Updated 24 March------------Having a new GFCI problem I have been unable to locate in the "receptacle circuit". While on shore power (from house) The GFCI receptacle on that string itself had power, showing two lights on the tester as "normal", but the GFCI was popped and would not reset. The rest of the receptacles all dead.The other 120v circuits in the trailer, including the GFCI "galley" receptacle on its own cicuit are ok.Swapped over to inverter with shore power plugged into that, and now the receptacle circuit is fine and the GFCI button can be reset so everything seems ok. Back to shore power and not ok.To get a quick fix, I took out the GFCI receptacle and replaced it with an ordinary one, so now everything seems ok even when plugged into the house. However, whatever was causing that GFCI to pop is still there of course. I checked for that by plugging the trailer into the house bathroom GFCI receptacle and it popped.So just what is the risk here? If I don't plug into a shore power GFCI receptacle, I would never know, and when off-grid on inverter I would never know.Hunting for that GFCI would take hours and hours taking out each receptacle I guess, since the usual swapping things around didn't find it. So until I get that ambitious, should I care?Thanks

Change or replace the gfci.Just had one go bad in the condo.

I think, in simple terms, the GFCI detects differences in current between conductors ... if there's more current flowing out than coming back, there's a potential "ground fault"... meaning current has found a return path to "earth" that bypasses the correct return path (the neutral and ground conductors). In terms of human safety, this is because someone has contacted an energized appliance and a water source (IE hair drier in the bathtub)You could have a failed appliance somewhere on the circuit, that is leaking current into the RV frame or your inverter could be miswired (neutral bonding for example). It could be as simple as a loose connection inside an outlet, an open neutral for example.

Feed through function has failed. Replace the GFCI.

GFCIs do go bad. Yours did.I once replaced a full size upright deep freeze, only to find a bad GFCI outlet. DW was NOT happy.

enblethen wrote:Feed through function has failed. Replace the GFCI.I replaced the GFCI receptacle with an ordinary receptacle and the GFCI fault is still somewhere in that circuit. (the trailer still pops the stick house GFCI) I expect the fault is where some wire insulation has come away from a white wire going into a receptacle and it is touching the frame or some kind of thing like that which will be hard to find.I get two lights on the receptacles for "normal" so that says there is a ground ok. So is the safety feature of the "three-prong plug" still in effect even though somewhere in the circuit there is a GFCI fault? What about the two- prong plugs that have one fat prong? Ok?Any risk at all?

GFCI Risks? Update | Good Sam Community

enblethen
Nomad
Mar 24, 2015
If the fault was between the breaker and the GFCI receptacle, it would have no effect on the GFCI receptacle. It would have effect on the GFCI that or if the rig was plugged into one.
I was looking at the Pass and Seymore website. They have, not sure if yours is one, smart GFCI receptacles that look at the circuit several times a minute rather then like the standard GFCI. I am not sure this is a good or bad thing. Also did not see any true 20 amp GFCI receptacles on their site.
BFL13
Explorer II
Mar 24, 2015
I see some on the P & S site with 5-20Rs. However, looking at the instructions for the Leviton brand GFCI I have in the house, it says they have models with "20a Feed-through rating, 15a outlet rating" and also models that are "20a Feed-through, 20a outlet" So I suppose this P & S one I have is marked 20a for its feed-through and it has the 15a outlets.

Anyway the circuit has 14 wire and a 15a breaker. American versions of this same trailer have 20a breakers instead, according to the owner's manual. Don't know if they have 12 wire and 20a outlets.

The Leviton also has the line terminals on the end where if "up" that would put the outlet ground prongs "up" To me that is "up-side down" :) I might have to add some wire to the short lengths showing in the box to fit on the receptacle if the top ones are supposed to go on the bottom and won't reach. All part of the fun.
BFL13
Explorer II
Mar 24, 2015
Update #2--Fixed! Well the fault went away, so not known, suspect water in outside receptacle.

The galley GFCI has only the one wire to it and I had it on load (my fault from when I had it out four years ago) Put that on line and now when popped it is dead.

Put the other GFCI in properly this time (I did have the wires from breaker on load) and now it too is dead when popped.

I never would have solved that without the help here--thanks again!
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Update. Tried plugging the trailer into the house bathroom GFCI today and now it doesn't pop. Out in the trailer that circuit (no GFCI now) has power.

But just for fun I tried the GFCI in the galley circuit (not popped) I pushed test and it popped, and pushed reset and it did. Then I tried the tester with it popped and it had power--two lights normal. Drat.

The GFCI in the house does not have power when it is popped for a test.(except for its little yellow light that comes on)

So maybe it was from the rain and now it is dry. Now I have to replace the GFCI and put it in right and also pull the galley one to see if I have it in backwards or something.

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