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Mojave · 10-24-2011, 03:00 PM

I have a 16' Bambi Sport, and the outlet in the galley right above the stove does not work. I was told to look for a reset button somewhere but can't seem to find one. We tried the fuse panel and reset everything from that end and still nothing. It was also plugged in at the time.

What am I missing?

CanoeStream · 10-24-2011, 03:37 PM

One ground fault interrupter (GFI) outlet may wire through and protect other outlets that are located near sinks/water. Check other outlets that are in a similar location (bathroom?) with a night light or trouble light -- is any other outlet offline? One may have the paired test and reset buttons -- these are easy to bump. Click the reset button & test again.

Find anything like that?

murreywalker · 10-24-2011, 03:40 PM

Yours is probably a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) electrical outlet.

It has a reset button between the two receptacles.

Good luck!

jdalrymple · 10-24-2011, 03:41 PM

That outlet is probably a Ground Fault Interrupter. Look for a breaker in the power center with a white button on it. Try reseting that breaker.

Mojave · 10-24-2011, 03:44 PM

I looked everywhere I could think for that reset button (inside and out). I was told to check the bathroom first but ours is an 'all in one' so I couldn't see anywhere safe for an outlet to be as the shower could potentially spray water in the entire room.
Any hidden spots on the Bambi I may have missed?

jdalrymple · 10-24-2011, 03:50 PM

Lots of good help here, as always. Several quick responses.

On my ’09 the GFI outlets are protected by a breaker, not another receptacle as has been mentioned.

Mojave · 10-24-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

Lots of good help here, as always. Several quick responses.

On my ’09 the GFI outlets are protected by a breaker, not another receptacle as has been mentioned.

Definitely as always a ton of help here. Much appreciated everyone!

I'm not a super tech, so should I still be looking for a reset button or is it possible this could be something else entirely? (This is a 2011 and we were the only owners).

Thanks!

Mojave · 10-24-2011, 04:18 PM

Oh, so apparently Paul knows of this GFI you speak of. He found the reset yesterday but it didn't work

TBRich · 10-24-2011, 04:19 PM

On our 06 19' Bambi, the GFI outlets are controlled by a breaker in the fuse panel...a breaker switch at the top end and a white reset button at the bottom end. If that's what your set up is, try flipping the breaker switch off, then hit the reset button, then flip the breaker back on. If that sequence doesn't work try flipping it off, flipping it back on then hitting the reset button. In ours this controls the inside outlets by the sink and vanity, and the outside outlet. I discovered this when the outside outlet got a little wet while giving the Bambi a bath. Now I avoid hitting that exterior outlet cover with a direct stream of water.

Colonial Airstream · 10-24-2011, 04:20 PM

The GFCI reset is in your Power Converter Charger under the bed on the cusbside of the trailer. Push down to reset it and the up until it clicks.

Mojave · 10-24-2011, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBRich

On our 06 19' Bambi, the GFI outlets are controlled by a breaker in the fuse panel...a breaker switch at the top end and a white reset button at the bottom end. If that's what your set up is, try flipping the breaker switch off, then hit the reset button, then flip the breaker back on. If that sequence doesn't work try flipping it off, flipping it back on then hitting the reset button. In ours this controls the inside outlets by the sink and vanity, and the outside outlet. I discovered this when the outside outlet got a little wet while giving the Bambi a bath. Now I avoid hitting that exterior outlet cover with a direct stream of water.

We tried the basic reset but we'll give your suggestion a go. Thanks

jdalrymple · 10-24-2011, 06:55 PM

To be clear the white button is not a reset, it is a test button. To reset the circuit cycle the breaker from the tripped position to off to on. Down first then up.

Regards,

Splitrock · 10-24-2011, 07:56 PM

This would be a good place for me to suggest buying a no touch voltage tester. It makes for easy tracking everything high voltage down. About $10 at big box stores. I have at least 4 of em scattered around. I've never said: "Dang! I wish I didn't have this tester."

TouringDan · 10-24-2011, 08:26 PM

Paul

It sounds like the gfci receptacles are protected by a gfci circuit breaker. All outlets within about six feet of a sink and the exterior outlet should be gfci outlets and should be protected by the gfci circuit breaker. The receptacles will look like regular receptacles. They are gfci protected because they are fed by a gfci circuit breaker. If the gfci breaker is tripped, you will not have any power at the gfci outlets. Like jdalryple said turn the breaker off and then turn it back on. If this does not work you may have a bad gfci breaker. You may also look at your owners manual. It should certainly cover this situation.

Dan

MrUKToad · 10-24-2011, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeatAirstream

The GFCI reset is in your Power Converter Charger under the bed on the cusbside of the trailer. Push down to reset it and the up until it clicks.

Mojave,

Patrick speaks the truth! (I think). Had a similar issue (although not quite the same) on ours; I didn't realise that the breaker had to be pushed right down before being pulled back up into the "ON" position. You might try that on the breaker with the white test button above it.

Mojave · 10-25-2011, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splitrock

This would be a good place for me to suggest buying a no touch voltage tester. It makes for easy tracking everything high voltage down. About $10 at big box stores. I have at least 4 of em scattered around. I've never said: "Dang! I wish I didn't have this tester."

Yes we bought a tester when we got the Bambi, and it's definitely worth having!

Thanks everyone...it finally worked

Woo hoo!
Next question though...none of the outlets work when on battery, is this normal?

TBRich · 10-25-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojave

....<snip>...
Next question though...none of the outlets work when on battery, is this normal?

Glad you got the breaker reset...

Your regular outlets will not work when on battery power alone. They require either a generator or shore power connection.

IF you have an inverter built into your rig, there will be a few receptacles specifically set up to use inverted power. We have a factory inverter (600w) and the outlets it delivers power to are marked.

Mojave · 10-25-2011, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBRich

Glad you got the breaker reset...

Your regular outlets will not work when on battery power alone. They require either a generator or shore power connection.

IF you have an inverter built into your rig, there will be a few receptacles specifically set up to use inverted power. We have a factory inverter (600w) and the outlets it delivers power to are marked.

Thanks, I'll double check but I think we tried every outlet. I didn't realize that initially, hope it doesn't become a huge issue when boondocking.

Lisa

Silver Goose · 10-25-2011, 01:50 PM

Your home has one source of electrical power, 110/220 volts AC. An RV has 2 sources: The 110 volts AC it gets from the power pedestal via your shore power plug. It also has an onboard 12 volt DC source provided by a battery. This is the same as what you have in your car.

The circuits are separate. The 12 volts provides power for your lights, furnace blower, water pump, radio, control power for your fridge, ignition for the water heater, etc.; basically those things that are necessary to provide a livable environment when 110 volts isn't available. The gas provides for your furnace, water heater and fridge provided there is adequate 12 volts from the battery and for your stove/oven. Some water heaters can be lit with a match. The 110 volts provides a way to recharge the battery, and allows you to run the air conditioner, microwave, TV, coffee maker, toaster, as well as your fridge and possibly your water heater without gas, etc.

If you were to "rough it" in a national park for a week, your Airstream would seem like 5 star accommodations compared to a tent and sleeping bag on a chilly rainy night, but you would have to settle for a coffee pot on the stove vs your coffee maker. Some use an inverter to convert 12 volts DC to 110 volts AC primarily to operate a 110 volt TV. Some TVs and particularly microwaves and coffee makers, etc. are high current devices and while it is possible to operate them with a properly sized inverter, the current drain on the batteries is substantial requiring a way (generator, solar array or shore power) to recharge them more frequently. Running the A/C without shore power or a big enough generator is out of the question.

Your Airstream allows you to visit and stay in places that are off the grid without having to give up all of your creature comforts, places you might have otherwise only drove past and never took the time to really enjoy. My wife actually found a curling iron that operated off little butane cartridges... She was a city girl when we first met! ;-)

Mojave · 10-25-2011, 02:06 PM

Thanks YankeeDoodle, this has been a learn as we go experience with a ton of help from this forum. It's definitely been a HUGE step up in comfort from tent camping. We'd like to work from the RV one day if we can, so boondocking and laptopping are gonna be our main issue. Would solar allow us to use the outlets?