Please help w/ electric!!

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Desperately in need of help. I was using a hot plate yesterday and it tripped my breaker twice. I turned off everything else that was connected to that circuit (so I thought), what I didn’t know was there was a space heater running elsewhere. The 3rd time the breaker tripped, there was no power coming to the GFCI outlet I was plugged into. I checked power to all breaker with multi-meter and there is power there. Took off GFCI and replaced it, just in case it was bad, but there is no power going to that outlet.
During this time, while checking all the wiring, shore power was off, we had the battery running and it died after an hour. I was under the impression that the battery would at least last 48 hrs. Does anyone have any clue if a weak battery could be the issue or if it is probably a wiring issue from one of the outlets? This is a 2015 Forest River Sierra 371 REBH. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Oldgator73]

Welcome to the forum. The battery and the outlet have nothing to do with each other. As for the battery lasting 48 hours, depends on what load is on them. It sounds like you have a bad battery. So it’s just the one outlet that’s not working. I know it sounds condescending but has the GFCI tripped? If not, shut off the power and remove the outlet and insure a wire did not come loose when you installed it.

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Thanks so much for your response. No, it is all of the outlets that all along the chain of that GFCI. The GFCI outlet will not reset at all, and when I tested power with my meter, there is no power going to that outlet. Breakers are no longer tripped and there is power going to all the breakers.

 

[Oldgator73]

Turn the breaker off and back on. Make sure the breaker is all the way off then back on.

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

We have turned all of that off and back on. Tried the breakers at shore power. Took off the gfci outlet and put a new one on just in case that was bad, but when we used the multimeter on the wires to that outlet, there is no power.

 

[Contributor]

When you said that there is no power going to the outlet, did you check the output of the CB? or the input at the outlet? There may be another GFCI between the CB and the outlet you are measuring at, maybe outside the trailer?

I tested power with my meter, there is no power going to that outlet

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

The input was good. We were unable to get the output. There are 2 gfci’s in the camper. The one in the bathroom is working. The kitchen is the one that is not. We haven’t found a 3rd one anywhere.

 

[Ray-IN]

Did you test for 120VAC on the circuit breaker outgoing wire retainers?

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Did you test for 120VAC on the circuit breaker outgoing wire retainers?

No because the way it is wired, we were unable to reach the output, just the input and that was good.

 

[Ray-IN]

In order to access/reach the input to the circuit breaker, it must first be removed to expose the main bus bars. I doubt we are on the same page.
The circuit breakers are in the main electrical panel, to access the wiring from the circuit breakers, the entire front of the main panel must be removed, but only after making sure the RV is unplugged from shore power and generator is NOT running. Once the front is removed, turn shore power back on so the wires attached the circuit breakers can be tested for 120VAC.
Take care not to electrocute yourself while the front cover is removed.

 

[8Muddypaws]

Check the breakers on the pedestal you're plugged into.

Depending on what brand, make, and year your RV is you may have tripped a breaker or fuse on your converter/charger. My converter/inverter/charger has two 'switch type' breakers and two resettable button type breakers.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Yes we opened up the breaker box and took that out. The wires are clumped together and go back behind a board. The area is so small we couldn’t get the multi meter back there to check the out going power.

 

[DeckArtist]

Bad breaker possibly. They sometimes go dead without popping off.

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Check the breakers on the pedestal you're plugged into.

Depending on what brand, make, and year your RV is you may have tripped a breaker or fuse on your converter/charger. My converter/inverter/charger has two 'switch type' breakers and two resettable button type breakers.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Ok I will check out the converter. I saw that behind the breaker box. Thank you so much for the reply.

 

[ARVS]

I agree with 8muddypaws regarding the inverter reset. It is also common that a GFCI receptacle will work but not have power to the "load side" of the outlet. If the kitchen outlet is fed from the load side of the bathroom outlet, replacing the bathroom GFCI should restore power to the kitchen. You may be able to verify if the kitchen GFCI is fed from the bathroom GFCI by continuity from the load side of the bathroom GFCI to the line side of the kitchen GFCI as long as there are no other GFCI outlets between them.

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Check the breakers on the pedestal you're plugged into.

Depending on what brand, make, and year your RV is you may have tripped a breaker or fuse on your converter/charger. My converter/inverter/charger has two 'switch type' breakers and two resettable button type breakers.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

One question though, is it possible for it to be a converter issue, even though one leg of the electric is working? Everything connected to the lavatory GCFI is working. Everything connected to the kitchen GFCI is not.

 

[Oldgator73]

If you have power to part of your RV but not to other areas the problem will not be the main power. If your main goes your whole AC power goes. Certainly could be a bad beaker. Breakers are easy to replace. Make sure you get the correct breaker. Take the old out and take it with you to purchase a new one.

 

[Scott 3]

Do you have an outside/external outlet and if so, is it a GFCI? Do have a GFCI where your refrigerator plugs in?

 

[CharlesinGA]

Is shore power 50 amp, or 30 amp? Very important to know.

At 15,500 lbs and 43 ft, that has to be a 50 amp. Its possible you have lost one side of the 50 amp, either at the pedestal or up to the main breakers or anywhere in between. You need to open the breaker panel and remove the cover surrounding the breakers and measure voltage at the main breakers. If you have the right probes on a meter, you probably can probe the shore power pedestal to measure for power across the two side slots (240v) and for power from the top center slot to one side slot (120v) and then top center slot (neutral) to the other side slot (120v).

Charles

 

[Travel Nurse Betty]

Yes it’s 50 amp, and yes it seems one leg is out. So is it possible to lose part of the power at the pedestal? The breakers to the pedestal are not tripped, but it’s been raining like crazy and that pedestal is in a huge puddle.