Tripping GFI....

[nagorider]

Have a 2012 25' Flying Cloud...been out a couple times and all is well until today...all the 120v outlets are dead...I am running a generator and upon hooking up, the GFI in the bathroom trips and all the 120v outlets go dead...thoughts??
Thanks!!

[HowieE]

I cam maybe see the generator tripping the GFI because it is not the cleanest power source but I can not see it effecting ALL the 110 outlets.

Check the power on each of the circuit barkers at the panel with a volt meter. If all are dead the problem is at the generator or the cord from it.

[Skater]

In my B190, the GFCI outlet protected all of the outlets in the camper, so having that trip made all of the outlets shut off (including the fridge, sigh). If yours is wired the same way, you can focus on the GFCI at least.

Have you done this with the generator successfully before? If so, make sure everything is unplugged and try it again, then slowly plug stuff in until it trips. Don't forget the fridge.

[Protagonist]

A few dumb observations to possibly help in the diagnostics…

When first plugging in the generator, are all of the breakers switched off? They should be. Then turn on the breakers one at a time, starting with the shore power breaker. Save the GFCI breaker for last.

In addition to the breakers being switched off, all of the 110v appliances should also be switched off when you first plug in the generator— those that have switches, at least.

Do you have the optional inverter? If so, the inverter should also be turned off before hooking up the generator. The 2012 Flying Cloud owner's manual doesn't refer to an automatic transfer switch to switch 110v power from the inverter to shore power, so if both generator and inverter are trying to feed power at once, that could be the source of the problem.

How many breakers do you have in your trailer? The 2012 Flying Cloud owner's manual that just I downloaded was nonspecific on that subject. How many of them trip when you hook up the generator? In particular, the 2012 Flying Cloud owner's manual makes reference to a breaker on the shore power outlet. If that one trips, it kills power to everything on the 110v side, and you might be able isolate the problem to the generator itself.

Assuming the shore power breaker doesn't trip, how many of the dead outlets are on a GFCI breaker? The bathroom outlets should be, the kitchen outlets should be, and any exterior outlets should be. Any others should not. If outlets not on the GFCI circuit are losing power, then the GFCI cannot be the cause of the problem.

[05ModPod]

I have an 05 22' CCD My gfi breaker at the panel was tripping all the time. So I replaced it.

The other day there was a storm and it tripped out - unfortunately my fridge is on that circuit!.

It happened again with another storm - could it be that with brown outs where the power dips it will trip or am I looking at some sort of leak creating a "wet short" somewhere. It is a brand new breaker so I don't think it is a problem with being a weak breaker.

The last one did have issues because of a loose ground with poor power, but I have been stationary since the new breaker has gone in.

Any ideas?

I am not sure how to test the connections so if anyone can run me through that I could probably do it no problem to see if I have something that is drawing that should not be?

Thanks
Sharon

[nagorider]

Thank you all for the advice...getting closer...
At this point it appears to be the Honda generator as the source of the problem...today I plugged two different circuit testers and both showed a "Hot/Neutral Reverse"!?
I checked all 6 breakers and none of them flip off...also pulled and checked all the fuses...all are OK...
Again, when I hook up the shore power, then start the generator the GFI in the bathroom trips...all the 110v outlets inside or out are dead...cannot tell how many of them may be connected to the bathroom circuit.
I had a couple minor installs to complete so I turned on the Inverter and hooked up my drill to the labeled Inverter outlets and that worked fine...
Now seeking some advice on the generator...thoughts?? Its a 1+ year old Honda 2000 that has been flawless to date when used with our previous 23' Cloud...

[nagorider]

Protagonist...
I did your technique of turning off all the breakers then one by one turning them on...#5 is the suspect breaker...it is hooked to all the outlets except one in the front bedroom...on three attempts, when I turned #5 on the GFI in the bathroom immediately popped. The one outlet not on the #5 circuit continued to work just fine.
So, the question comes down to the GFI outlet or the breaker...
Thanks again for the process of narrowing this down!!

[Phoenix]

Did you modify the electrical (safety) ground on the Honda generator, so that a 110 volt circuit tester lights properly and doesn't indicate a ground fault? If so, you may have a small voltage leak to chassis ground on your Airstream, which could be the cause of the GFI tripping.

Quote from the Honda owners manual: "Honda portable generators have a system ground that connects generator frame components to the ground terminals in the AC output receptacles. The system ground is not connected to the AC neutral wire. If the generator is tested by a receptacle tester, it will not show the same ground circuit condition as for a home receptacle."

If you modified the (generator) system ground, you might try removing the jumper or whatever modification was added, to see if this corrects the problem. However, if you did NOT modify the system ground, please ignore this post.

[nagorider]

Duly ignored...but thanks for the input...this has been an interesting process...

[nagorider]

Here's an update...
Took the trailer home, checked the shore power with a circuit checker and connected to shore power...all is well...no tripped breakers, everything works as expected...
Disconnected the shore power and again plugged in the generator. This time everything is OK. Repeated the process several times and the generator is now powering the trailer with no issues...I wish this was the end of the story, but I fear it may not be...
Off to Yellowstone Thursday!!