Forum Discussion

Locatuse's avatar
Locatuse
Explorer
May 07, 2014

Camper electrical problem. Help please

I have a 1979 something 30 foot camper.

I have a power pole on my property with two rv hookups and two normal outlets. Gfci

My trailers rv hookup cord is not long enough to reach my power pole so I have a rv to normal outlet plug adapter on the end of my rv hookup cable with a regular extension cord that goes to the power pole.

I have four breakers inside this camper. One is for "general purpose" one is for "air" one is for "appliances" and last one for "lights". And in the middle of them is a "test button" that looks like a breaker that says if I press the test button the unit should trip and disconnect the power. I can press that button all day and nothing will happen to my power in here.

The problem is. Whenever I turn on the appliance breaker, the gfci by the power pole trips and the power to the camper is shut off.

I can have everything on in here minus the appliance breaker. I can have the General purpose. Air and lights breakers all turned to on and everything is working. The only thing not working are any of my outlets. So I can not plug anything in. The moment I take the "appliance" breaker from off position to on position the power shuts off. And nothing gets tripped inside my camper. I have to go out to the power pole and hit the reset button on my gfi and the power will come back on. That is only if I have my "appliance" breaker in the off position. I can have general purpose air and light breakers turned on and it will be fine. If the appliance breaker is in the on position. And I reset the gfi out by my power pole. The gfi by my power pole will shut off - reset- trip itself again

The even weirder thing is. I was in this camper a week ago and everything was fine. I had a heater plugged in and a tv going. For like eight hours. And then the power shut off. And it kept tripping out by my power pole. So I replaced the apliance breaker and tightened some stuff down. And it worked again like whoa easy fix. And about four hours later. Everything shut off and has been tripping out by the gfi power pole ever since.

Please help. Do I have a short in my trailer? A bad "test" breaker? A bad rv to extension cord adapter??? Should I replace my gfci with a normal outlet?

Any ideas? It'd be greatly appreciated before I start following all these wires for a short or fray. Which I have done alittle already and haven't seen anything.
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    May 07, 2014
    Your description is confusing. Is the GFCI tripping or is it a breaker?

    If it is the GFCI tripping then you have a ground fault not a shorted circuit.
  • campigloo's avatar
    campigloo
    Explorer
    May 07, 2014
    Have you had the same problem with a proper power supply? It sounds like you are asking too much from your regular extension cord. I suggest you take it to some campground where you can connect directly to the right power supply and see what happens before you get real involved in trouble shooting.
  • eHoefler's avatar
    eHoefler
    Explorer II
    May 07, 2014
    The "Regular" extension cord is your problem. If you have a heavy one, and the run is not very far, the most you will get out of it is 20 amps, most likely only 15 amps. The heater alone will draw 12.5 amps, the smaller extension cord and the length of the run will cause a voltage drop under load and send the amp draw through the roof. Your best bet is invest in a proper extension cord and have a proper RV outlet installed.
  • Mikepy's avatar
    Mikepy
    Explorer
    May 07, 2014
    The GFCI on the pole may be the problem. Had this happen before, if it had a " hard trip", it may not be able to sustain normal current any longer. The lead cord may be too long or not heavy enough. Could be a combination of both.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    May 07, 2014
    Is your water heater powered by the appliance circuit and does it have an electric element? The elements in a water heater are notorious for this as you can't see the problem and it can trip the GFCI if it's bad. If that isn't the situation, you'll have to trace back from the "appliance" breaker and see where you either have a short between ground and neutral or hot to ground.

    Do you have a handheld meter? It makes diagnosing problems much easier.

    One of the first places to check is inside the AC load center on the trailer and make sure all wires are clamped and not oxidized and that neutral is not tied to ground anywhere. Another good place to check is in receptacle boxes. If you have RV style receptacles with the guillotine connectors, those are also notorious for causing problems.

    If you can get a hold of a meter, there are specific things to check that will make diagnosis easier. In the end, it will probably be one small thing.

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