BigBill1963
NY
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OK, this is a shock but this year as we are breaking out our Fleetwood GearBox, the GFCI plug in the bathroom tripped as we plugged it in. I have no power at any of my wall outlets, but everything else seems to be working fine. Could the GFCI plug have gone bad? I've never heard of it while sitting all winter long. Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions? I tried using the generator and also plugging directly into the house. I tried working all breakers, taking the plug apart looking for loose wires or signs of problems and everything looks good.
Thanks for the help!
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Rollincool
Always Rollin
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Sounds like the GFI got wet, shorted, or a loose ground, (or maybe even a chewed wire by mickey mouse). The reason all the other outlets are dead is they are probably wired to the "load" side of the GFI.
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enblethen
Moses Lake, WA USA
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It could be moisture in a receptacle or defective item plugged into one of the receptacles.
Start by unplugging all items in dead receptacles.
No problem found remove GFCI receptacle from wall. Disconnect load side wiring. This will determine whether it is a bad GFCI or a problem in a receptacle or wiring.
Bad load side problem, start looking in outdoor receptacle or in storage area of gear box.
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BigBill1963
NY
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enblethen wrote:It could be moisture in a receptacle or defective item plugged into one of the receptacles.
Start by unplugging all items in dead receptacles.
No problem found remove GFCI receptacle from wall. Disconnect load side wiring. This will determine whether it is a bad GFCI or a problem in a receptacle or wiring.
Bad load side problem, start looking in outdoor receptacle or in storage area of gear box.
I just checked all recepracles and there is nothing plugged into any of them. As far as moisture goes, there is only one outside of the trailer (that I know of) and I checked it carefully. There doesn't appear to be any moisture or signs of it. Everything looks pretty clean and dry. I have the GFCI out now, and I will go check the load side now. Thanks for the help!
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BigBill1963
NY
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Well, I un-hooked the load side and the GFCI did not trip. I checked every receptacle that I could find and none of them look bad. What else can I do, other than remove each plug individually to see if it trips. I saw that on the outdoor and kitchen there is a small sticker that says GFCI protected, but none of the receptacles work.
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Jim&Peg
Central Ohio
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I would start with the outside outlet. Remove it and see if any critters have built a nest or if there is any moisture inside the outlet box.
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Beaker
Brevard, NC
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I think starting with the outside one is a good idea. They are more prone to corrode or stick because of the exposure.
I had a problem with a GFCI. Turns out a prong was bad, I think some kind of spring in it. Tested with a voltmeter and would run from o to 120v depending(I guess) on how much the spring would "spring".
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Bonefish
Midland, TX
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You didn't say anything about trying to reset the GFCI circuit.
GFCI plugs have a reset or you may even have a GFCI breaker if a number of plugs are protected. They need to be reset.
Bonefish
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BigBill1963
NY
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Bonefish wrote:You didn't say anything about trying to reset the GFCI circuit.
GFCI plugs have a reset or you may even have a GFCI breaker if a number of plugs are protected. They need to be reset.
Bonefish
When I disconnected the load and reset it, then it didn't trip. Otherwise, as soon as I click the breaker on, the GFCI trips. I found the breaker for the plug, that is how I check it. Shut off the breaker, reset the plug and flick the breaker again. The breaker never trips though, jsut the GFCI. I'll start with the outside plug, that is what I was thinking too.
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bufordt
Pennsylvania
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GFCI's go bad all of the time. A lot less hassle to replace it with a know good one than to chase what could be a non existent fault.
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