overloaded circuit, unable to reset gfci

[KoonFox]

2005 mountaineer 5th wheel.
Had too many things on when i used the microwave. pop blip, outage on all ac outlets along the wall.

no big deal right?
but gfci at bathroom sink wont reset. looked everywhere for another one.

flipped all breaker switches off, but oddly lights still turn on even with all breakers off... seems dangerous. checked fuses, and when replacing bottom 30A, it melted prong (not even fuse!).

do i replace gfci? im wary to, since breakers dont seem to be turning off all the circuits!

[sourdough]

First, you have 2 sources of power in the RV; 12vdc and 120vac. Your receptacles are 120vac and your lights are 12vdc. You can turn off the breakers, or even unplug the trailer from power, and your lights should still work if you have a good battery.

If the gfi plug won't reset it sounds like you don't have power coming to that gfi outlet. I can't tell what that green fuse is for but it won't be the loss of 120vac. Have you checked all the appliances that work on AC - microwave, fridge, air conditioner etc.? Looks like it's a 50A trailer, maybe your mishap caused you to lose one leg of the 120vac?

[ChuckS]

If you have a multimeter and some basic electrical skills then on the GFCI that won’t reset measure the LOAD IN side for 120 volts AC

If good then measure the LOAD OUT side of the GFCI for 120 volts AC..

If no power on Load Out but did read power on Load In then GFCI is bad.. replace..

Also.. your GFCI is the “Self Contained RV style” and doesn’t handle heavy current loads very well

Image is the back side of a self contained outlet and how the wires are hopefully held

[rjniles]

GFCIs do not trip on overloading, they trip due to ground faults. The GFCI may not be tripped but it is not getting voltage frim the circuit breaker panel. Test to see if you AC and your microwave work.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by rjniles

GFCIs do not trip on overloading, they trip due to ground faults. The GFCI may not be tripped but it is not getting voltage frim the circuit breaker panel. Test to see if you AC and your microwave work.

The correct way to see if the GFCI is getting 120 volts on the Load IN side is to use a meter and measure at the GFCI... then you aren't guessing as to whether it is or it isn't

[KoonFox]

thank you for all the great advice!
i was able to plud i to shore power and reset the gfci. i may upgrade it if it trips again

[dutchmensport]

If the GFCI plug will not reset, try unplugging the trailer from shore power. Then go inside and push the reset button on the GFCI, then plug the camper back into shore power. Stranger things have happened?

... oh, just saw you got it reset. OK forget my idea. You're good. Glad you got it working!

[LHaven]

My own experience has been that if there is no power arriving at an outlet with GFCI buttons on it, the reset button will never latch down.

[rjniles]

Originally Posted by LHaven

My own experience has been that if there is no power arriving at an outlet with GFCI buttons on it, the reset button will never latch down.

Exactly, A GFCI will not reset without power.

[wiredgeorge]

I suggest the microwave is on its own breaker. The lights are 12V and have nothing to do with the alternating current side of the converter for the most part. Usually, if the microwave overloads the breakers, the main 30A breaker will pop before the 20A microwave breaker. As has been mentioned, fully push those breakers to the OFF position and click them back on. When they pop, sometimes they don't appear popped.

I have my microwave outlet going to a separate plug on the back of my camper and plug it directly into the 15/20A outlet on a pedestal and the rest of the electrical stuff in the camper doesn't know its there. Mine used to pop when the air conditioner was running and other stuff and the microwave was used. If all your AC outlets popped, likely the 30A breaker popped.

[Bob Landry]

GFCIs trip on current leakage, not current draw. They also will not reset with no power to it. I'm amazed at the number of people offering GFCI troubleshooting advice without knowing how they work.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

GFCIs trip on current leakage, not current draw. They also will not reset with no power to it. I'm amazed at the number of people offering GFCI troubleshooting advice without knowing how they work.

They also will not reset when they are shot. They are kind of expensive these days (regular ones for the house) but it might be worth getting one if the wiring shows that there is voltage supplied to the receptacle .

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

GFCIs trip on current leakage, not current draw. They also will not reset with no power to it. I'm amazed at the number of people offering GFCI troubleshooting advice without knowing how they work.

Yes it’s current leakage but if there are too many appliances on a gfci circuit or a circuit that is too long it can cause nuisance tripping.

Is a rv breaker panel considered a sub panel in the grand scheme of things? Is all electricity trying to find its way back to the main campground electric panels? That could easily result in excessive leakage because of the long run.

[rjniles]

Originally Posted by jasin1

Yes it’s current leakage but if there are too many appliances on a gfci circuit or a circuit that is too long it can cause nuisance tripping.

Is a rv breaker panel considered a sub panel in the grand scheme of things? Is all electricity trying to find its way back to the main campground electric panels? That could easily result in excessive leakage because of the long run.

Nothing back toward the supply from the GFCI causes a trip, only those things plugged into the GFCI or connected to the load terminals of the GFCI can cause a trip.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by rjniles

Nothing back toward the supply from the GFCI causes a trip, only those things plugged into the GFCI or connected to the load terminals of the GFCI can cause a trip.

Yes but all electric is trying to complete a circuit and find its way back to the source…minute leakage thru the insulation of the wires …compounded by multiple appliances plugged into the circuit like heaters plugged into the same circuit as the refrigerator could compound that issue

long electric circuits also add to that leakage

Appliances with capacitors can elevate that also.

My sub panel comment was just pondering but I wondered what the effect long shore power cords and distance from main panel to pedestal has on that leakage.( which can cause nuisance tripping)

On another note the 2020 electric code was changed to require gfci breakers on outdoor heat pumps and ac units under 50 amps…never had that before.
I’m not looking forward to nuisance trips for that

Edit: your right about everything on the line side of the gfci. I didn’t think about that statement long enough but having a long shore power ,supply circuit could cause issues

[Gord]

Originally Posted by KoonFox

thank you for all the great advice!
i was able to plud i to shore power and reset the gfci. i may upgrade it if it trips again

A GFCI is a fairly simple but very important electrical device. Uses a CT donut to monitor the amps flowing out on the hot and returning on the neutral. When all is good current out = current flowing back and ct has zero output. When there is a difference of >5ma(milli-amps) then outlet trips.
<img src="https://www.electricaltechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/How-GFCI-works.png" alt="What is GFCI and How it Works? Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter"/>

Cheers
Gord

It appears link doesn"t work, my apologies

ADDED: Try this for the link: https://www.electricaltechnology.org...GFCI-works.png

[Jswcamping]

Quick question because it’s midnight and we are having the same issue and our three air conditioners along with every single thing just stopped in our 2023 keystone avalanche 390ds. Gfi won’t reset in bathroom. We are on a 50amp. Nothing is working. Ugh.

[LHaven]

The most probable symptom that fits all those symptoms is "shore power is out." Do you know otherwise for a fact?

GFI won't reset if there is no power arriving at the outlet.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

The correct way to see if the GFCI is getting 120 volts on the Load IN side is to use a meter and measure at the GFCI... then you aren't guessing as to whether it is or it isn't

Small correction needed to this comment..
120 volts should be present at LINE IN side of GFCI. The Load side is an OUTPUT for other devices down stream.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by Jswcamping

Quick question because it’s midnight and we are having the same issue and our three air conditioners along with every single thing just stopped in our 2023 keystone avalanche 390ds. Gfi won’t reset in bathroom. We are on a 50amp. Nothing is working. Ugh.

Check the breaker on the campground power pedestal.