off all the breakers inside trailer, yet still trip GFCI at the house.
Thanks for weighing in with ideas if you can.

craig
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Old 09-05-2010, 09:18 PM   #2
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Re: GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

Craig,

To me it sounds like a problem with the ground in your trailer. I don't think tripping the breakers will make any difference one way or another. Maybe corrosion on the main ground wire where it attaches to the frame, (since the frame serves as a sort of virtual ground in a vehicle.)
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Old 09-05-2010, 09:31 PM   #3
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Re: GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

Thanks for your response. I wondered about that.

With the front panel of the elec panel removed it is not evident to me where the ground goes to tie in with the frame of the trailer. Maybe the easiest thing to do is to crawl under and check around for where the ground connect to see if any issues or problem is evident.

If anyone knows where the 2004 ground connects to frame, please let me know.

I'm just about to order a new hitch/tongue jack from Escape since the original just packed it in, so I may ask Tammy this question too about location of ground connection back in 04.

craig
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Old 09-06-2010, 10:13 AM   #4
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Re: GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

Even though the name of a GFCI includes the word "Ground", a GFCI should work with or without a ground. It measures the current going through it in the hot & neutral, compares them, and if the difference between them is more than 5ma, shuts down. The assumption is the additional current in the hot is going to ground, but the ground is not necessary for it to work. Modern GFCIs also have an additional circuit that checks for a fault between the neutral & ground.

I wrote a procedure for finding a GFCI problem at another forum - here is a copy:

Actually, whether or not a neutral/ground fault will trip a GFCI depends on when it was made. The early GFCIs did not detect a neutral/ground fault - modern ones do.

The bottom line is that it should be possible to plug your RV into a GFCI protected receptacle without tripping it. If it trips, something is wrong, and it should be corrected. I know there are those that will give all kinds of reasons why it is OK, but it isn't.

If the fault is between a hot & the ground, it is fairly easy to find. Shut off all your secondary breakers, plug the RV into a GFCI receptacle & turn on the circuit breakers one at a time. If one of the breakers causes a trip of the GFCI, you have found the circuit causing the problem. Typical faults include moisture in a receptacle, a bad hot water or refer element, a bad appliance, or a loose connection (although a loose connection that causes a low resistance hot/ground fault should trip the breaker rather than the GFCI). If the problem circuit has individual appliances plugged into it, unplug all of them & plug them back in one at a time to identify the problem appliance.

If the campground GFCI trips with all the breakers off, you have a neutral/ground fault.

A neutral/ground fault is a bit more difficult to find because shutting of the breakers won't prevent the GFCI from tripping, so finding the circuit is more difficult. If your or anyone else has modified circuits in the RV, it is worth checking that the neutral & ground have not been intentionally combined anywhere in the RV. The only place the neutral should be tied to the ground is at the campground's service entrance. If you tie it in the RV, the campground (or home) GFCI will trip.

Ground/neutral faults can also happen unintentionally. Again, a failed hot water heater or refer element can cause a fault as well as water in a receptacle, a screw hitting a wire, etc. The problem is an RV will function normally with a neutral/ground fault when plugged into a non-GFCI receptacle. This may be why some feel there is nothing wrong. In a worst case situation, if the RV ground pin (or any part of the grounding system, RV or campground) fails, a neutral/ground fault will place the chassis & most metal in the RV at the neutral potential. This produces a shock hazard to any real ground such as the campground water pipe, the RV parked next to you, etc. It also causes another interesting problem - The neutral current is split between the neutral & the ground. Again, with a failed RV ground, you might receive a shock disconnecting your water line from the campground faucet!

Finding a ground/neutral fault involves digging into your breaker panel. If you are not comfortable doing this, leave it for an electrician. If you want to do it yourself, unplug the RV, make sure an inverter or generator is not powering the panel, and shut off all the breakers, including the main. Disconnect the neutrals (white wires) one at a time (don't include the main). With a neutral disconnected and all the breakers off, plug the RV into a GFCI receptacle. If it trips, the problem is not that neutral. Reconnect it, & try another. Eventually,you will find the neutral that, when disconnected, prevents the GFCI from tripping. Follow that neutral to identify the circuit, and check the circuit for the problem. Again, this may be more than a non-electrician wants to get into, but I don't know a better way to find the problem.
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Old 09-06-2010, 09:14 PM   #5
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Re: GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Great response. I know what to do too, but could not have possibly written it so clearly.
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:08 PM   #6
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Should replacing the HW element and/or cathode fix the GFCI tripping issue?
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:22 PM   #7
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Should replacing the HW element and/or cathode fix the GFCI tripping issue?


Is Blue tripping one when plugged in?


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Old 08-06-2017, 05:31 PM   #8
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Yes, Blue is tripping when plugged in since we got back from last trip to Madison.
I have checked under neath.
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:43 PM   #9
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Should replacing the HW element and/or cathode fix the GFCI tripping issue?
Trouble shoot step-by-step. If you suspect the HW element turn off the breaker for it and see if the GFCI still trips.

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Old 08-06-2017, 05:59 PM   #10
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Seems like element & anode are about $15 each.
Pretty sure 2 trips back the wife was helping & thing got flicked before I was ready.
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Old 08-06-2017, 06:36 PM   #11
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GFCI tripping when plugging in 17B

Ron has the best idea. Anode might well be ready for a change but it will have no effect on the GFCI tripping . Element might if it got shorted out. Did it get turned on with no water in the hot water heater.? That is usually what kills them.


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Old 08-06-2017, 07:15 PM   #12
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Thanks Thoer, & yes I think I it might have been one without pressure...so would have drained quickly.
YouTube had some videos of replacing both & looks easy enough.
Thanks again to everyone.
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Old 08-07-2017, 10:49 AM   #13
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Steve
If you already tried what Ron suggested, before you replace the hot water element be sure to try plugging Blue into a different GFCI circuit if you can.I have had a lot of those outlets fail over the years.



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Old 08-07-2017, 11:46 AM   #14
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Steve
If you already tried what Ron suggested, before you replace the hot water element be sure to try plugging Blue into a different GFCI circuit if you can.I have had a lot of those outlets fail over the years.



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I agree, I'm not a great fan of replacing parts without confirming that they need replacing. Sometimes that's a way to end up with an extra part. And nothing's more annoying than buying a part, installing it, and finding that you still have a problem.

I think, in this case, it probably is the element but personally I wouldn't replace it without doing a couple of simple trouble shooting tests.

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Old 08-13-2017, 06:03 AM   #15
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Yes it was the element, thanks for the help


Yes it was the hot water heating element. Thanks to all for the help & guidance. I replaced both the element & the anode. We're set for our next trip early Sept back to Madison where my brother's doing a triathlon.
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Old 08-13-2017, 07:20 AM   #16
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Isn't Waupaca the home of the famous Wisconsin "Button" family ?
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