2017 Montana 3100RL 5th wheel Ground Fault

[TenOC]

I have a 2017 Montana 3100RL 5th wheel. At home I have the RV connected to a 20 amp 120V circuit to keep the battery charged. Getting ready for camping trip I noticed that the ground fault on this 20 amp external circuit was tripped therefore no power to the RV. After some investigation it appears that the refrigerator is tripping the ground fault. It is the same circuit that is for the side of the living room/kitchen that the refrigerator is located on. Refrigerator is on the kitchen slide. While investigating the problem I noticed a green light blinking off/on at the circuit breaker power box. Is green blinking light normal?


After I killed the wasp that have built a nest near the refrigerator outside access panel I will be able to disconnect the refrigerator and verify this is causing the ground fault. Any suggestions on why refrigerator is tripping the ground fault?


I hope the picture post OK








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[Carl n Susan]

The blinking green light is part of the "charge wizard" of the converter. It is an indicator of what charging state is current. The following was copied from the Progressive Dynamics manual
=======================
The Charge Wizard Operation

While the built-in Charge Wizard automatically determines which operating mode is best suited to recharge or maintain optimum
battery condition, the Wizard Mode Button allows for manual override and has indicator light(s) to indicate the mode of operation.
NOTE: The Green LED on the left refers to the Charge Wizard - the Red LED on the right was for the Charge Sentinel (supplied on
converters built prior to year 2000)

BOOST MODE – Indicated by green LED remaining on. The output voltage is 14.4VDC to rapidly recharge the battery up to 90% of full charge.

NORMAL MODE – When the battery is between 50% and 90% charged, the green LED will flash once per second. When the battery has reached
90% of full charge the green LED will flash 2 - 3 times per second. In this mode the output voltage is 13.6VDC and the converter is safely completing
the charge of the battery.

STORAGE MODE – Indicated by green LED flashing every 6 - 8 seconds. In this mode the output voltage has been lowered to 13.2VDC, the RV
battery is fully charged and the converter is maintaining the charge.

MANUAL BUTTON - The manual button has been provided to allow the operator to temporarily override the converter (not recommended) or to
verify the converter is operating properly. For manual operation, Press and Hold the button. The indicator light will soon remain “ON” indicating Boost
Mode. Continue to hold the button and the light will blink rapidly indicating the converter is in the Normal Mode. Continue to hold the button until the
light blinks slowly indicating the converter is now in the Storage Mode. After the manual button is released the converter will stay in the selected
mode. When the battery charge status changes, the converter will return to the automatic mode of operation to prevent damage to the battery.


As for the refer tripping the GFCI, I believe, but can't prove, that RV refers do that on GFCI circuits. But one of the electrical folks should be along to confirm this.

[TenOC]

Yes, it is the refrigerator. Unplugged it from 120V and no ground fault.

[Daryles]

Yes it is a known thing that RVs and GFCIs don't get along.
Plug your rig into a non GFCI receptacle and you will be fine.

[rohrmann]

This article explains what nuisance tripping of a gfci is caused by. Disregard the poll, as this article was published a couple years ago. https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electric...nuisance-trip/

[harris71]

We have a 2013 3100RL with a Norcold fridge and experienced the same issue a few years ago. The cause was the electric heating elements had corroded to a point they were grounding out. We made the mistake of running it on propane for another year and when I went to replace the elements, they were corroded beyond being able to be removed and ended up replacing the entire cooling unit on the back of the fridge (not a cheap or easy job). The elements were about $75. To replace them, the fridge needs to be pulled out a few inches to get enough room to R&R them. The cooling unit was $1200 and took a day to replace ourselves (labor estimate from the local RV shop was $1800 minimum).
The elements are located in a insulated, shielded tube and protrude out the top. If you can locate them and still wiggle them, replacement should be easy.