House GCFI keeps Tripp

[napabill]

GFCIs will trip t very small amounts of current leakage in order to save your life. If the GFCI outlet in your garage is feeding other outlets downstream it often happens that the cumulative tine amounts of leakage from several items will trip out a GFCI. Easy check: Trip the GFCI by pressing the TEST button, then see what other outlets are off. Disconnect anything on those outlets and try your trailer connection again.

[Ultraclassic]

Originally Posted by KATYBELLE

Thank you all for your responses! No I checked three different extension cords and several outlets in the kitchen and the fuses trips. When I plug in the 30amp rv plug (shore power) with nothing plugged in no drill it still trips the house GCFI. In other words, it trips just by plugging in. So do I need to replace all the outlets in the airstream? Thanks again for your help.

So let's look at this from a trouble shooting view.

Disconnect trailer from Garage GFI

Plug in drill directly to the garage GFI and use it what happens?

If ok= drill and garage plug is ok

Not ok= try drill in different GFI socket (bathroom). And repeat

I will assume it is ok:
So the gfi plug, cord and drill pass

Plug in shore power cord to G-GFI ( garage GFI plug) with nothing turned on in trailer, result?

Ok?

Now plug in a radio or night stand lamp

Still ok? Yes or no

Yes,

now plug in drill but do not turn it on, ok or not ok??

Now turn on drill...is this when it trips?

Yes... Suspect drill is internally shorted tripping GFI

No...

OR

Plug drill into G-GFI direct and try to drill, is it ok?

Now plug in 30ft extension cord (the one your using, and retest drill,

still ok?

Then try shore power cord, and re test using trailer wiring

And if it fails

Then it is the trailer causing it

Only after confirming the house circuit,
The plug, the extension cord, the drill, is ok then you can isolate the circuit on the trailer and start testing all over again IN side the trailer.

[KATYBELLE]

Thanks to all The Who responded! Well after replacing all the romex, outlets, GCFI in garage, fuses in the Airstream, extensions cords, the tripping finally stopped. Ultimately, I think the garage GCFI was bad because it tripped so we often. But, there was something wrong in the trailer because it still tripped using other outlets. Good news is everything is new now and no tripping! Thanks to everyone for your help and advice. Now off to finalizing the rebuild in time for camping. Thanks again!!!

[JameyS]

have you replace the breaker in the trailer. We had this issue and once the breaker was actually replaced the issue went away. When the trailer breakers trip often, they eventually can't be used anymore becuase they just trip without any load whatsoever loosing thier effectivness.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by JameyS

have you replace the breaker in the trailer. We had this issue and once the breaker was actually replaced the issue went away. When the trailer breakers trip often, they eventually can't be used anymore becuase they just trip without any load whatsoever loosing thier effectivness.

1st; the post before yours from OP stated he rewired trailer and problem is gone.


Second; a breaker tripping with any slight load means it greatly increased its effectiveness. For a breaker to be effective it must trip before there is enough load to cause damage or fire. Does loose its usefulness though.