Shore Power GFCI Trips

Hi, My first post concerns a problem that has been keeping me up nights. On our 3rd trip with our new 2004 model 2720, the shore post GFCI blew on the second day of our stay. I tried everything, powered off everything, switched things back on one at a time and could never restore shore power from that post. Nothing on the power panel indicates a problem. Probably because there is no power coming through. I hoped that it was only a location problem but when I got home and attempted to plug in the result was the same. The GFCI popped. I tried having the dealer repair it, but when it got home 7 weeks later, it still popped the GFCI of the outlet it's plugged into. I have recharged the deep cycle battery and checked the level of the fluid in the cells. When I put the battery back on the trailer, the heater fan comes on. Is this something indicative of my problem? Any thoughts?
Thanks

Originally Posted by [email protected]

The GFCI popped. ---
When I put the battery back on the trailer, the heater fan comes on. Is this something indicative of my problem? Any thoughts?
Thanks

The heater and its fan should not come on under this circumstance unless the heater is turned on . To turn it off, press the temperature adjustment lever fully to the left until it clicks into the off position. If the fan is running, it will run on for about a minute before stopping and that is normal, to cool down the furnace after the flame is extinguished.

[mursch]

Originally Posted by Bill

Remove the outside panel over the water heater. Turn off the black rocker switch on the water heater Bill

Does this mean the water heater is not on a circuit breaker in the TM?

I just encountered the situation where the GFI on the campground power panel tripped when I plugged in ~~ even with all of the circuit breakers in the TM in the off position. Tried a different campground power panel with same results.

I've read "Why does the campground GFI trip?" and "EFFECT OF A NEUTRAL-TO-GROUND SHORT ON A GFI CIRCUIT.
Text and accompanying figures copyright 2008 Bill Jeffrey and TrailManorOwners.com"

Have not observed anything suspicious when plugged into non-GFI 30 Amp.

New to this site and just beginning to learn how to use it.

[Barb&Tim]

Originally Posted by mursch

Does this mean the water heater is not on a circuit breaker in the TM?

I just encountered the situation where the GFI on the campground power panel tripped when I plugged in ~~ even with all of the circuit breakers in the TM in the off position. Tried a different campground power panel with same results.

I've read "Why does the campground GFI trip?" and "EFFECT OF A NEUTRAL-TO-GROUND SHORT ON A GFI CIRCUIT.
Text and accompanying figures copyright 2008 Bill Jeffrey and TrailManorOwners.com"

Have not observed anything suspicious when plugged into non-GFI 30 Amp.

New to this site and just beginning to learn how to use it.

Yes, the water heater is on a circuit breaker, but the breaker only switches out the Hot (black) -- the same goes for the switch on the water heater(switches black hot lead only). Turning the switch & breaker off still leaves the Neutral and Ground leads connected to the hot water heater.

A defective water heater element is a prime candidate for causing this kind of problem (partial or full neutral to ground short).

Tim

[mursch]

Turned off propane (valves on both bottles) for nearly 24 hours, continuing to use hot water, temp. at night in low forties, and still had undiminished hot (very hot) water.
So ~~ The good news is our water heater works fine so no major repair or replacement of it. ~~ The bad news is our water heater works fine so no good idea what to do next about our GFI problem.

To restate GFI problem: Campground GFI trips immediately upon our plugging in even with all circuit breakers in the trailer in the OFF position.

[Barb&Tim]

mursch, it's great that your water heater element is still working but that test does not eliminate it from having a ground to neutral partial or full short which could be causing the CG GFCI to trip. But -- i admit the problem could be elsewhere.

Maybe you need to have someone whith electrical troubleshooting experience look at it. Troubleshooting AC electrical problems can be dangerous if not done properly.

Tim

[ShrimpBurrito]

First, this could potentially be a safety hazard, so you need to identify the problem and get it fixed.

I had a similar problem, but it was due to a side a/c unit in a folding TM, so that's definitely not your problem. However, the way to troubleshoot it is the same. If you are comfortable safely working with high voltage AC wiring, then see here for more info, especially post #29:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8067

Dave

[Barb&Tim]

Nice guide ShrimpBurrito!

[Bill]

Mursh -

The water heater is by far the most common cause of this problem, but it is not the only possible cause. It still sounds like a neutral-to-ground short. Sadly, trying to find that short is pretty involved.

I guess the first thing I would do is unplug everything that is plugged into an outlet in the TM. Microwave, electric heater, fans, TV, etc. Does that cure the problem?

Next thing to do is unplug shore power, then open the converter and look at the AC wiring. There are two buss bars (silvery metal bars with a series of screws going into a series of holes). One buss bar has all the neutral (white) wires going into the holes. The other buss bar has all the ground (bare or green) wires going into the holes. These bars must absolutely NOT be in electrical contact in any way. If they are, even for a moment, even accidentally, the GFI will pop. I discovered this the hard way when, during some electrical work in the TM, I accidentally but repeatedly touched them with the shaft of the screwdriver I was working with. Each time I touched them, the GFI in the garage popped. Annoying! It took me a while to associate touching with popping, and figure out what was going on, but once I did, it was completely repeatable.

It has been known for an amateur electrician to connect these two bars with a piece of wire ... no obvious effect if you are plugged into a non-GFI power source.

ShrimpBurrito did a really nice job of troubleshooting. But as you can see, it was kind of involved, and he had access to a resident EE, as well as a test meter and the know-how to use it. If you can do what he did - safely! - you should find the problem. If you are not confident in repeating his procedure, professional help may be needed. Be safe!

Bill

MURSCH,

I notice that you are a Trial Member--at some point your Trial Membership will expire and you will be limited to only a few areas on this Forum. You might want to become a full member. I think it's about $12.00 a year.