Electrical outlet issue

[Bgibbs]

the GFCI outlet above the kitchen counter keeps loosing power. According to the wiring diagram, this circuit also powers the fridge and outlets on the street side in the bedroom. I have checked the wiring at two of the outlets and no issues found. The fridge seems to be working on propane just fine. I know the GFCI breakers have an issue if the are tripped a few times. Any suggestions. We are starting out on a multi week trip and it is irritating.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Bgibbs

the GFCI outlet above the kitchen counter keeps loosing power. According to the wiring diagram, this circuit also powers the fridge and outlets on the street side in the bedroom. I have checked the wiring at two of the outlets and no issues found. The fridge seems to be working on propane just fine. I know the GFCI breakers have an issue if the are tripped a few times. Any suggestions. We are starting out on a multi week trip and it is irritating.

1. When it loses power do the other outlets on that circuit lose power?
2. How does the power return, are you resetting the breaker or does it just return on it's own?
FWIW a GFCI that has been tripped a few, or even a bunch of times should still work fine.

[Totlh]

Originally Posted by Bgibbs

the GFCI outlet above the kitchen counter keeps loosing power. According to the wiring diagram, this circuit also powers the fridge and outlets on the street side in the bedroom. I have checked the wiring at two of the outlets and no issues found. The fridge seems to be working on propane just fine. I know the GFCI breakers have an issue if the are tripped a few times. Any suggestions. We are starting out on a multi week trip and it is irritating.

When you say the GFCI keeps loossing power, is it safe to assume you mean the 120 volt outlet that is GFCI protected?

Unless your fridge is a lot different than mine, it does not need 120 volts to work on Propane. It only needs 12 volts for the control system.

When you say you checked other outlets wiring, how did you check the wiring? Did you plug something into the outlets to ensure they work? Outlets downstream of the GFCI may, or may not be wired to trip with the GFCI.

You never do mention what causes the GFCI to trip. It may just be working as designed.

Before leaving on your trip, plug the device into a GFCI outlet in your house. Does it trip that circuit? If so, well, you have located your problem.

[Bgibbs]

I reset the breaker and all outlets on that circuit loose power. We bought the AS new and this circuit has always worked. I took two of the outlets out of the wall ant took the back off them. I know for a fact that if a breaker trips enough times, it will take less of a fault to trip it. When I reset the breaker all outlets on that circuit are hot until the breaker trips again. It will trip even if nothing is plugged into that circuit.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Bgibbs

I reset the breaker and all outlets on that circuit loose power. We bought the AS new and this circuit has always worked. I took two of the outlets out of the wall ant took the back off them. I know for a fact that if a breaker trips enough times, it will take less of a fault to trip it. When I reset the breaker all outlets on that circuit are hot until the breaker trips again. It will trip even if nothing is plugged into that circuit.

If the outdoor outlet is also on that circuit and it is raining or otherwise getting water in it that could do it. You should also take the others apart and check for any N-G contact. Maybe you even have a L-G fault that makes contact intermittently. Other than that you could try a new GFCI breaker.
While it may be true that a breaker that trips often from a L-N short, L-G fault or from overload can weaken over time, one that trips from ground leakage should not be affected. When a breaker has tripped from a high amperage event we always replace it as it is far cheaper to replace than to test.

[ITSNO60]

If this is happening often, the quickest way to find it is to divide the circuit. Each time you disconnect part of the circuit you will narrow the problem down. If you suspect the breaker then disconnect the load from it and see if it holds or not.