Converter causing a ground fault trip.

Harvard wrote:
I do have one follow up question concerning leakage current from neutral to ground. How does this leakage amount to anything if there is very little (or no voltage) between neutral and ground. That is when compared to the magnitude of leakage from the 120 VAC Hot to Ground.

GFCIs detect current differences not voltage differences. If the difference between the hot and neutral currents is greater than 5ma (0.005A) it trips.

The leakage current may be returning to the main service panel via the ground wire or via someone standing in water and returning via earth ground.

BTW For a good device and circuit with a load there could be several volts difference between the neutral and ground wires at the device. This is due to the load on the neutral wire while the ground is a safety wire and normally will not have any load.

road-runner wrote:
All of the AC devices leak some current from the hot lead and neutral lead to the ground wire. The power converters tend to be among the biggest leakers. The leakage is usually close to being balanced between the hot and neutral, having little or no effect on the GFCI. If you get one device with enough unbalance leakage, it will trip the GFCI. Or if there are several devices with unbalanced leakage that don't trip the GFCI individually, they could trip it together. This could explain why the converter seems to be the cause of the GFCI trip when in the RV, but not when it's out. Or it could be unbalanced converter leakage from the AC input to the negative output, which is grounded when the converter is installed. Unlike other opinions, mine is that an RV that trips a GFCI should be "grounded" (i.e. taken out of service) until it's fixed.

There is a lot of knowledge in this post. Thank you.

I do have one follow up question concerning leakage current from neutral to ground. How does this leakage amount to anything if there is very little (or no voltage) between neutral and ground. That is when compared to the magnitude of leakage from the 120 VAC Hot to Ground.

Did you shut off all the breakers on the converter and turn them back on again?

Those breakers on the converter visually look ok but in my experience many times they don't trip all the way. 'Especially' the gfi breaker because they are tripped so much.

Also I would check the gfi breaker on the converter and/fuse to that breaker.

Shore stations and the gfi's are notorious for being bad due to the use they get. Before I ripped out the converter I would either put a 50 adapter on and plug into that outlet or run an extension cord to another shore station to see if the problem still exists.

Check the output on the converter itself and LEAVE the tester on after it reaches what output it should have to see if it keeps increasing. I had a converter go rogue and exceed that amount and it was cooking my batteries. Had a bad capacitor.

All of the AC devices leak some current from the hot lead and neutral lead to the ground wire. The power converters tend to be among the biggest leakers. The leakage is usually close to being balanced between the hot and neutral, having little or no effect on the GFCI. If you get one device with enough unbalance leakage, it will trip the GFCI. Or if there are several devices with unbalanced leakage that don't trip the GFCI individually, they could trip it together. This could explain why the converter seems to be the cause of the GFCI trip when in the RV, but not when it's out. Or it could be unbalanced converter leakage from the AC input to the negative output, which is grounded when the converter is installed. Unlike other opinions, mine is that an RV that trips a GFCI should be "grounded" (i.e. taken out of service) until it's fixed.

Trying to run an entire RV power distribution system on a GFCI is way beyond that which is expected of a GFCI protected "DEVICE". IMO

I just had that problem that kept recurring over the 6 weeks I was plugged in at the last campground. When I pulled the plug out of the pedestal to move the RV, I discovered that the plug and receptical had burned and melted the plug around the neutral lead. I brought the trailer home, and replaced the plug (it was burned, remember) and it's been plugged in here since with no problems. Might want to take a look at your plug just for grins 'n' giggles.

My converter also trips the GFI and that was on a brand new RV.

They just do that. If you can plug in the converter to a non-GFI receptacle, then try that. Or use a 50 to 30 amp adapter if the campground 30 amp plug is GFI protected.

I found that once removed from the RV, my converter no longer tripped the GFI, I have a feeling that you will find the same thing happens.

Good luck,

Fred.

X2 remove and replace Progressive Dynamics head unit replacement.

Probably need to replace the converter. Good time to upgrade depending on what he has.
May as well remove and bench test into a GFCI at home.