Community Forums

Durango Dave · 06-18-2017, 03:48 AM

The other day i noticed that my outside plugs didnt work, so i checked and the GFI in the bathroom was tripped. I reset it and all was well and worked fine the rest of the day. Then yesterday it tripped again, reset it and fine.

Now it tripped again and now when i go to reset it, it keeps tripping right away. Do GFI's just go bad? There has not been any change in any electrical at all.

If so are they all the same, nothing special for RV right?

YC1 · 06-18-2017, 04:16 AM

Yes they can. They have electronic components that fail.

paz · 06-18-2017, 04:34 AM

Yes, GFCI receptacles can go bad. When they do, they exhibit the symptom you describe - they won't reset.

No, the ones in RVs aren't any different from the ones you get at your local hardware or home improvement store.

redcolorado · 06-18-2017, 08:47 AM

Mine went out in March. Everything was fine at home then we drove 300 miles to the coast and it was bad. $13 at Walmart and 30 minutes to replace.

Dennis Dean · 06-18-2017, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durango Dave

Now it tripped again and now when i go to reset it, it keeps tripping right away. Do GFI's just go bad? There has not been any change in any electrical at all.

If so are they all the same, nothing special for RV right?

I would get a GFI tester and test it as well as a new GFI 15AMP plug. Tester is low cost and good to have and can be used on any plug
https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instru...ds=gfci+tester

Newer GFI's can go bad and since they look for very small Ma leakage not that uncommon

Good Luck

Hgrace56 · 06-18-2017, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz

Yes, GFCI receptacles can go bad. When they do, they exhibit the symptom you describe - they won't reset.

No, the ones in RVs aren't any different from the ones you get at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Some are as they are often boxless open wired with wing clamps

twinboat · 06-18-2017, 01:00 PM

Sometimes there is actually a ground fault. It may be trying to save your life.

Had it been raining or have you been washing it ?

Are there things plugged into it that may be suspect ?

Gigattime · 06-18-2017, 07:12 PM

Yep. Happened in our S&B home with one that was only 3-5 years old.

Adamsta · 06-18-2017, 07:42 PM

I replaced all mine and my receptacles just for ease of mind... since mine is a 1997 year model that is 20 yrs of outdated electronics.... my mind that equals fire hazard....

Dixie Mopars · 06-18-2017, 07:50 PM

I attended a fire marshal class a few years ago where an electrical engineer taught us about ground fault circuit interrupters. He said that there were two kinds of gfci's, those that had failed and those that soon will. I guess that he knew what he was talking about.

mrt_1111 · 06-18-2017, 08:07 PM

The ones in my RV are original, 17 plus years.

Durango Dave · 06-18-2017, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Sometimes there is actually a ground fault. It may be trying to save your life.

Had it been raining or have you been washing it ?

Are there things plugged into it that may be suspect ?

Thats what i thought at first, so i checked around the bins and stuff saw nothing, no have not been washing it. Ill get a new one tomorrow.

Durango Dave · 06-19-2017, 02:25 PM

They are not all the same folks, i went and got mine at wallmart and got the least expensive and got home and the old one is 20 amps and this one is 15 amp. I wish someone would have shared just a bit more info here because i got the wrong one.

Be sure to check the amps on the back before you buy one, somewhere on the outlet it will say the amps. Im gonna use this one anyway because the largest thing i use is less than 15 amps and its just for the bathroom and outside plugs anyway, maybe the toaster but thats it. It should be fine and 15amps is safer anyway.

But just dont forget to check the amps before you get one. I hope this helps others.

Durango Dave · 06-19-2017, 02:53 PM

UPDATE: well this one is blowing too, when i hit reset it shuts off and the second time i hit reset it blew the 15 amp breaker in the box. So either i have a short somewhere or i really do need a 20 amp as maybe the GFI needs to be more than the breaker is.

Else ill have to backtrack this last week and think about where i put any kind of screw in any of the walls inside or outside. Nothing is ever simple in my book, i swear.

I took a pic before i removed the old one. It looks like white to white side and black of the same wire goes opposite the white one of the same wire.

Another UPDATE: OK so i was able to isolate the hot wires coming into the GFI. Just so you know there are two dif halfs of the GFI, the LINE side which is the power HOT going into the GFI, then the LOAD side which is the power being sent from the GIF to another receptable.

So it works if i hook up the LINE side but not when i hook up the LINE side and the load side. So that tells me that the LINE in HOT is OK no defects there, the issue is somewhere in the wires going to the other outlets and thats ok because at least there is no power to them right now as those two wires on the GFI are not connected.

So there are only a few outlets on that circut, so what ill do is visit each one and see if i messed with it or not and check it out anyway just in case. They are easy to find because they are the ones that dont work right now....

hope this helps others.