Hello, Happy Campers, A month ago my gfi in my kitchen was bad which is hooked to the refrigerator and the kitchen outlets which was tripped and all the items had to be thrown out like meat and had to take everything out and throw away because of the smell 2 weeks ago I replaced it with another and we went to the camper stayed all weekend and it worked fine the campgrounds did lose power and the gfi was at red so I reset it and worked fine all weekend just stumped do I have to replace the gfi again?want to keep some meat and some other items but don't have confidence it may go off again so we take everything out of the refrigerator and bring it home then we bring it back, any answers? Thank you.

Is there a way that you can hook up the refrigerator to a non-GFI outlet? As you found out, it’s not a good idea to have the refrigerators and freezers on GFI outlets. GFI’s are made to protect people from getting shocked usually around the kitchen or water or outside or bathroom so you don’t get electrocuted. Jerry Parr

I would bet that your 120 volt element in the refer is going to ground tripping the GFCI. They go to ground where the wires enter the stack.I would switch to run on propane only to see if the GFCI trips again. If I am right it will not.You can test the element if ohm meter. Disconnect the two 120 volt wires. Test them to see if there is any resistance to ground IE the stack!

GFI will also trip if the amp draw is too great. They will trip before a breaker in your electric panel trips most often. And yes, they are designed to trip if water is a problem too.

GFI and refrigerators are a bad combo. IIRV, there is even and exception in NEC that allows a single (non-duplex) receptacle for a refrigerator on a concrete floor. (NEC requires receptacles above bare concrete floors to be GFI.)

DutchmenSport wrote:GFI will also trip if the amp draw is too great. They will trip before a breaker in your electric panel trips most often. And yes, they are designed to trip if water is a problem too.GFI outlets do not trip on amprage overload.

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wa8yxm
Explorer III
Aug 12, 2019
DutchmenSport wrote:
GFI will also trip if the amp draw is too great. They will trip before a breaker in your electric panel trips most often. And yes, they are designed to trip if water is a problem too.

No.. they won't At least not the GFCI-Outlets they use in RV's

Now a GFCI-Circuit breaker (Goes in your power distribution panel/breaker box) will. but a standard wall outlet type GFCI will not trip on over current. That's what the circuit breaker feeding it is for.
DFord
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
The electric heating elements can trip the GFCI. You should try replacing it. I had one that occasionally would trip the GFCI when I first turned the refrigerator on. It would automatically switch to gas at that point and go ahead and cool down. When I'd notice the gas was doing the cooling, I reset the GFCI and it would work fine after that making it hard to find a short in the element with a multimeter. The heating elements aren't that expensive. Just go ahead and change it and see if it fixes your problem.
enblethen
Nomad
Aug 12, 2019
If everything is working correctly, the refer should not trip the GFCI.
cavie
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
Happycamper30 wrote:
Hello, Happy Campers,
A month ago my gfi in my kitchen was bad which is hooked to the refrigerator and the kitchen outlets which was tripped and all the items had to be thrown out like meat and had to take everything out and throw away because of the smell 2 weeks ago I replaced it with another and we went to the camper stayed all weekend and it worked fine the campgrounds did lose power and the gfi was at red so I reset it and worked fine all weekend just stumped do I have to replace the gfi again?want to keep some meat and some other items but don't have confidence it may go off again so we take everything out of the refrigerator and bring it home then we bring it back, any answers?

Thank you.

get the fridge of the GFI circuit. Not required by the nec.
cavie
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
DutchmenSport wrote:
GFI will also trip if the amp draw is too great. They will trip before a breaker in your electric panel trips most often. And yes, they are designed to trip if water is a problem too.

GFI outlets do not trip on amprage overload.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Aug 11, 2019
GFI and refrigerators are a bad combo. IIRV, there is even and exception in NEC that allows a single (non-duplex) receptacle for a refrigerator on a concrete floor. (NEC requires receptacles above bare concrete floors to be GFI.)
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
GFI will also trip if the amp draw is too great. They will trip before a breaker in your electric panel trips most often. And yes, they are designed to trip if water is a problem too.
enblethen
Nomad
Aug 11, 2019
I would bet that your 120 volt element in the refer is going to ground tripping the GFCI. They go to ground where the wires enter the stack.
I would switch to run on propane only to see if the GFCI trips again. If I am right it will not.
You can test the element if ohm meter. Disconnect the two 120 volt wires. Test them to see if there is any resistance to ground IE the stack!
Flute_Man
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Is there a way that you can hook up the refrigerator to a non-GFI outlet? As you found out, it’s not a good idea to have the refrigerators and freezers on GFI outlets. GFI’s are made to protect people from getting shocked usually around the kitchen or water or outside or bathroom so you don’t get electrocuted.
Jerry Parr

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