AC Not Working, GFI Tripping Continuously

[BW006]

Good afternoon, everyone,

We have a 2016 Passport 3320BH that has not had power to it in a few months and a generator that needed some runtime too. I hooked up the camper to the generator (30A) and everything was working great (AC, slides, outlets, TVs, etc). While using it, the generator ran out of gas and in a very boneheaded fashion I topped it off and fired it back up without disconnecting the camper (or flipping the main breaker).

Now the AC will not turn on (no display at the thermostat) and the GFI in the bathroom trips nonstop (reset, good for a few seconds, trips). I tried flipping all the breakers in the "main" box with no change.

My question is how bad did I screw it up? Are there additional breakers other than the panel just inside the door? I suppose it's possible that it's an issue with the generator, but seems less likely to me.

Thanks!

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

I would unplug from the gen. Start it up and verify it’s producing power.

Does everything 12V work in the trailer?

[BW006]

I did grab a circ saw and plugged it into the generator and it worked. So I can verify that it’s at least producing power. And when the generator is plugged into the camper, and I flip the main breaker, the lights work very briefly but then the GFI trips and won’t reset. Some devices would stay powered though (light on TV and microwave).

I did not have a battery installed when using the generator, but was able to install it to get the slides closed (and lights worked). So 12v appears to be working.

[chuckster57]

Any way to plug into shore power? You should ALWAYS have a battery installed when using the trailer. If you try to operate too much 12V stuff plus the slides you can wipe out the converter.

[BW006]

Good to know - thanks!

The only thing that was running/being used is the AC; nothing was plugged in, no lights on, etc. Well, I guess the refrigerator was running, and the microwave clock….maybe more than I thought.

I don’t have immediate access to shore power. Not a 30/50 amp connection anyways.

[chuckster57]

Your trailer is most likely 30A, you can get a 30 to 15 adapter and use a heavy extension cord if you have a standard 120V outlet.


https://www.amazon.com/Kohree-Dogbon...59477713&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/Epicord-Adapt...55028902&psc=1

There are 2 types of 30A connections.

If the GFCI doesn’t trip then your issue is either the cord or the gen.

[BW006]

Good call. I’ll try that tomorrow and reply with the results.

Thanks again!

[BW006]

Okay….finally got a break in the rain long enough to try it out.

Picked up a 110 adapter today and ran an extension cord to the camper power cable. WITH the battery installed this time, I flipped the breakers and everything seemed to work perfectly. The lights were bright and steady, and the GFI didn’t pop. I plugged in a cellphone charger just to be sure they were working - all good. The display on the thermostat was also on (which it wasn’t when I had it on generator only)….so I hope that’s a good sign.

Should I try the generator again (with battery installed)? Wouldn’t think it would be that simple but worth a shot, huh?

[chuckster57]

I would, let us know what happens.

[JRTJH]

I agree, try the generator again "to see if it will work"...

My guess is that when the generator ran out of gas, as it was "sputtering and stalling from fuel starvation" it likely overwhelmed the alternator and/or the inverter/regulator section and that might be permanently damaged...

If you try it and the generator works, GREAT !!!!

If it doesn't work, you might try shutting down the generator, turning all the circuit breakers on the generator off, then starting the generator and "one by one" turn the circuit breakers on and then use a multimeter to measure the voltage output of the generator (at the plugs). That might "reset" the inverter circuitry, or it may not...

If the generator doesn't work to power the trailer AND you can't get it to work after resetting it, then I'd dig out the generator manual and follow the troubleshooting steps....

To me, it sure sounds like you may have damaged the generator when it "starved and stalled while under a heavy load".....

[chuckster57]

That’s what I’m thinking too.

[BW006]

That all makes sense. I’ll give it a go.

I’ll also try to borrow a known good generator to try.

Might be a few days before I get time/weather in the evenings, but will hopefully have some good news to report soon. Thanks for the help!

[BW006]

Happy to report that I was able to hook up my generator today, with the camper battery installed this time, and everything worked great.

Thank you for the help!

[chuckster57]

Looks like your good to go!!

[CedarCreekWoody]

Have you verified the converter is charging the battery? That could explain why it didn't work without the battery installed. Battery voltage should be 13+ with generator running.