No 110 volts

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matzb

Active member
Joined
Oct 27, 2020
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39
Thor Quotom GR22. I plugged a small space heater in and it ran for a few minutes and stopped working. The three 110 receptacles on the drivers side of RV are dead. The two on the passenger side are working. No breakers are tripped, I reset them all and nothing happened. Only GFI is in the bathroom and it is working. What’s up?
 
shorted wire to breaker.
A shorted wire, or maybe an open circuit where a wire is loose or disconnected? A short usually means that the wire is connected to something that it isn't supposed to be connected to. And just so you know, the standard outlet voltage has been 120V since 1954 and it became the federal standard in 1967.
 
My outlets are few and routed through a GFI after the panel. 3rd season we brought a space heater along as the furnace is too loud at it might be chilly as we were later in the season. We had it running for a while but then circuit died. It didn't trip the breaker. Tried resetting the GFI but no go. Pulled the GFI to start tracing to when the power was cut and found the loose wire shown in the attached. I don't know if it was loose from the factory or vibrated loose since, but this toasted the trailer. The GFI needed to be replaced 20240821_081948.jpg
 

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Found it, shorted wire to breaker.
He said shorted but he meant "open" Many confuse the concept.

Face. On my class A sometimes the front AC worked. Sometimes the rear. Sometimes both Finally I decided to start testing and the first place I went was the breaker box.. Wires moved in the clamps... NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.. Broke out the #2 Square bit and started tightening 1 Turn. Turn turns as I recall 3 turns on one screw.. PROBLEM FOUND. (And cured).

Suggestion.. CHECK THEM ALL not just the problem wire.

Page 2.. Many RV outlets are the "unibox) or Quick box type with wires just punched down Not bent around a screw.. This connection is not that robust and at the double digit amp rates of a space heater.. sometimes.... MELT (happened to me.. I put in specal "heater outlets" 15/20 amp type (The neutral is "T" shaped) and 12 ga bent around a screw. Dedicated breaker feeding it.
 
Never saw a GFI with two load lines connected. Normally the other receptacles are wired in series. You'll never get good connection with 2 wires under the screw.
Correct way is to splice, (wire nut) the two wires to one coming from receptacle.
 
Never saw a GFI with two load lines connected. Normally the other receptacles are wired in series. You'll never get good connection with 2 wires under the screw.
Correct way is to splice, (wire nut) the two wires to one coming from receptacle.
Every GFCI I have dealt with has two input terminals, and two output/load terminals. 4 holes per side (white/black) for a total of 8 holes for wires to be inserted in. They use a serrated plate inside that the screw pulls up against the wires. It actually works better with two wires as the plate and screw are square to the hole the screw passes thru.

Loosen the screw until it stops, don't force it, push the screw in as far as it goes, then insert the wires, stripped per the strip gauge, and straight, and put them in until they go no further, hold them in and tighten the living daylights out of the screw.

The line terminals in the pic posted by TLMGCAMP in Post #7 are the ones that are burned. The ground is under them, indicating that the ground terminal is down and the line terminals are (on every GFCI I have ever messed with) is closest to the ground. The RV mfg used the GFCI as a junction to carry a portion of that circuit elsewhere, but not GFCI protected. My trailer is done the same way. Line in, and line right back out, plus the load out.

IMG_5140B-0450.jpg


I got this pic from this web page and they show the insides of some RV receptacles. Scroll down until you see Structure of Mobile Home Receptacles to see the pics.

Charles
 
If i am wrong on this let me know but isnt that a standard 20 amp plug? 15amp doesnt have the T. If so i wouldnt call them special. I think many people dont know there is an official plug for 20 that is different than 15 amp
You are correct that the 20 amp plug is | --
But the outlets were 15/20 amp taking both | -- plugs and | | plugs. so the neutral slot on the outlet is T shaped .
 
Never saw a GFI with two load lines connected. Normally the other receptacles are wired in series. You'll never get good connection with 2 wires under the screw.
Correct way is to splice, (wire nut) the two wires to one coming from receptacle.
That is why they have two screws In and Out.. but if you mean one in and two out. You are correct
 
That is why they have two screws In and Out.. but if you mean one in and two out. You are correct
One pair is labeled line and one labeled load. Only one wire under each screw.
Even the ground lug is only designed for one wire. Tie the lie and load grounds together grounds together and and add third short piece to the ground on the receptacle.
 
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The ground scenario is the same thing I follow but you are just wrong about the line and load lugs. They are designed and actually function much better with a wire under each side. They will obviously work with one wire but two wires keeps the side load stress off of the screw terminal. I typically only have one load side wire but it is common practice to have 2 line side for power coming in and power leaving to the next device on the chain.
 
One pair is labeled line and one labeled load. Only one wire under each screw.
Even the ground lug is only designed for one wire. Tie the lie and load grounds together grounds together and and add third short piece to the ground on the receptacle.
Only one wire is allowed under a screw head, however the wires are not under the screw head, but rather in a serrated pinch plate that the screw tightens up inside the receptacle. See the pic in post #11 and the statement made by workinonit in post #16.

With regard to using NEMA 5-20 receptacles, GFCI or not, code requires you use 12 gauge wire to them, and most wiring in RV's is 14 gauge, except for the Air Conditioner. There is no real advantage gained in using NEMA 5-20 receptacles with the T slot as the internals of a NEMA 5-15, if commercial or industrial quality are exactly the same (and I do mean EXACTLY), with only the outside face plate being different. Peer into a neutral slot on a good quality receptacle and you will see the connector used in a T slot, but the horizontal portion is blocked off by the plastic.

A typical space heater is limited to 1500 watts (actually about 1450 watts), which is 80% of the capacity of the 15 amp circuit breaker and 14 gauge wire, which is a limitation imposed by the NEC on heating equipment.

Charles
 
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