120v electrical problems- gfci?

[Martind4]

Our camping buddies have a 2001 Jayco 3230 RKS fifth wheel with an frustrating electrical problem. The bathroom outlet and the curbside outlet do not work. The GFCI is located in the kitchen near the sink and is working properly.

I'm thinking there must be another GFCI in the system someplace but I can't find it. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Wiring diagrams?

[bdpreece]

Usually there will be at least one more GFCI in the bathroom since you say the bathroom does not work is it possible the plug is bad? If it is wired for a washer/dryer check that plug. Also look in all outside compartments including the frig compartment,

[Martind4]

This is a 30 amp system so it's not wired for a washer/dryer. The bathroom outlet is a conventional outlet (not GFCI) and it looks OK. I didn't pull it from the box but I looked it over pretty well with a flashlight and didn't see any burned, discolored or corroded areas. I did the same thing with the outside outlet and didn't find anything unusual. It is the last outlet on the circuit. The refrigerator outlet is a single outlet and is working OK.

Good idea, I'll check the outside compartments for a GFCI that might be hidden away in a corner someplace.

[wa8yxm]

All you can do is power trace Harbor Freight sells a nice radio direciton finder for cable tracking... It is called a cable tracker

however the Kitchen GFCI may have a lead from it to the bathroom and/or exterior, that lead may have become disconnected Without removing it and inspecting you will never know

_Page 2.. After dark look for the little red star.. MOST GFCI's this means "Tripped{"

That said.. I've seen some where it means Working.

[K-Star]

make sure the outlets after the GFCI outlet do not have any loose connections, especially the neutral. Many RV manufacturers use speed outlets now. These do not have any mechanical tightening screws, the wire is simply pressed between two blades.

I had a similar issue and a neutral wire had come loose from the outlet. I replaced al of the outlets with one that have screws to anchor the wires in place.

[Ray,IN]

FWIW, just one GFCI will protect everything else downstream on the same line. Is the one GFCI working properly?

[TandW]

When my coach came home I rewarded it with brand new Leviton receptacles having screws. I have never wired any switch or receptacle with any means other than a screw. I don't court fires. Good luck to all who draw high current through a spring!!

[EngineerMike]

I had same problem in a Trek motorhome. Turned out to be the speed-outlet, i.e. the slot that the wires are pressed into had not fully cut the insulation on the wire so contact was mot complete. No burn marks or anything. This occurred where they had tapped two romex onto one outlet to string thru a subsequent outlet. That outlet & the one downstream didn't have power. To cure it, I actually stripped about 1/8" and seated the stripped wires w/good force to assure contact. Replacing w/a conventional outlet was a dubious project as I would have had to cut in a conventional outlet box in the tight space the cheapo speed outlet was installed. Outlets worked forever more, or at least till I sold the coach.

[Martind4]

I believe the GFCI is working properly. When I trip it manually, the power to that outlet and another kitchen outlet on the same circuit goes dead.

They did have a curbside tire blowout a while back but nobody can remember if the voltage problem started then or existed before the tire problem. The wheel well doesn't show any damage from the outside and the curbside outlet that is affected is a good 6 inches or more above the wheel well. The curbside outlet has been replaced with a conventional screw type outlet. previous to the problem.

I wish I had a wiring diagram that would show what outlets are on each circuit. Do dealers have access to that information or is it trial and error for them as well?

["007"]

Give this LINK a try may have what you need.

[Martind4]

We got it fixed! Turned out the speed outlet in the kitchen, the first one after the GFCI, didn't pass current to the rest of the circuit. We cut in a new box and installed a new outlet with screw terminals. This outlet is for the coffee pot, probably the most used outlet in the fifth wheel.

Thanks for all the ideas and help.

[Ray,IN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TandW When my coach came home I rewarded it with brand new Leviton receptacles having screws. I have never wired any switch or receptacle with any means other than a screw. I don't court fires. Good luck to all who draw high current through a spring!!

You draw current through a spring, the spring contacts in the receptacle. I did understand your meaning though.

[pthomann]

For whatever it's worth, I recently had a similar issue with my 31' Terry TT. In tracing back the wiring, what I found in my case, was that the main feed was joined together with the other feeds with standard wire nuts. These were too small and were creating a poor contact between the ground wires and power feeds. By simply removing these, restripping the ends and putting on larger wire nuts, I solved this problem. I also taped the nuts and all exposed wires to "seal" the job. Hope this helps!

[Martind4]

With every project or problem solved, I learn a little more about how to do it better the next time. My key learning from this project was to trace the power circuit to the first bad outlet. I somehow convinced myself that the problem was further downstream and concentrated on the external outlet and the bathroom outlet. Both of those outlets were good and then I assumed we had a broken wire between the outlets. If I would have just followed the circuit, I would have found the problem much earlier. It still would have helped if I had a wiring diagram.