I need HELP!!!: Ac connect pops house GFI

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Ac connect pops house GFI

Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15177
Printed Date: 18 May 2024 at 5:47pm
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Topic: Ac connect pops house GFI

Posted By: Jackash
Subject: Ac connect pops house GFI
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 6:53pm

Have a R195, only a year old. Opening it up from winter (not that there is much here in N California). Charged batteries. Trailer works fine off of battery power. When I plug it into the house to run off ac (standard 110v/20a circuit with GFI) the GFI breaker pops off. Didn’t do that last winter. Stil under warranty but the dealer is an hour and a half away in Stockton. Any suggestions for things to try/check before I drag it down there?

Thx in advance for any suggestions.

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Jackash

Replies:

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 8:00pm

I had that problem and ended up replacing the GFI. Problem solved.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: Jackash
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 8:15pm

Thanks. Cheap option. I will try that, or maybe try plugging it into a Different house outlet and see what happens?

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Jackash

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 9:02pm

+1 to lostagain. Most likely you will pop the breaker regardless of what outlet from the house you plug into. GFI is kaput. Others on this forum have encountered the same as you, replacing the GFI will be a quick and simple remedy.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: Jackash
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 9:15pm

Only thing that niggles my brain a bit is that it worked in that same outlet last year. gFIs do fail/wear out over time, I guess.

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Jackash

Posted By: Jackash
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 9:16pm

And that GFI outlet works fine for power tools, leaf blower, etc. just not the draw of he trailer (with nothing on). As soon as I plug the trailer in (with nothing turned on) it pops.

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Jackash

Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 10:11pm

To be clear, your house circuit is what's popping, not the Pod GFI? I just replaced a GFI breaker in my home circuit panel and it did, indeed, fix the problem of the breaker tripping every time someone looked at it funny. They can go bad in various ways, but I think it might be worth trying the trailer on another house circuit. The first assumption when a GFI breaker trips should be that you have a ground fault somewhere, not that you have a bad breaker.

Maybe turn off all of the circuits in the Pod, try again, and if it doesn't trip, turn on the Pod breakers one at a time.

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2010 176
FJ Cruiser

Posted By: Jackash
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2022 at 10:30pm

Great idea. Will do. Thx.

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Jackash

Posted By: Winterpod
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 9:54am

Check the electric switch on the hot water heater. If it is on and there is no water in the heater, the element is fried and that will trip your breaker. I know that from experience.

Good luck ,hope you solve the problem

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Winter pod
2013 R-Pod 178
2007 Silverato 1500 LT.
Trek Stash 8 29er hard tail
Old Town Kayak

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 11:26am

+1 to checking the switch, but be sure to check the breaker for the water heater as well. There might even be a 3rd switch in the circuit. It's all a process of elimination.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: SC for Huskers
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 12:11pm

Would like to ask a question and a quick answer will surfice because I dont want to hijack the topic. Jackash says he plugged into a 20amp ckt. My 172 was on a 20amp ckt. ( getting ready for a trip) HW was off, all ALt Current was off except for AC unit and if any thing, I mean anything, was plugged into that ckt, the house breaker would trip. I had to run a separate 30amp line to the garage. Is Jackash trying to overload the 20?

Will Butt out now, Good Luck Jackash.

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Happy Traveling,
Tom
2017 172pod
2011 F150 STX

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 12:27pm

Our 172 was plugged into a 20A GFI protected circuit for all the years we had it. I had two problems with it on that circuit. One was when I first got the trailer and had the GFI pop when the water heater was turned on via AC. I replaced the heat element and the problem went away for a while. Then the GFI started popping again when I tried to run the AC. I fond the GFI popping with practically any load, and ended up replacing it. The problem with the GFI went away.

I suspect the problem with the water heater involved a probable ground fault related to the burned up element [it didn't happen if the water heater had no AC] and was fixed with the new element. The second time around, I think it was just a worn out GFI.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 2:30pm

Plug the cord to the house receptacle but don't connect it to the rpod. Does the gfci trip? If so it's either the cord itself or the GFCI. Try a different cord to determine which. If the GFCI doesn't trip then shut off all the rpod breakers and connect the cord to the rpod. Start closing breakers one at a time to determine which circuit has the ground fault.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Jackash
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 3:25pm

Problem solved. It was the water heater. Had al older RPod 179 I didn’t have to worry about this with, but Keep forgetting to flip the switch to off on the water heater when I drain/winterize. New anode on order. Once I turn that switch off, all else works fine. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

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Jackash

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 3:34pm

Another suggestion based on experience. Some use the breaker as a switch for the AC function of the water heater. It works, but is easy to forget or accidentally flip since it's hard to see down low. The switch on the water heater is a pain in the backside to use and is also easy to fix. On our 172, I added a third switch under the seat where the water heater was located with a little protector covering the switch lever to avoid accidental bumping. It was much easier to use and less likely forgotten. Our Sonoma has this same 3rd switch in the main control panel by the front door with a handy dandy light to make it failsafe except for absent minded geezers like me.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: gasmanIII
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 4:20pm

Good chance the outside 120 volt outlet has water or is damp. GFI circuits are very touchy around dampness or water. good luck.

gasman

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2022 at 6:01am

Replacing the water heater anode won't fix a ground fault problem. You need a new heating element.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2022 at 6:12am

+1 to OG post about anode.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost