Electrical Issues

[Ryou]

So I've been living in this 5th wheel trailer since i was 18, im currently 24, and earlier today, my electric outlets in my living room space and kitchen have all stopped working! The bedroom outlets work just fine, and so do all the lights throughout the trailer, but anything i need to plug in doesnt work, what do i do? My 5th wheel is a late 90's Dutchman in case that helps.

[wa8yxm]

I have seen GFCI's trip when there was no problem, In fact odds are if I were to visit you I could trip yours without touching anything electrical in your RV including the GFCI... I wont' say how. but I could easily trip the GFCI in a neighbor's RV if I wished.

That said. Yes. it is good to know what tripped it. Some indicate need for repair work, some it is operator error, as my wife once proved. (no harm due to GFCI).

If you are near Oconee Co, SC I can likely help with a few things.. Or some other forum member no matter where you are.

[Almot]

donn0128 wrote:
Now is timw to hire someone to spend a few hours teaching you some basics.

A lot of free read out there, if there is a will.

While learning might not seem necessary now that the missing 120V has been found, it is in your best interests. The "restart switch" is there for your safety. It is not just a switch, it is a breaker that trips when something is wrong. There could be an underlying problem (or not).

[Dusty_R]

A GFCI and a GFI are the same thing. They game out in the late 60's, and were called GFI.

GFI = Ground Fault Interrupter.

GFCI = Ground Fault Current Interrupter.

[j-d]

Welcome Aboard!!

Glad our helpful members were able to help you! Do some lurking around. Read a few threads once in awhile and before long you'll be helping others. This is what it's about. We often can't "pay back" somebody who helped us on a forum, but we can surely "pay forward" by helping others who come along.

Let me mention this about GFI's: A GFI Receptacle (the kind you re-set, with those buttons) can be wired two ways. One way protects only its own two outlets. The other way, the GFI protects its own outlets AND any outlet downstream from it. So in an RV, the manufacturer wants to protect you from stray current injury in the bathroom, the kitchen, and an outside outlet. They can install a GFI in the bathroom and run the wiring so kitchen is next then the outside. It'll trip on a problem in ANY of the three. So if it trips, you may find an appliance plugged into one of those outlets is electrically "leaky" and the testing consists of unplugging everything to see if the GFI will let you re-set it. Then next go see if the outside outlet got wet, since the wetness can trip a GFI.

[donn0128]

Now is timw to hire someone to spend a few hours teaching you some basics.

[mat60]

Glad its fixed now.

[Ryou]

Thank you so very much! i found the restart switch and got it to work, i really appreciate all the help.

[MrWizard]

GFI = Ground Fault Interrupter

its duplex receptacle with buttons in between the (2) outlets

check the kitchen outlets, bathroom outlets, and any outlet on the exterior of the trailer

the buttons are marked 'test' and 'reset'

its a safety device, detects leaky current to ground, like dropping your shaver into the wash basin, or leaky coffee maker shorting out inside etc..

sometimes they get damp inside and trip, sometimes they get old and need to be replaced

[donn0128]

GFCIs are usually in places like the bathroom. Do you have an outlet there? Look for a small button on it. Push the button in. If that does not fix it, look in the kitchen for the same thing and try it. Last resort, with the power disconnected from the trailer, take a screw driver and take the dead outlet apart and look. If you have b÷n using a space heater it is highly likely you have a burned wire. Where abouts are you living? Im in Salem area and for a fee would be willing to come and help you out.

[wnjj]

Ryou wrote:
I really dont know much about things like GFIs and GFCIs. My 5th wheel's breaker box is under the fold-out couch, where would i find what i'm looking for?

Google images.

Or instead I’ll try to explain. Open the cover on the breaker box and make sure all of the black “switches” are on or better yet, switch them off and back on because sometimes a tripped breaker looks like it’s still on.

GFCI are those special plugs in kitchens and baths with the little test and reset button between the receptacles. If they trip, you need to push the reset button firmly and deeply in with the tip of your finger. It also may have failed and need replaced.

[Ryou]

I really dont know much about things like GFIs and GFCIs. My 5th wheel's breaker box is under the fold-out couch, where would i find what i'm looking for?

[dons2346]

You most likely have a GFI. Find it and see if it has tripped and reset it. If you have an inverter, you could have overloaded a circuit. Find the inverter and check the breakers on it for being tripped and reset.Check the main breaker panel for any tripped breakers and reset

[Dusty_R]

Check for a tripped breaker in the breaker panel or a tripper GFCI receptacle.

[Dutch_12078]

Look for a GFCI outlet that's tripped. One GFCI usually controls several other outlets on the same line. If the manufacturer used black or dark brown GFCI's with the same colored buttons, they can be difficult to spot sometimes, so look closely.