Can anyone shed a light on a problem I am having?I am trying to plug my unit in to the house power supply so I can put some heat on over the winter, something I have been doing for years, using a GFI socket. As soon as I make the connection the GFI trips.However: -If I plug into another, non-GFI, socket in the house everything works fine. -Last week I was plugged in at a RV park and everything worked fine.-If I plug a small tool such as my drill into the GFI it works fine.Any thoughts or expert advice will be greatly appreciated.

The surge from the converter is probably tripping the GFCI. Happens to me at home some times. Plug in, then reset the GFCI and see what happens.

The most likely causes of a ground fault are the refer, HW and outside plugs. Turn off all RV CBs, plug in then turn CBs on one at a time to see if you isolate the problem.

Had that same problem several years ago on a previous RV...the electric heating element in the water heater was burned out, and when the water heater tank was full it made the GFI trip but not a non-GFI circuit...turn off the electric switch at the water heater or disconnect it to see if the problem goes away...if it does, go to Lowes or Home Depot for a new one.

Could be a failing refer 120 volt element. Try unplugging the refer in the outside access.

donn0128 wrote:The surge from the converter is probably tripping the GFCI. Happens to me at home some times. Plug in, then reset the GFCI and see what happens.A surge will not trip a GFCI, they are only looking at current imbalance in the hot and neutral wires.Your RV obviously has a ground fault somewhere. When plugged in at an RV park to the 30A or 50A outlet it doesn't show since those aren't GFCI outlets. Same thing as when you plugged into a non-GFCI outlet at home. Obviously it isn't the GFCI at your house because it works fine with something else plugged in.You do need to check the RV and find and correct the ground fault. It has the potential to make for an unsafe situation where someone could get shocked. As mentioned, the refrigerator circuits and water heater are the first suspects. Turn those breakers off and try plugging in again.

Electrical problem | Good Sam Community

happycamper1942
Explorer
Oct 10, 2017
Answers to a couple of questions:
It does not have a sewage macerator.
It is a 28 foot 5th wheel as shown in my signature. There are approx.9 outlets all around three unit.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Oct 10, 2017
happycamper1942 wrote:

I just checked and the fridge does not have power but works ok on gas.
It seems strange that the Gfi does not trip it but non of the wall outlets work.

The fridge needs ONLY gas and 12 V to work in gas mode.
The 120 input to the fridge is probably from an outlet in or near to the back of the fridge.

Your next step is to unplug things on that circuit. The fridge is a good place to start.
Nv_Guy
Explorer III
Oct 10, 2017
D/S= Drivers side? You didn't specify your coach model / year, so lots of assumptions here. Typically in a small unit, you will find electrical outlets only on one side. The GFI breaker is just that, it controls the GFIs in the bathroom, kitchen & exterior. Sounds like the "DS" breaker controls the other receptacles, and probably the 110V light(s) someone probably added, as 110V lights are a rarity. My guess is the 110V lights are the root cause here, either wired by amateur or something strange in the fixture / bulb.
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 10, 2017
Yes, unplug the fridge from the outlet in the access compartment and see if that breaker will stay on.
enblethen
Nomad
Oct 10, 2017
Does it have an 120 volt macerator sewage pump?
happycamper1942
Explorer
Oct 10, 2017
time2roll wrote:
List all the markings to give hints and eliminate possibilities.
30 amp or 50 amp?

Does the fridge have power with this breaker off? You can unplug the fridge in the exterior compartment and run it on propane.

110v lights are not that common... were these OEM?

They are:
Main 30 amp
A/C
Gfi
W/h
D/S and below that 12v

I just checked and the fridge does not have power but works ok on gas.
It seems strange that the Gfi does not trip it but non of the wall outlets work.
Also the 110v lights do not work. I do not know if they were added as I did not buy the unit new.However I do not think so as they are the light above the diner and couch, it would be pretty dark in those areas without them.
The mystery deepens.
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 10, 2017
List all the markings to give hints and eliminate possibilities.
30 amp or 50 amp?

Does the fridge have power with this breaker off? You can unplug the fridge in the exterior compartment and run it on propane.

110v lights are not that common... were these OEM?
happycamper1942
Explorer
Oct 09, 2017
So I followed the advice given, turned off all the breakers and then turned them on one at a time until the house GFI blew, and have narrowed the problem down to one breaker which is marked "D/S". Everything seems to be working with this breaker off except the wall sockets and a couple of lights which are 110v only. I replaced the GFI in the unit and checked the wiring in most of the sockets and it all seems OK
I cannot for the life of me figure out what D/S stands for. Anyone have ant ideas?
happycamper1942
Explorer
Oct 08, 2017
Thanks for all the good advice. I think most solutions have been covered. I will check them out tomorrow and report what I find.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Oct 08, 2017
KD4UPL wrote:

Your RV obviously has a ground fault somewhere.

The obvious explanation isn't always the right one. ;)

It also could be a defective GFI.

But the advice to turn off all of the breakers in the RV, plug into the house and then turn the breakers back on one at a time is a good one. Fairly quick and costs nothing.

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