Four outlets have no power.

[Wickedraisin]

I have a 2018 Keystone Montana High Country.  My wife had a heater plugged in for some extra heat during this winter and it tripped the GFCI outlet in the bathroom.  After we reset the GFCI outlet all the outlets in the RV came back except for 4 of them.  I figured that maybe the GFCI outlet was bad so I replaced it and those 4 outlets still have no power.  Not sure what to look for next, everything worked great before that GFCI breaker tripped and the GFCI outlet itself still works.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kevin Means]

First, welcome aboard! Your description of the problem points to a common cause. Have you checked the A/C circuit breakers? If the dead outlets go through one breaker, try resetting it. Breakers often look like they're set, even when they've been tripped, so make sure turn it off, then back on.

Kev

 

[Wickedraisin]

Thank you for the welcome.  I have cycled all the breakers in the panel box, as well as checked all the fuses.  Everything works except for those 4 outlets.  I have a 362RD floor plan, if that information helps at all.  The outlets that do not work are 3 in the master bedroom (one behind the TV and one below it as well as one outside the closet) and one in the living room below the cabinet.  Not sure if that info helps, I have had difficulty locating a wiring diagram for this RV.

 

[Rene T]

Your going to have to remove all four of them one at a time and see if there is a loose wire inside the box. Check for power behind each receptacle with a multi meter.

 

[Wickedraisin]

Hmmm, well I don't have a multi meter but I have a receptacle tester and it shows open in each plug of all 4 outlets and my contactless voltmeter does not detect voltage from any of the receptacles.  Not sure how a wire could have gotten loose since they all worked before the GFCI pop and then after the reset that is when the issue came up.  Our RV is stationary and we haven't moved it since we started living in it.  I did open the outlet that she had the heater plugged into because I suspected that when the GFCI popped it could have messed up that single outlet.  When I opened the outlet though it looked perfect, no breaks, cuts or burns that could have cause a short.  The outlet is a pretty simple design with just the black and white wire pressed into their respective slots, they are cut contact type connections, no screws or terminal lugs involved.

 

[lynnmor]

You might have another GFCI outlet, perhaps behind the refrigerator.  Pull each receptacle and look for a bad connection, not a short, it could even be one that still works.

 

[Wickedraisin]

That was a good idea, I thought maybe there was another GFCI as well but so far I have been unable to locate any.  The fridge is a Dometic hard installed, I checked behind the panel to see just how it was getting power and it has it's own modular block looking thing that is mounted to the floor underneath it.  Then I got an idea to check the outlet that is for the washer and dryer, I figured that had to be a GFCI since dryers make humidity but no luck, it was just a regular outlet.

 

[8Muddypaws]

The suspected other gfi might be outside.  It would be crazy to put a gfi downstream from another gfi but stranger things have happened.

I had the same kind of thing happen in a Montana 2955.  It was a loose common wire behind the breakers.  Easy to fix - tighten the crap out of the buss bar slugs.

 

[John From Detroit]

You are not going to like my idea.

RV outlets tend to be "Uni-Box" or "Quick-Box" types. you can tell because where as a regular house outlet the face plate mounts wing a single screw dead center the Uni/Quick-box design has two screws in opposite corners.  The box, outlet and faceplate are all one unit.

Wire connections are not a wire bent around a screw as are many home outlets but a "punch down" system where the wire is punched down into a Slot and the connection is basically a kinfe edge.

IT IS NOT UP TO 1500 WATT LOADS and can melt the wire.

SOunds like what may have happened.

BUT FIRST.. Check all the screws in the breaker box.. Many RVers have a few screws loose in this area.

 

[D-n-R]

Same thing happened to us this winter.  Got all the same advice even had my husband and a friend check the fuses and reset all the breakers --Artic fox 29-5T---5th wheel---.  Well before I let the DH dive into the wires in the breaker box I decided to RECHECK all the fuses.  I got a yellow new one and started changing out each one individually until wah lah the lights came on!!!!

Sure enough they missed one and our friend had a fuse tester also!!!!!!!  So it saved much work and an ulcer watching and hoping all went well.  My husband is not handy at all--hence the good manufacturer I purchased from and the great fortune we have had with workmanship!!!!!!!

I was told there is not rhyme or reason how they hook up those breaker wires or fuses and many of the labels contain more or less than what they tell you.  Our's were a little vague and it happened to be our outside LED lights and bay lights that were affected.

Good luck I hope your problem was as easy as mine to solve.

 

[Gizmo100]

Is it possible you have a  GFCI outlet in one of you storage bays that may have tripped?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If your Montana is equipped with an inverter, chances are those outlets are powered through the inverter and you have tripped a breaker on the inverter itself. Often it's just a little push button and may be labeled "Reset".

If that space heater did indeed trip the GCI, you need to figure out why before you want to use it again. A GFCI trip is a safety action and not related to high amperage. It trips when the appliance or outlet has a wiring defect.

 

[John From Detroit]

RE Fuses.. I use a test light to check 'em. The little square WINDOW at each end of the top of a blade fuse. LIGHT LIGHT good. DARK DARK no test DARK LIGHT bad.

 

[cavie]

You might have another GFCI outlet, perhaps behind the refrigerator.  Pull each receptacle and look for a bad connection, not a short, it could even be one that still works.

A GFI outlet will not be behind a fridge. they must be accessible.

 

[cavie]

RE Fuses.. I use a test light to check 'em. The little square WINDOW at each end of the top of a blade fuse. LIGHT LIGHT good. DARK DARK no test DARK LIGHT bad.

Fuses are on the 12 volt system. outlets are 120 volts.

 

[Rene T]

A GFI outlet will not be behind a fridge. they must be accessible.

Every RV I've ever had, all I had to do was remove the lower vent cover and the outlet would have been right there very accessible.

 

[cavie]

I have a 2018 Keystone Montana High Country.  My wife had a heater plugged in for some extra heat during this winter and it tripped the GFCI outlet in the bathroom.  After we reset the GFCI outlet all the outlets in the RV came back except for 4 of them.  I figured that maybe the GFCI outlet was bad so I replaced it and those 4 outlets still have no power.  Not sure what to look for next, everything worked great before that GFCI breaker tripped and the GFCI outlet itself still works.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

You say GFI breaker. Is it a real GFI breaker with a yellow button or a standard breaker labels GFI? A GFI breaker will not feed a GFI outlet. With a large 5er I'm guessing you have 2 GFI circuits. GFI's protect outlets within 6' of a water source. Bath, Kitchen, dining room, outside, Outside ground level storage. They are daisy chained. They will be accessible yet may be out of sight. You will not have to remove anything to reset them. Stop looking at fuses. Fuses are 12 volt. Outlets are 120 volts. Buy a volt meter, $6.00 at Harbor freight, and learn how to use it and stop changing things because you think they are bad.

 

[boatbuilder]

I would second John's idea of a burned wire or contact in the outlet. I have seen it happen before, in a Newmar. The wire didn't get seated all the way so it had very little contact area and poof.

 

[NY_Dutch]

From the description, I suspect the feed through from the GFCI to the remaining outlets in the string has been compromised. It might be as simple as a bad connection at the pushed in wires on the load side, or it could be failure within the GFCI itself.

 

[John From Detroit]

Fuses are on the 12 volt system. outlets are 120 volts.

I know this but someone was talking about fuses. Testing by the replace it method.