GFI trips at home when trailer plugged in
Today I plugged my trailer in at home in preparation for a trip, to charge the batteries. The GFI in the garage was tripped. I turned off all the breakers for 120V in the trailer and it still tri...
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I have a 93 Pace Arrow with 50 amp service. When I was at a campground with a 20AMP GFI outlet it kept tripping the GFI outlet on the pedestal. I turned off ALL breakers & still was tripping the GFI!
I opened the Xfer switch panel where the shore power cord enters the Xfer switch. I started disconnecting loads on the shore power cable until the GIF stopped tripping.
I found that a 1/2 wave rectifier was supplying DC voltage to a DC cut-out relay. This relay prevents the Inverter from powering the forward AC when on Inverter power.
Apparently, the capacitor in this 1/2 wave rectifier was tripping the GFI, meaning a SMALL amount of voltage was charging the capacitor when the coach s 1st plugged in tripping the GFI.
I modified the 1/2 wave rectifier to a full wave rectifier and removed the capacitor and my tripping GFI was no more! Don't know why a DC relay was used! AC voltage tends to overheat DC relays, thus the reason for the rectifier.
Hope this heps the OP & others as well.
I opened the Xfer switch panel where the shore power cord enters the Xfer switch. I started disconnecting loads on the shore power cable until the GIF stopped tripping.
I found that a 1/2 wave rectifier was supplying DC voltage to a DC cut-out relay. This relay prevents the Inverter from powering the forward AC when on Inverter power.
Apparently, the capacitor in this 1/2 wave rectifier was tripping the GFI, meaning a SMALL amount of voltage was charging the capacitor when the coach s 1st plugged in tripping the GFI.
I modified the 1/2 wave rectifier to a full wave rectifier and removed the capacitor and my tripping GFI was no more! Don't know why a DC relay was used! AC voltage tends to overheat DC relays, thus the reason for the rectifier.
Hope this heps the OP & others as well.
