| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Will GFCI work with items without equipment ground
Sam,
My Magnum hybrid inverter/charger trips on SOME but not all GFCI outlets. When I remove the inverter from the circuit path, the RV does not trip any of the GFCI outlets.
This behavior is why I'm getting bald. * grin *.
Another anomaly is that occasionally when I run the Yamaha generator, the one and only gfci circuit in the RV may trip. Again--not always. And it does reset.
Just imagine if your fridge or freezer was powered by a GFCI.....
We have a condo with a den. The den is used as a pantry c/w an upright freezer.
Being a den it is powered on the same "anti arc" breaker as our bedrooms.
Oh well, you know the rest of the story...
|
Harvard
|
08/21/19 08:10pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Will GFCI work with items without equipment ground
The under lying issue with "unexpected" GFCI tripping from an RV sub system is called "stray capacitance" which allows for stray current leakage. Every foot of wire has some stray capacitance and some loads have RFI capacitors across their AC input circuits. All this "Normal Capacitance" soon adds up to be a 5 mA current leakage.
|
Harvard
|
08/21/19 11:25am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Will GFCI work with items without equipment ground
All this brings up another related topic. I know I'm wavering.
My RV is in a storage lot where a, low potential, outlet is supplied for each camper. An AC unit or electric water heater will immediately trip the main.
We, pretty much, only plug up to keep batteries charged. Nobody loads anything of consequence on the inverter or 12 volt system.
Every motorhome owner I talk with seems to have a persistent problem with the GFCI's tripping. The only thing we all have in common is that we all have an inverter. Mine is a 1500 watt Xantrex PSW.
Is there something inherent with motorhomes that could cause this? I know the 15 amp connections an campgrounds are GFCI, but I doubt they are used by motorhomes.
Can you imagine having your whole house protected by one 5 mA GFCI.
Why do we think a single 5mA GFCI is going to cope with an entire RV sub system. Just saying.
|
Harvard
|
08/21/19 09:53am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Will GFCI work with items without equipment ground
I know it's probably a dumb question but my wife's hair dryer is old and has no equipment ground. Wanted to be sure she is still protected if it should be dropped into water or otherwise shorted.
The GFCI would trip the circuit IF the water has at least a capacitive path, if not a conductive path, that would conduct at least 5 mA to Ground. IMO.
|
Harvard
|
08/20/19 03:02pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Trailer brakes stop working when headlights are on
Sounds to me like the Brake Controller is wired incorrectly.
Maybe the Ground Wire of the Brake Control Module is connected
to the wire that goes to the Park Lights.
With the Park Lights off the Brake Controller gets its
0 VDC through the park light bulbs to Ground.
When the Park Lights are turned on there is no
0 VDC for the Brake Controller.
|
Harvard
|
08/18/19 01:41pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Outdoor GFCI outlet trips when using electric cooktop
You could possibly have a heating element going bad in the cooktop unit that's allowing AC current to leak to ground thereby tripping the GFI.
Could be the result of the capacitance from heating conductor to grounded outer casing of heating element.
|
Harvard
|
08/17/19 10:38am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Major suspension/steering upgrade
OP, you are aware of the Caster issues with the E350/E450 cutaways, Right?
|
Harvard
|
08/13/19 09:21am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Handling/steering.
Yes, I think a change in caster is a logical explanation.
|
Harvard
|
08/08/19 08:44am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Handling/steering.
I'm not the OP, but just tossing in my followup post. I got an alignment today and asked about the caster. Here are my before/after numbers, as you can see I was ok on caster already. Just a little tweak to the tow in, and they swapped the front tires left-right. The pull is gone, so I'm happy.
The tech did say he'd be happy to add in more caster if I wanted, but it would require a different bushing. So at least it seems like he knew what he was doing? Since I'm already almost at 5 degrees and it drives fine, I'm not messing.
Here is my theory about 4.5 Degrees:
"If the final RV build is nose level then the runtime caster will be about +4.5 degrees. These units are probably indifferent."
|
Harvard
|
08/07/19 05:50pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Handling/steering.
Hi, I know exactly what you are going through. We had a 2005 granite ridge on a 450 chassis.I put new shocks , tires and had the front end aligned at a local shop and it was still a white knuckle experience to drive. I went on this forum and some good people gave me the camber and caster settings for the class c with the 450 chassis.My local shop would not set up the unit with the settings i was given so i found a truck alignment shop and they set the unit up with the new settings. The unit drove like a new car. The shop that did the work said they wish they had these settings before because there were a lot of people with class c units that have the same problem. I cant remember the settings now but i`m sure someone on this forum can tell you. Good luck
The secret to handling is in the Caster setting...about +5.5 on RH and +5.3 on LH. Even more is better....
Here is a link to our experience, circa 2010
|
Harvard
|
07/31/19 05:54pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Class C steering stabilizer
Research E450 caster alignment before investing in steering stabilizers.
Agreed. I have a 31'. It was a bear to keep on the road. Did some research and found the tire pressure was the problem. The drivers door has a tag that notes the manufacturers suggested tire pressures. I had them all at 80psi. The tag notes, 75psi front and 80psi rear. After I adjusted, made a complete difference.
Agreed, tire pressure effects the dynamic runtime caster trail.
The caster setting defines the range of effect a change in tire pressure will produce. IMO
|
Harvard
|
07/20/19 03:03pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Any Denver area C owners? Alignments???
Thanks - its the E450 Super Duty. But the 31FK is a biggun... 18' between the wheels and 32' bumper to bumper.
I called A&E Tire in Commerce City and they said the probably can. I make try them first!
I assume you are aware of the caster issues (ie > 5 degrees) associated with the Ford E350/E450 series alignments.
|
Harvard
|
07/16/19 03:28pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Class C steering stabilizer
Research E450 caster alignment before investing in steering stabilizers.
|
Harvard
|
07/12/19 08:56am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Dead battery so quickly?
Maybe the break away switch is engaging the brakes....
|
Harvard
|
07/09/19 04:58pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: My Holiday trailer trips my house GFI when plugged in.
Switching Mode Power Supplies and GFCIs
START QUOTE:
As explained earlier, RF noise filtration circuits in SMPS (Switching Mode Power Supply) generate intentional Earth Leakage Current. SMPS are used extensively as DC power sources in modern day electrical / electronic devices e.g. Audio / Video / Computing devices, power supplies, battery chargers etc. A single GFCI outlet / GFCI breaker may be serving multiple SMPS loads and therefore, will be sensing the sum of all the Earth Leakage Currents and, if the sum is > 4 to 6mA after connecting this unit, the GFCI will trip.
END QUOTE:
|
Harvard
|
06/27/19 07:01pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Furnace pops breaker after 30 seconds.
If it is a 120VAC breaker then it may be due to the increased load from the converter. The converter converts 120VAC to 12 VDC. 12VDC then powers the furnace.
Maybe the 120VAC 15 Amp breaker supplies power to something else along with the converter.
|
Harvard
|
06/13/19 01:04pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Wireless Mouse Jitters Resolution
It is a Dell Laptop with a USB wireless mouse and an onboard touch pad. Yes one is RF but the touch pad is hardwired. What ever, the touch pad is the source of the jitters, I think.
|
Harvard
|
06/10/19 02:42pm |
Technology Corner
|
|
Wireless Mouse Jitters Resolution
The reason why my wireless mouse had the jitters was because I had a mechanical pencil sitting on the touch pad. Go figure. :)
|
Harvard
|
06/10/19 01:14pm |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: A home electrical question...
Drawing of wnjjs Stray Capacitance
https://i.imgur.com/bBAH19Rl.png
|
Harvard
|
06/05/19 09:38pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: A home electrical question...
Quote from Health Canada on the topic of Electric Magnetic Fields (EMFs):
START QUOTE:
EMFs are invisible forces that surround electrical equipment, power cords, and wires that carry electricity, including outdoor power lines.
•Electric Fields: These are formed whenever a wire is plugged into an outlet, even when the appliance is not turned on. The higher the voltage, the stronger the electric field.
•Magnetic Fields: These are formed when electric current is flowing within a device or wire. The greater the current, the stronger the magnetic field.
EMFs can occur separately or together. For example, when you plug the power cord for a lamp into a wall socket, it creates an electric field along the cord. When you turn the lamp on, the flow of current through the cord creates a magnetic field. Meanwhile, the electric field is still present.
END QUOTE:
The physics of Capacitance is related to Electric Fields.
The physics of Inductance is related to Magnetic Fields.
|
Harvard
|
06/05/19 08:38pm |
Tech Issues
|
