 |
|
10-12-2021, 10:00 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 193
|
GFI not working
I have a 2000 Country Coach Intrigue
After traveling for 30 days multiple campgrounds my 110 outlets stopped working. I thought the easiest first attempt was to put a new GFI in. I tested and have at the wires. I double checked to be sure I was wiring it properly. The little green light is on the GFI. I still do not have any electric in any of my outlets after all that. Decided it must be the GFI outlet. I purchased a second one and still have the same problem. Any thoughts as to what might be the problem?
I did check the 2000 heart inverter which has a 15 amp circuit breaker. It had not been set off. Yes heart in her face inverter works sending power to the GFI. I get the same results whether I use the inverter or pedestal power. Any help would be very greatly appreciated as I can’t make my morning coffee.
|
|
|
 |
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
10-12-2021, 10:59 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Powell River, B.C.
Posts: 28,039
|
If you've checked for power out of the GFI outlet at the wires , with voltmeter before putting it back in the wall , then move to the next outlet in the daisy chain and check for damage .
Are you sure you have only one GFI ?
If it's the industry standard quick box outlet it' could have burnt up inside or cut the wire.
__________________
99DSDP 3884, Freightliner, XC, CAT 3126B, 300 HP /ALLISON 3060
2000 Caravan toad, Remco & Blue Ox.
|
|
|
10-13-2021, 07:59 AM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 193
|
Thanks for your input. This situation is really baffling to me.
I know of no other GFI perhaps somebody else does. I did check all my outlets including the ones in the bays for another GFI.
The power was at the wires before installing the GFI. After installing the GFI that outlet did not work and the other outlets did not work though the green light on the GFI was lit. I have checked some of the other outlets and I found they have no power. Did you mean check them by plugging something in or by pulling them out?
Not sure what you mean by a quick box outlet. Looking inside the box where the wires are coming now I see nothing out of the ordinary.
__________________
36’ 2000 CC Intrigue
|
|
|
10-13-2021, 08:13 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 970
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonegully
The power was at the wires before installing the GFI. After installing the GFI that outlet did not work and the other outlets did not work though the green light on the GFI was lit.
|
Did you do a physical voltmeter check of the wires to the GFCI? And then nothing (except a green light) would work? Did you check for voltage after the new GFIC was installed? Something is wrong with this picture.
|
|
|
10-13-2021, 08:32 AM
|
#5
|
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,275
|
Get a wall outlet tester such as this:
https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Re...58703601&psc=1
I use mine as a quick check that campground pedestals are are wired correctly.
Of course I use it when ever I install a new outlet.
|
|
|
10-13-2021, 09:22 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Traveling
Posts: 503
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonegully
I did check the 2000 heart inverter which has a 15 amp circuit breaker. It had not been set off. Yes heart in her face inverter works sending power to the GFI. I get the same results whether I use the inverter or pedestal power. Any help would be very greatly appreciated as I can’t make my morning coffee.
|
When this happened to me it was always that circuit breaker on the inverter (Trace brand, in my case) that had popped due to putting too high a load on the circuit. You might try cycling that breaker -- flip it fully off and then back on.
__________________
-Dave
2003 Country Coach Allure First Avenue 36; 2012 Honda CR-V
|
|
|
10-14-2021, 07:38 AM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 193
|
Yesterday I decided to give it another whack or should I say whack-a-mole. the outcome is, the problem appears to be fixed but not solved.
First I wire nutted the two blacks and the two whites at the GFI outlet. And I had power at my outlets. I assumed this told me there was nothing wrong with the power at the GFI outlet as my multi meter indicated. The only thing different at this point was I was working off the inverter where before I was working off 110 from the house.
I did the plug-in tester which I did not previously try in all the other outlets. Including the bays. Everything outlet checked out fine I then wired the black and white directly to the plug in tester and it told me everything was fine.
I then ran on generator power as I have no Shore power where I store it. Everything worked fine including all the other outlets.
I have absolutely no idea why it is now working but if anybody needs a GFI, I now have two extras as I needed to rule out the problem was not with the GFI.
I would love to figure this one out and not just except the outcome Can anybody confirm that when on shore power, power first runs through the inverter. Can anybody confirm when on inverter power or generator power does power run through the inverter? I have a hard 2000 inverter.
|
|
|
10-14-2021, 07:43 AM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 2,265
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonegully
Yesterday I decided to give it another whack or should I say whack-a-mole. the outcome is, the problem appears to be fixed but not solved.
First I wire nutted the two blacks and the two whites at the GFI outlet. And I had power at my outlets. I assumed this told me there was nothing wrong with the power at the GFI outlet as my multi meter indicated. The only thing different at this point was I was working off the inverter where before I was working off 110 from the house.
I did the plug-in tester which I did not previously try in all the other outlets. Including the bays. Everything outlet checked out fine I then wired the black and white directly to the plug in tester and it told me everything was fine.
I then ran on generator power as I have no Shore power where I store it. Everything worked fine including all the other outlets.
I have absolutely no idea why it is now working but if anybody needs a GFI, I now have two extras as I needed to rule out the problem was not with the GFI.
I would love to figure this one out and not just except the outcome Can anybody confirm that when on shore power, power first runs through the inverter. Can anybody confirm when on inverter power or generator power does power run through the inverter? I have a hard 2000 inverter.
|
Are you saying you re-installed the GFCI and now it works?
__________________
Brian, 2011 Winnebago Via Class A on Sprinter Chassis
Tucson, AZ
|
|
|
10-14-2021, 08:10 AM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 970
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonegully
I would love to figure this one out and not just except the outcome Can anybody confirm that when on shore power, power first runs through the inverter.
|
It could, depends on the model of inverter.... and shore/generator power should be the same power input to the inverter. That is, the inverter cannot tell the difference between the two.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonegully
Can anybody confirm when on inverter power or generator power does power run through the inverter? I have a hard 2000 inverter.
|
If you are on inverter power, I would assume power runs thru the inverter.  What is the make/model of the inverter?
And you now know that if you were only on inverter power in storage, that those outlets are run off of the inverter.
So playing with the wires may have been the 'repair' needed... could have been a loose connection.
|
|
|
10-14-2021, 09:32 AM
|
#10
|
Community Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 7,969
|
stonegully, please double read the pointers on the back of the GFCI, notice a pair of terminals is "Line In", and another set is something like "To outlets". The new one may not have the same terminal designations as the old one did.
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
|
|
|
10-14-2021, 09:49 AM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 24,088
|
GFCI Outlet wiring
"LINE"------Hot/Power to GFCI Outlet
"LOAD"-----Hot'Power to the downstream outlets
__________________
I took my Medication today. HAVE YOU?
Dodge 3500 w/Tractor Motor & NUWA 5vr
US NAVY---USS Decatur DDG-31
|
|
|
10-15-2021, 08:30 AM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 2,265
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryFit
stonegully, please double read the pointers on the back of the GFCI, notice a pair of terminals is "Line In", and another set is something like "To outlets". The new one may not have the same terminal designations as the old one did.
|
Some brands have the line on the bottom and the load on top (Legrand), others are reverse of this (Leviton). The old ones could be wired backwards and would still deliver power but this was changed about 10 years ago and the code now requires all GFCIs to lock out & fail to deliver power if mis-wired, it also requires them to be self testing and to permanently stop delivering power when the self test fails.
Every new GFCI comes with a yellow tape across the load terminals in addition to the word "LOAD" printed next to them, and "LINE" printed on the other two.
As an EC two of the most common DIY errors we see are mis-wired GFCIs and mis-wired 3 way switches.
__________________
Brian, 2011 Winnebago Via Class A on Sprinter Chassis
Tucson, AZ
|
|
|
10-15-2021, 09:01 AM
|
#13
|
Community Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 7,969
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigb56
Some brands have the line on the bottom and the load on top (Legrand), others are reverse of this (Leviton). The old ones could be wired backwards and would still deliver power but this was changed about 10 years ago and the code now requires all GFCIs to lock out & fail to deliver power if mis-wired, it also requires them to be self testing and to permanently stop delivering power when the self test fails.
Every new GFCI comes with a yellow tape across the load terminals in addition to the word "LOAD" printed next to them, and "LINE" printed on the other two.
As an EC two of the most common DIY errors we see are mis-wired GFCIs and mis-wired 3 way switches.
|
Exactly. Don't ask how I knew...
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
|
|
|
10-15-2021, 09:28 AM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 193
|
I am stopping over to the Coach this morning which is in storage, and will answer your questions today.
|
|
|
 |
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|