GFCI Outlet help

[LisaB2595]

None of my GFCI outlets are working in my 2015 Flying Cloud. I found the reset button under the bed, and I've flipped both the switch and tried the "test" button with zero success.



I'm not sure what else to try. We've unplugged and plugged back in the trailer, flipped the breakers on our box (private pad). Other things work, but I cannot get power to the GFCI outlets.

Believe it or not, we actually picked it up from its annual inspection today. They were working fine when it went in.

At any rate, any ideas/help greatly appreciated. THAT'S THE COFFEE MAKER PLUG. This is going to get really ugly tomorrow morning.

[Bubba L]

GFCIs do go bad. If the first plug on a circuit is a GFI and it’s bad, nothing past will have power. I’ve even purchased GFIs that were bad. Other than that, hopefully someone more familiar with your model year will chime in. Good luck

[LisaB2595]

Thank you for your reply.

It looks like their is a light on the GFCI circuit breaker. Do you know if that should be on? Or not?



Thanks again.

[Bubba L]

Normally on a GFI the light is on if there’s power to it. Get you one of those cheap plug in testers. Also press the trip button on the GFI. The light should go out. Then press the other button to close the circuit, the light should come back on.

[LisaB2595]

This is the only place I can find to reset my GFCI, the circuit breaker. The bit I circled in red looks like it is a light, and I wondered under what circumstances it should be lit.






None of my outlets have buttons on them, just labels saying their GFCI outlets.


Thank you again for replying.

[AirstreamJim]

The GFCI protection on today’s Airstreams comes from the circuit breaker, not on any of the individual convenience outlets in the trailer. The circuit breaker in question will have a white button on it, which is the test button.

Check that breaker to see if it’s tripped. If it is, reset it and then check the outlets to see if they have power. If it won’t reset, then get thee to an electrical supply house to buy a new GFCI breaker (for my ‘07 Safari, none of the big box stores stocked the specific breaker). You may want to bring the old one so they can give you the correct replacement. There’s more to it than just asking for a 20 amp GFCI breaker...they’ll need to know the manufacturer and type.

If you replace it and it still won’t close in, then you may have a ground somewhere in the circuit. That’s beyond my level of troubleshooting expertise.

Good luck.

Jim

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by LisaB2595

Thank you for your reply.

It looks like their is a light on the GFCI circuit breaker. Do you know if that should be on? Or not?

Thanks again.

If the light is glowing there has to be power to the outlet (otherwise no glow)
Not all GFCI receptacles' indicator lights work in the same way, but the buttons do. Press the test button, the re-set should spring out slightly. If it is already out, press it back in. If it will not re-set either the receptacle is bad or there is a ground fault in the circuit.

[AirstreamJim]

Again, it’s a GFCI circuit breaker, not an outlet/receptacle. When you press the white test button on a GFCI breaker, the breaker trips, just the same as any other breaker would trip on an overload condition. To reset the GFCI breaker after pressing the test button (or clearing an actual ground fault), you move the lever/switch handle, as you would to reset any other breaker.

In a modern Airstream there are no GFCI outlets/receptacles like you typically have in your home. Outlets that require GFCI protection in an Airstream are protected by the breaker, not at the outlet.

Jim

[LisaB2595]

Thank you for your replies. When we first checked the box, none of the breakers had been tripped, and the GFCI breaker flips up and down just like all the other breakers. It doesn't continue to "trip" when we reset it. The test button does nothing. I feel that the problem lies with a faulty breaker.



A follow up question: The fridge on on the GFCI breaker, so does this mean if we leave it on when we leave it's just going to drain all our propane? We leave it on auto, so if it's not running on shore power, it switches to propane.

It just came back from the dealer, so it's empty anyway, but it takes so long to cool down I'd like to leave it on, but not at the risk of empty propane tanks next weekend.

Thank you again for your help.

[AirstreamJim]

If your GFCI circuit is dead, then the fridge will run only on propane.

Jim

[Foiled Again]

Two very simple things; ro reset any Airstream breaker successfully you must turn it OFF then back on, second thing breakers can come loose ,o check the wiring behind them... after unplugging from shore power and setting the battery switch to store.

[waninae39]

get a small portable circuit tester
ones with the small button test the GFI circuit

spend the extra 25 cents for the one with a button

[Daquenzer]

If you have a grounding issue the breaker will not reset. It will flip right away. When I wired my first house I learned that right away. My guess is you have a bad breaker. Easy to replace.

Question: If you to go battery (unplug from shore power) turn on the inverter do your inverter outlets work? Just wondering.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Two very simple things; ro reset any Airstream breaker successfully you must turn it OFF then back on,

You would not believe how many calls we get from people who do not know that, even after explaining it over the phone some still cannot do it and insist they did it right, we will get there and it is still tripped.
On many breakers, especially older ones you have to press then toward "OFF" really hard to get them to catch and reset, and when you do that you have to be sure you do not unseat it from the bus. Other times a tripped breaker will not move and will not look tripped at all, we tell people to run their finger down all of the handles gently pushing toward off till they find the tripped one. A tripped breaker will just feel like a loose tooth, it won't firm up till it is firmly switched all the way off. Not many people know that.

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by LisaB2595

....

A follow up question: The fridge on on the GFCI breaker, so does this mean if we leave it on when we leave it's just going to drain all our propane? We leave it on auto, so if it's not running on shore power, it switches to propane.
....

Your fridge uses very little propane when it is running. It is similar to leaving a pilot light on. It is not a big flame like your HW tank is, just a trickle. I actually prefer running mine on gas. It cools faster and actually gets colder when on propane.


I had a GFI breaker go bad and was able to replace it easily. I did get mine at a HD, or was it Lowes? I am thinking that if you have a ground fault you would be able to tell it when you try to reset the breaker. When you flip the switch it should trip immediately. When you push the button in it would likewise trip immediately. Mine did neither to those things. It was dead as dead can be.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by LisaB2595

This is the only place I can find to reset my GFCI, the circuit breaker. The bit I circled in red looks like it is a light, and I wondered under what circumstances it should be lit.






None of my outlets have buttons on them, just labels saying their GFCI outlets.


Thank you again for replying.

Siemans GFCI and AFCI breakers now contain self diagnostics. All GFCI circuit breakers and GFCI receptacles sold today are required to be self testing. The LED should be off under normal circumstances and if the GFCI fails to provide protection during it's self testing(which occurs every few seconds) then it will blink and the device stop delivering power.

[ITSNO60]

Are you absolutely sure that you pressed the handle firmly "OFF" then back to "ON"?