Electrical issue

[NekkidFish]

On at least three occasions, after running something in the RV, we will go to plug something into an outlet, and it is not working. Once we do a reset on the GFI thing on the bathroom plug, the plugs then work.

I wish I could give a specific on what was plugged in when this happened, but I can't. It seems random.

Tonight we were trying to hook up the DTV ... so we had the TV on, and the reciever plugged into an outlet. When I tried plugging the Power Inserter into the same outlet, it had no power.

Once we reset the GFI, then their was power.

Can anyone shed any light into what might be causing this?

Thanks!

[wa8yxm]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Check your outside receptacles for water infiltration.

You beat me to it.. I meant to post that with my last post.

[BillandCarole]

I don't think water in an outside plug is an issue. We are in the deep desert (Tucson, Ariz) and its dammed dry. Some place with a higher humidity and I would be pulling out the old hair dryer to dry them out.
Bill

[wa8yxm]

Two things that I can think of.. If you use a CB or other 2-way radio.. My ham gear can trip my GFCI if I hit the right frequency, even at fairly low power.. All i have to do is hit a frequency where the wire is resonate to do it. (the wire from the GFCI to the Patio or other outlets).


One or more item in your RV may have a small ground fault or you may be touching the pins while plugging in a hard to plug into outlet.

[NekkidFish]

aruba5er wrote:
older gfci's can be a big problem the newer ones are much better. If 10 years or more older, change it. Also like one poster said, check the outdoor outlet for water infiltration. The cheap rubber gasket that came with the cover is probably leaking. Apply some silicone around the cover.

It's a 2014, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. He does wash it often, so I will have him check that!

[aruba5er]

older gfci's can be a big problem the newer ones are much better. If 10 years or more older, change it. Also like one poster said, check the outdoor outlet for water infiltration. The cheap rubber gasket that came with the cover is probably leaking. Apply some silicone around the cover.

[Dutch_12078]

mslater wrote:
my wife is big on hitting the "TEST" button on the gfi without knowing it , which will trip it out

We had the same problem when my wife was plugging or unplugging the hair dryer in the bathroom. Since that GFCI controlled several other outlets, including the ones the TV, satellite receiver, and WiFi router are plugged into, it was pretty annoying at times. To resolve the problem, I bypassed the bathroom GFCI so the rest of the outlets were no longer affected by it. Since some of the remaining outlets do require GFCI protection per the NEC, I replaced the next outlet in the string with a new GFCI. That outlet gets little use, so accidentally tripping it is not a problem.

[mslater]

my wife is big on hitting the "TEST" button on the gfi without knowing it , which will trip it out

[BillandCarole]

Just had a similar problem. GFI's can get weak and need to be replaced. After replacing it, disconnect everything and reset, the add things back on one by one.
Good Luck
Bill

[beemerphile1]

Check your outside receptacles for water infiltration.

[NekkidFish]

Thanks guys. Just told hubby what you said. We are taking the rig to the dealer in a few weeks to go over plumbing stuff, so we will bring it up then and see if we can get them to do it for us.

Thanks!

[Beaker]

Had that happen once and it was a bad GFI.
Happen when I used any outlet on that circuit.

[Water-Bug]

If it is random and no particular appliance or plug seems to trigger the GFI fault, the problem is either the GFI plug or your RV wiring. Since the GFI plug is the cheapest and easiest to replace, I would start there. Does the problem occur when using two prong plug appliances?