GFCI not cooperating with me

[obiwancanoli]

I can't seem to get my outlets working that have the set and test buttons for GFCI... there's a red light that continues to blink very fast, and Inverter is on. I press the set button, nothing happens... and, the outlet seems to make a noise as if it IS being set, and does so occasionally throughout the night... what am I missing here?

[Gdetrailer]

wa8yxm wrote:
Some questions on the inverter
MSW or PSW/TSW
Does it have "load Sense" and is it on or disabled?

Some GFCI's do not like inverters. or so I'm told. never met one though.

GFCIs don't care if it is PSW or MSW, waveform has nothing to do with how a GFCI works.

And wa8yxm, just so you can's say that there are no MSW inverters that work with GFCI I would recommend that you take a good look at a Trpplite PV3000GFCI HERE for PROOF that MSW DOES work with GFCIs.



So get off the PSW high horse..

GFCI uses current transformers to check the balance of current on the hot and neutral, as long as the current is the same on both lines all is good..

If however there is more current flowing on the hot side than the neutral side, then the GFCI will trip once it exceeds the threshold which now days is 5 milliamps..

Doesn't really care what waveform it sees, just that the current is balanced.

Running an inverter which has a floating neutral can and will cause issues in a RV situation since the 120V grounding system is also bonded to the 12V DC system negative..

This can cause ground loop currents, those currents could potentially be enough to trip a GFCI..

On this type of inverter, bonding neutral to safety ground will short the 60V AC, reduce the output of the inverter to 60V until the inverter safely shuts down or just plain burns up..

Until the OP gives answers to the questions posed above, everyone is simply guessing..

[wa8yxm]

Some questions on the inverter
MSW or PSW/TSW
Does it have "load Sense" and is it on or disabled?

Some GFCI's do not like inverters. or so I'm told. never met one though.

[Gdetrailer]

Does it work OK on Shore power?

Has it always worked while on inverter?

Is inverter new to the setup or factory installed?

Brand/model of inverter?

Did you plug shore cord into inverter outlet?

Is the inverter 120V output hard wired to your 120V system?

If you installed inverter and GFCI has never worked with the inverter then the issue most likely IS the inverter.

Most cheap inverters are designed to use a floating neutral when compared to the safety ground and will have about 60V AC on the neutral and aprox 60V on the Hot..

GFCIs don't like that and will rebel..

And most cheap inverters tend to not like the neutral connected to safety ground or the battery negative terminals which are connected to the frame of your RV..

The frame of your RV is also bonded to the safety ground of your 120V AC electrical system..

See the problem?

[Flute_Man]

Did it work OK before?
And maybe something is plugged in to that circuit downstream that’s causing the ground fault.