Ground Fault Interrupter "HELP"

[ksboy]

I hope I can get some answers to my problem. I have a 3400Rl and the ground fault interrupter in the kitchen just started acting up. It keeps kicking out the circuit and if it doesn't kick, the 30Amp circuit outside on my house will pop almost immediately. Any ideas about this problem would be apppreciated. It just started doing this about an hour ago. Is it possible for the ground fault interrupter to have gone bad or do I have a real problem somewhere? How can I test this devise? Please help, if you have any ideas.

chevylvr

[Sunnyside]

Turn off the breaker, remove the outlet, and see if there is a pass through (wires coming from the terminals labeled LOAD). If so, the check all outlets down stream. Sounds like there is a short. If not, replace the GFCI. Hope this helps.

Jim

[sreigle]

I believe the outside outlet is on that GFI circuit also. Any chance you are getting water into that outlet?

Another possibility is a wire is loose. You might pull each outlet on the circuit, in turn, and check for a loose or disconnected wire touching where it shouldn't. It depends on model but I think on your model the kitchen and bathroom outlets along with a couple around the desk. You can figure out which outlets when the circuit has no power by using a volt meter in each outlet or plug in a lamp or fan and see if it works.

[pep1977]

I too ran into this problem on my 3400. i found the junction box under the trailer to be full of water. this is located under the kitchen slide. the water came from the tub/shower faucet leaking at the faucet connections, then the water found a hole in the floor and followed the wires that are in conduit right into the box. hope this may be of some help.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Ground Faults do go bad. Ours did, one moment good, next bad. It made a horrid noise. Replacement followed, immediately.

[Charlie]

I found the routing of the wire underneath the kitchen slide placed it in a position to contact a bolt and had broken the insulation on the wire and was ground out on the bolt. Might want to look under your slide.

[ksboy]

Thanks for the good ideas.I have been off the net,while traveling to Great Bend and am now online at a coffee shop.I will check these things suggested and let you know how it comes out so we can all learn from it. I have done some testing and I have found the white wire has continuity to ground and it is on the hot side of the outlet above the kitchen island. I will do more checking.

chevylvr

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

You can figure out which outlets when the circuit has no power by using a volt meter in each outlet or plug in a lamp or fan and see if it works.

Yet another of my duh!! moments! Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. No way can you use a voltmeter to test for output when the circuit has no power.

[mobrownies]

Steve,
You were right the first time, you can use a volt meter to tell if the socket is not working ... it will read 0 volts.

[noneck]

Ok...GFCI problems are not easy to locate.
*You suggest the house 30 amp circuit pops? Is the house circuit GFCI?
*White conductor continuity to ground "is" a problem as GFCI looks for any current on the ground "green" conductor wire.
*You suggest if GFCI is tripped the house circuit stays energized? When in this mode test trailer outlets to determine which ones are off...this is the list of places you need to investigate.
Keep us posted.
Chuck

[ksboy]

OK,I am here at the coffee shop to get online to check this wonderful forum. Heres what I know so far. I used a tone to check which outlets are beyond the ground problem. I worked for Bell Telephone for 30 yrs, so we toned wires all the time and wire is wire. I have determined that the power wire comes directly to the ground fault outlet on the kitchen island from the breaker box and then goes to all of the outlets on the circit. All of the outlets and wire on the kitchen circuit are testing good with the wires isolated from the breaker hot wires. So I don't think there are any juction boxes in between the breaker box and ground fault outlet. Thats all I know for now. I will update when I figure it out.

Rayki