With the engine running I turned on the inverter (Xantrax 2000 watt Freedom 20) and one of the GFCI outlets inside the coach began buzzing and smoking. Turned the inverter off and the smoking stopped. With the generator running and the inverter off, the issue stopped. All 12 volt (lights, etc) are working and all 120 volt outlets are functioning when on generator power. All lights on the inverter panel show normal charging, amps, voltage, etc. Any input as to what the cause may be and what I should look for to correct?1997 Monaco DynastyCummins 8.3

Electricians call that "magic smoke." As in, "Oh, no, this device won't work any more because I accidentally released the magic smoke when I plugged it in."Brief article on magic smokeI wish I had a better answer for you.

IS your inverter MSW or TSW.. If it's TSW (also called PSW or True/Pure sine wave) you should not have any issues with anything (Cost me a coffee pot though)With MSW (Modified sine or square wage) you paid your money you takes your chances as they say... YOu SHOULD! not have any problems but you might.Replace the GFCI.

If I were you, I would remove the outlet and inspect The back of it. Depending on what you find you may just want to replace the GFI entirely. Get an electrical person to help you if need be.Jerry Parr

Flute Man wrote:If I were you, I would remove the outlet and inspect The back of it. Depending on what you find you may just want to replace the GFI entirely. Get an electrical person to help you if need be.Jerry ParrLike x10!This is was what I found behind that pesky GFI plate in my MH.I was probably about an hour away from a fire. :( AND it was still working and light on I didn't even suspect the GFI. I just kept smelling a fairly faint odor of a burn smell when the windows were all closed spent hours trying to find out where it was coming from.

Glad you found that and thank your lucky stars! My grandson dad died in a camper fire because of a faulty outlet 14 years ago.

Smoking GFCI outlet | Good Sam Community

profdant139
Explorer II
Aug 10, 2019
Electricians call that "magic smoke." As in, "Oh, no, this device won't work any more because I accidentally released the magic smoke when I plugged it in."

Brief article on magic smoke

I wish I had a better answer for you.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Aug 10, 2019
IS your inverter MSW or TSW.. If it's TSW (also called PSW or True/Pure sine wave) you should not have any issues with anything (Cost me a coffee pot though)

With MSW (Modified sine or square wage) you paid your money you takes your chances as they say... YOu SHOULD! not have any problems but you might.

Replace the GFCI.
Flute_Man
Explorer
Aug 10, 2019
If I were you, I would remove the outlet and inspect The back of it. Depending on what you find you may just want to replace the GFI entirely. Get an electrical person to help you if need be.
Jerry Parr
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Flute Man wrote:
If I were you, I would remove the outlet and inspect The back of it.
Depending on what you find you may just want to replace the GFI entirely. Get an electrical person to help you if need be.
Jerry Parr

Like x10!

This is was what I found behind that pesky GFI plate in my MH.

I was probably about an hour away from a fire. :(

AND it was still working and light on I didn't even suspect the GFI. I just kept smelling a fairly faint odor of a burn smell when the windows were all closed spent hours trying to find out where it was coming from.
cougar28
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Glad you found that and thank your lucky stars! My grandson dad died in a camper fire because of a faulty outlet 14 years ago.
whjco
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Was the connection to the receptacle tight? Regardless, this outlet is toast (no pun intended :) ) and should be replaced.
whjco
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Was the connection to the receptacle tight? Regardless, this outlet is toast (no pun intended :) ) and should be replaced. Any wire that shows signs of heat and insulation damage should be cut away and good wire spliced between the clean copper and the new receptacle. Any wire splice or junction should be inside of the electrical box holding the receptacle.
RognBon
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Thanks for the advice. I will go by the storage lot tomorrow with a new outlet and see what I find. Hopefully this will solve the issue. I'll report back with the results.
ppine
Explorer II
Aug 11, 2019
GFIs are very sensitive to vairations in amperage. When anything unusual happens they trip. Sometimes they trip for no reason at all. If one is buzzing and not tripping, replace it. Test the rest of the circuit.
joebedford
Nomad II
Aug 13, 2019
my bad post