Plugging into a 15A GFCI Outlet?

[Kiawah]

I am regularly plugged into a 20amp garage GFCI circuit at my house, and have for a number of years. Magnum works fine, nothing trips. I use a very heavy duty 50' extension, and keep the 50a shorepower cable coiled in the elec bay plugged into that extension.

You've got a problem somewhere, I wouldn't ignore. Start by replacing the house GFCI, and you may want to try a breaker box GFCI breaker instead of a socket GFCI.

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by Kiawah

I am regularly plugged into a 20amp garage GFCI circuit at my house, and have for a number of years. Magnum works fine, nothing trips. I use a very heavy duty 50' extension, and keep the 50a shorepower cable coiled in the elec bay plugged into that extension.

You've got a problem somewhere, I wouldn't ignore. Start by replacing the house GFCI, and you may want to try a breaker box GFCI breaker instead of a socket GFCI.

If you follow all the posts, seems like I'm not alone. It's not just one single GFCI at home, it's at several differnt locations that I have tried. Like I said, 20A, no problem. It's the 15A GFCI that cause the problem. All of my GFCI outlets at home are 15A. The 20A in my garage (freezer & central vacuum) and my RV carport are not GFCI protected.

[palehorse89]

Some reading I found Scotty.....

HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR GFCI ISSUES?
The two most common situations where GFCI outlets trip are when plugging in shore power or wiring up to an electrical panel. We can conclude there is an incompatibility when we consider the sensitivity of the outlets and that they were designed to protect you from a single appliance being plugged in. What happens is an electrical panel and/or the AC wiring can cause the GFCI to detect a discrepancy between line and neutral, as if there was a ground leak, even though there is not. These outlets were not really designed to have anything plugged down line from them, aside from the appliance and maybe an extension cord. Furthermore, your RV or boat likely has GFCI outlets located inside. Standard GFCI outlets tend to trip when they have other standard GFCI outlets down the line from them. If you need to energize an entire RV, boat, or electrical panel, I would recommend staying away from inverters that only have outlets. Inverters with a 3-wire AC hardwire terminal block option are designed and much better suited for these types of installations. These types of inverters with AC hardwire capability will often come with GFCI outlets as an option as well. I do not recommend altering the GFCI outlets or bypassing the ground prong as this can lead to other problems or hazards. Inverters with outlets only are suitable for plugging devices directly in or energizing a single 15-20 Amp circuit. Referring to how a GFCI outlets work and the purpose of ground fault protection is the most effective tool in preventing issues. Do not expect GFCI’s to do something they were not designed for.

Power Inverters and GFCI Tripping | Don Rowe Power Inverters Blog

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by palehorse89

Some reading I found Scotty.....

HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR GFCI ISSUES?
The two most common situations where GFCI outlets trip are when plugging in shore power or wiring up to an electrical panel. We can conclude there is an incompatibility when we consider the sensitivity of the outlets and that they were designed to protect you from a single appliance being plugged in. What happens is an electrical panel and/or the AC wiring can cause the GFCI to detect a discrepancy between line and neutral, as if there was a ground leak, even though there is not. These outlets were not really designed to have anything plugged down line from them, aside from the appliance and maybe an extension cord. Furthermore, your RV or boat likely has GFCI outlets located inside. Standard GFCI outlets tend to trip when they have other standard GFCI outlets down the line from them. If you need to energize an entire RV, boat, or electrical panel, I would recommend staying away from inverters that only have outlets. Inverters with a 3-wire AC hardwire terminal block option are designed and much better suited for these types of installations. These types of inverters with AC hardwire capability will often come with GFCI outlets as an option as well. I do not recommend altering the GFCI outlets or bypassing the ground prong as this can lead to other problems or hazards. Inverters with outlets only are suitable for plugging devices directly in or energizing a single 15-20 Amp circuit. Referring to how a GFCI outlets work and the purpose of ground fault protection is the most effective tool in preventing issues. Do not expect GFCI’s to do something they were not designed for.

Power Inverters and GFCI Tripping | Don Rowe Power Inverters Blog

Thanks Palehorse. That makes sense. We are certainly plugging in more than one single appliance when we plug in our RV's and there are definitely other GFCI's down the line.

Do not expect GFCI’s to do something they were not designed for.

[Scottybdivin]

I'm thinking about carrying a charger for when only a 15A GFCI outlet is available to keep my batteries charged. Do you think this is a good choice?