Help! GFCI keeps tripping.

[Sjcjr]

I have a new 2016 classic. I want to first state that I am not an electrical minded person. I'm plugged to a 20 amp circuit using a 50 amp to 15 amp adaptor plugged to a 12 gauge 25 ft 15 amp chord. I also bought the electrical voltage meter via the airstream store and it stays plugged showing a steady 120 volts without change. I keep a small night light on and the fridge running on auto. My gfi breaker keeps tripping randomly. The shore power receptacle does not trip nor does the shore power breaker. The gfi breaker will stay engaged for hours and then spontaneously trip for no reason. I have reset the breaker several times over the past week. Could the breaker be bad and in need of change or do I have a bigger problem? Where can you buy a Siemens 20 amp gfi breaker and are they hard to change? I'm scheduled to leave on Thursday for a trip out west to Santa Fe and not sure if I should go with this issue at hand. I suppose the worst that can happen is I have to reset the breaker when it trips. Am I correct? Any helpful thoughts would be appreciated.

[SCOTTinNJ]

If the house plug is gfi that should trip immediately. Trailer gfi and house gfi don't play nice together.

[overlander63]

Try setting the fridge to LP only, and see if the GFCI continues to trip.

[moosetags]

I recently had a similar problem with the GFCI tripping in the bathroom of my 2015 Flying Cloud 25FB. I even went so far as to replace the the GFCI outlet with a new one. It did the same thing. After further investigation, I found the problem to be a set of outside LED lights that was plugged into the outside AC outlet. The light set had a short in it. The outside outlet is part of that GFCI circuit. I reinstalled the OEM outlet, and I have kept the new outlet as a backup.

Brian

[Sjcjr]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Try setting the fridge to LP only, and see if the GFCI continues to trip.

I unplugged the fridge and put it on propane overnight. The breaker did not trip! I may have a problem with the fridge.

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by Sjcjr

I unplugged the fridge and put it on propane overnight. The breaker did not trip! I may have a problem with the fridge.

Interesting since the frig should not be on the GFI circuit. Turn the frig off for a while or leave the door open for 5 min., this should force it to cycle to cooling. Then set it to "auto" and plug the frig into 110. If the GFI trips right after this I would say the problem is the frig. To check use your volt meter in the frig receptacle and turn the GFI on and off to see if the frig is in fact on that circuit.

[tedgam]

My aluminum steps were stolen and I have OEM steps to install. Any suggestion regarding how to open the area on the frame in order to attach the four bolts? Don't know how they gained access to the area where the nuts are attached to the bolts.

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by tedgam

My aluminum steps were stolen and I have OEM steps to install. Any suggestion regarding how to open the area on the frame in order to attach the four bolts? Don't know how they gained access to the area where the nuts are attached to the bolts.

I am not really familiar, but if the nuts are not readily accessible, could it be that they are tack welded in place on the frame and all you need do is install the new steps with the bolts? Probably you have already checked that!

Otherwise, maybe you have to cut small access hole in the belly pan if that is what is preventing you from getting to the area that you need t access?

Brian.

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by tedgam

My aluminum steps were stolen and I have OEM steps to install. Any suggestion regarding how to open the area on the frame in order to attach the four bolts? Don't know how they gained access to the area where the nuts are attached to the bolts.

You should reconsider that option because OEM steps are hung from the floor close to the door sill. Test you floor before going too far.

It might be advisable to move your question to another forum topic.

[TomKirk]

Lemme understand this. You've got your 50 amp rig plugged into a 15 amp adapter which is plugged into a 25 ft extension cord.....and you can't understand why the GFCI trips??

Q: Does this "unexplained phenomenon" also occur when your rig is plugged directly into a 50 amp service??.....with nothing in between??.....namely, no adapter and no extension cord??

I'll bet a month's pay your GFCI is working as intended. It's sole purpose is to protect your rig electrical fire.

Tom

[Sjcjr]

Originally Posted by TomKirk

Lemme understand this. You've got your 50 amp rig plugged into a 15 amp adapter which is plugged into a 25 ft extension cord.....and you can't understand why the GFCI trips??

Q: Does this "unexplained phenomenon" also occur when your rig is plugged directly into a 50 amp service??.....with nothing in between??.....namely, no adapter and no extension cord??

I'll bet a month's pay your GFCI is working as intended. It's sole purpose is to protect your rig electrical fire.

Tom

You are correct on my set up. I hope you are right and don't want a a month's pay if proven right! Lol!

[Sjcjr]

Originally Posted by TomKirk

Lemme understand this. You've got your 50 amp rig plugged into a 15 amp adapter which is plugged into a 25 ft extension cord.....and you can't understand why the GFCI trips??

Q: Does this "unexplained phenomenon" also occur when your rig is plugged directly into a 50 amp service??.....with nothing in between??.....namely, no adapter and no extension cord??

I'll bet a month's pay your GFCI is working as intended. It's sole purpose is to protect your rig electrical fire.

Tom

You are correct on my set up. I hope you are right and don't want a a month's pay if proven right! Lol!

[jcanavera]

I found that my GFI breaker in my garage tripped if I turned on the TV . It happened on both Airstreams I've owned but never happened on the road but most parks I camped at did not have GFI hookups. The key for me was it occurred with a specific TV set that I used. Funny is that it was not instantaneous but random in the timeframe it took to activate. I'm sure there is some leakage going on in the TV chasis but it eventually became a moot point once I changed over to an LCD TV.

To trouble shoot I plugged that TV into the same ground fault outlet directly rather than go through the trailer's electrical wiring and had no problem. It ended up I eventually tracked down to the TV had to be connected to the trailer's antenna outlet. To prove this I plugged the TV to the ground fault socket and then ran a long coax cable from the TV to the Airstream's antenna outlet. Within 5 minutes the ground fault tripped.

Jack

[daveswenson]

You could have a bad GFCI. Mine failed a month after I got the trailer. A new one from home depot has been working fine for the last 4 years.