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er78mph's avatar
er78mph
Explorer
Mar 03, 2017

Atwood/water heater GFI Trip

Hello and thanks all in advance!

While hooked up to shore power last weekend I did not have access to any of my 120 ac outlets. I kept trying to reset the GFI outlet in the bathroom but I could not. My friend is an electrician and he was able to isolate the problem to the outlet that the water heater is plugged into. Its been raining heavily here in California but I checked for water around all of the power outlets but no obvious signs of water damage. My conclusion is that the water tank is malfunctioning? What should I do next? Change the heating element? install a new outlet where the heater is plugged into? Please share your expertise and wisdom! Thanks!
  • fairway2002's avatar
    fairway2002
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2017
    Put a meter on Ohms.Put lead on your element (after unplugging and removing wires) then to the body of the element. Any reading your element is split. Putting power to ground popping GFI.

    Good Luck
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Mar 03, 2017
    There are two possible suspects (or 3) here.. The third however seems to have been ruled out.

    First: a question: Did UNPLUGING the water heater fix it? If so see prior response about the heat element. but also....

    If the plug is in an outside compartment or the heat element is outside, CHECK all affiliated wiring and connecitons, boxes, and control boards for evidence of water/moisture/arcing/shorts.

    NOTE: on my Atwood, the 120 volt side of life is INSIDE out of the rain.. This is not always the case.

    If unpluging did NOT fix it you have additional suspects but I'll leave those for next go-round.
  • Mandalay_Parr's avatar
    Mandalay_Parr
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2017
    I would suspect the heating element first.
    Might be able to ohm it out to verify.
    Probably a short to ground. Either a partial or a full short. Gfi's are very sensitive and doesn't take much to trip them.
    You can run your heater on propane until fixed.
    Maybe it will clear up after everything dries out.

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