GFI circuit drawing down whole camper.

[djpetrou]

I need some suggestions here.
2004 Trailhauler toyhauler.
One circuit has gfi receptacles at the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink and at the cook top.
When this circuit is on it draws the battery down an will drain it. This happens even when hooked to shore power. It is a considerable drain when turning the breaker on and off.
I am suspecting a GFI maybe or with the age of the unit maybe the converter.
Any suggestions on finding the problem?
D.J.

[beemerphile1]

Maybe this was asked and answered but I didn't see it;

Is this a new issue? Do you know for certain that up till recently everything worked correctly? Did you purchase the RV with this problem?

If this started recently, what was done just before the issue started? Any modifications, changes, additions to the RV?

Often when problems occur I can figure it out by retracing my steps. I have caused problems by sloppy work or poor planning of mods and repairs. Even the best service technicians can create a problem in one area while repairing a different area.

[MNtundraRet]

djpetrou:

Since you will be going out to check your RV soon, I would take along the standard 3-prong outlet tester (3 led) that fits a 15 or 20 amp grounded outlet. You need a 30 amp adaptor for 30 amp outlet.

Check the shore-power outlet first to confirm correct wiring. Then plug the tester into one of the GFI protected outlets. It might be able to show if you might have a loose or missing ground, or a short to a 12v dc circuit. One of the LED's might flicker or dim with continuity error when testing your circuit the way you were describing.

I would think a clamp-on meter checking amps on cable near the battery might go from a sign showing a net charging of the battery to a net loss of amps flowing to a short.

[tenbear]

I have a hard time understanding why a 120vac drain as large as this appears to be doesn't trip a circuit breaker. Looks like the GFI circuit is pulling the ac voltage down low enough to affect the converter. Maybe there is a poor connection somewhere in there that is resulting in a voltage drop even though the current drain is not large enough to trip the CB.

[westend]

Please, post back with your findings.

This is an atypical problem as powering anything that is AC inside should not cause the battery to drain. When the circuit breaker is powered, the lights may flicker but should remain at full illumination if the rest of the DC system is in order.

The use of a multimeter in this situation would reduce a lot of the work.

[djpetrou]

Broccoli1 wrote:

queenie2 wrote:
The GFI is not meant to be a switch. Do you go around and shut them all off and on? Why? Should also occur if not connected to shore power. In which case it probably is the converter. And you have an inverter but do not know it.

He's not using it as a switch. The GFI receptacle that seems to be the problem is also protected by a Circuit Breaker.

When the CB is "ON" it sends power to the receptacle BUT something is causing the house batteries to drain when that CB is on. He is only flipping the CB OFF so that he does not drain the batteries.

Exactly, Thank You.

Everything functions perfectly with the CB that controls the GFCI line OFF.
When I turn it ON there is an immediate huge drain to the whole system.
I may get to it this weekend. I'll be pulling the receptacles on the GFCI circuit out and testing them all. I am betting on a short, grounding or neutral issue.

[CA_Traveler]

Analysis based on what's posted.

GFCI circuit has unknown load, perhaps charger or HW.

The extra GFCI load is causing low AC voltage and that problem could be anywhere back to the pedestal.

The charger is defective or poor design as low AC voltage should not cause it to drain the battery.

Defective battery. It was apparently not load tested.

[tenbear]

I would start disconnecting wires and see what causes the problem. Disconnect the wire at the CB and try it. If it is ok then, disconnect the wire at the GFI. Continue until the problem exists with the wire disconnected. Actually, I would use a clamp-on ammeter but I am assuming you don't have one.

[Broccoli1]

queenie2 wrote:
The GFI is not meant to be a switch. Do you go around and shut them all off and on? Why? Should also occur if not connected to shore power. In which case it probably is the converter. And you have an inverter but do not know it.

He's not using it as a switch. The GFI receptacle that seems to be the problem is also protected by a Circuit Breaker.

When the CB is "ON" it sends power to the receptacle BUT something is causing the house batteries to drain when that CB is on. He is only flipping the CB OFF so that he does not drain the batteries.

[RoyB]

I commend everyone on here keeping their cool while providing troubleshooting questions. We all know this is very hard to do in the world of keyboards and computer screens. Everyone has their own way of identifying things...

I too am anxiously waiting the outcome here and when that does happen it will probably be something very familiar to all of us...

kudos to all...

Roy Ken

[YC_1]

The only thing that could cause that is the AC voltage dipping low.

Some converter chargers have a power cord that plugs in to an outlet. IF yours has this, run an extension cord and plug the converter in to that.

IF not, you need to measure the input AC voltage to the converter.

[MNtundraRet]

djpetrou wrote:
Ok, Let me clear up a few things.Obviously the GFCI circuit is 120v.

IF I am plugged into shore power it works, If I am unplugged it does not work. (non of the 120v circuits obviously will work)
I am the only owner and this does not have an inverter.

If I am plugged in the shore power and the GFCI circuit breaker switch on the Power dist panel is turned "ON" over a short time the lights go dim, the fans slow down and the battery is also drained.

IF I turn off the circuit breaker (at the power dist panel) for the GFCI's then everything returns to normal. The battery charges back up and the camper runs like normal.

Also, if I remove the battery and charge it in the garage it will charge fully and hold a charge.

Does the clarify the situation?

You still have not clarified one item. Is the converter/charger on the same circuit?

Are you using a multi-meter to check voltage readings?

The 120v ac circuit does not interface with the 12v dc circuit except when the inverter converts ac to dc current.

In order to see anything like what you describe there has to be a momentary short between the two separated circuits. It might be from a fraying wire caused by a slide-out movement, or could be from an internal short in the converter/charger (if on the same circuit). I would expect either a circuit-breaker to trip, the outlet to trip, or a fuse to blow for anything more than a momentary short.

If you had a AC voltage meter plugged into one of the AC outlets you could look for variable voltage readings. A multi-meter could measure drops in dc voltage. The clamp-on meter could pick up unexpected drops or surge in current.

[CA_Traveler]

One heavy draw device that could be on the GFCI circuit is the HW.

[CA_Traveler]

What is the AC voltage on the GFCI circuit and other circuits with the CB on/off?

I'm wondering if additional loads on the GFCI circuit (loads unknown to you) are lowering the AC voltage. This could be a trailer or pedestal problem.

[CA_Traveler]

There might be a hard wired device on the GFCI circuit.

Have you tested the GFCI circuit to see if the CB trips? A simple household tester with a GFCI test button is another very useful tool.