GFI

[Devilishjim]

7 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

At least time to get some help from someone who understands electricity and trouble shooting. There are RVer's who understand basic electricity who are not electricians but you need to be a little careful who you let work on this or take advice from. I suggest that before too long you take the time to get out your meter and work on learning to use it as you can help yourself a great deal at times if you use one properly but when you have a problem isn't generally a good time to start learning how the meter works. 

I agree Maggie you have to learn the meter and see if power is getting to the GFI. Pretend it's a drone and is gonna crash unless you know how to fly it before you get off the ground. Electricity will turn your hair grey if you live through the shock

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Maggie,

I think you need to call someone who is familiar with RV wiring or at least 120 volt AC wiring that can troubleshoot the issue for you. This is like trying to tell someone that is not a mechanic how to rebuild an engine over the phone. You don't have the basic skill set to use a multi meter or an amp meter and you will be messing with something that can hurt you and/or damage your RV. If you are wanting to learn, ask questions and see if the tech will give you some basic trouble shooting lessons. It will cost you in the time charge that you will need to pay but it will be worth it if they are willing to show you some basic things to check and how to SAFELY check them.

[maggie blair]

30 minutes ago, Devilishjim said:

I agree Maggie you have to learn the meter and see if power is getting to the GFI. Pretend it's a drone and is gonna crash unless you know how to fly it before you get off the ground. Electricity will turn your hair grey if you live through the shock

 

7 minutes ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Maggie,

I think you need to call someone who is familiar with RV wiring or at least 120 volt AC wiring that can troubleshoot the issue for you. This is like trying to tell someone that is not a mechanic how to rebuild an engine over the phone. You don't have the basic skill set to use a multi meter or an amp meter and you will be messing with something that can hurt you and/or damage your RV. If you are wanting to learn, ask questions and see if the tech will give you some basic trouble shooting lessons. It will cost you in the time charge that you will need to pay but it will be worth it if they are willing to show you some basic things to check and how to SAFELY check them.

Thanks Georgia. I agree. Electrical issues like this mean it's time to call a professional. I did my best and know when it's time to make the call. 

[maggie blair]

I agree. Thanks Kirk. 

[Devilishjim]

Let us know what the repairman finds

[maggie blair]

Will do. My location isn't the best right now but I will be close to a larger town next week and I will be able to get my RV into a repair shop. Until then I will make do with the plugs that work.

Thanks again. 

 

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, maggie blair said:

My location isn't the best right now but I will be close to a larger town next week and I will be able to get my RV into a repair shop.

Unless you have a shop you prefer, I suggest using a mobile service as I have found them to be more reliable and more likely to actually know and understand electrical systems and electrical theory. Mobile techs do not sell products but depend upon their service skills for their survival. 

[maggie blair]

11 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Unless you have a shop you prefer, I suggest using a mobile service as I have found them to be more reliable and more likely to actually know and understand electrical systems and electrical theory. Mobile techs do not sell products but depend upon their service skills for their survival. 

Thanks Kirk. I did learn how to use the digital light tester and there isn't any power coming into the GFI switch. I also checked the wires to make certain it wasn't a faulty GFI. Next step is call a mobile tech at my next stop. 

Thanks again,

Maggie 

[Yarome]

28 minutes ago, maggie blair said:

Next step is call a mobile tech at my next stop. 

Edited: No power at the leads? Missed that. Please disregard then. 

[Kirk W]

10 minutes ago, maggie blair said:

I did learn how to use the digital light tester and there isn't any power coming into the GFI switch.

If no voltage is present at the leads to the GFCI then it has to either be an open circuit breaker or a wiring problem. If you checked at the GFCI's own plug and it doesn't supply any voltage that just means that it is open. I believe that you did indicate that you have other outlets that do have 120v power? It is unlikely that you have more than one circuit breaker for 120v outlets, but there is a small chance of that so make sure that you have reset all of the circuit breakers before you call someone. I would do this by opening each one and then closing it again. I would do that one more time even if you have done so previously, just to be sure that you didn't miss one. 

[remoandiris]

Agree with Kirk on the mobile tech.  They also typically get to you quicker than an RV repair shop.  If you plan to stay at a commercial RV park, maybe the front office will know which techs are good and which are not.  Plus, since you know where you are heading, you can begin your search now.  Hopefully you find a few techs who have already received positive reviews.

[Devilishjim]

If you know which breaker controls that GFI then I would suggest shutting that breaker off until you locate the problem because you could have a loose hot wire floating around if it touches metal the sparks will fly.

[maggie blair]

8 hours ago, Devilishjim said:

If you know which breaker controls that GFI then I would suggest shutting that breaker off until you locate the problem because you could have a loose hot wire floating around if it touches metal the sparks will fly.

Thanks so much! Turned the breaker off?.

[maggie blair]

On 7/22/2017 at 5:39 AM, Kirk Wood said:

If no voltage is present at the leads to the GFCI then it has to either be an open circuit breaker or a wiring problem. If you checked at the GFCI's own plug and it doesn't supply any voltage that just means that it is open. I believe that you did indicate that you have other outlets that do have 120v power? It is unlikely that you have more than one circuit breaker for 120v outlets, but there is a small chance of that so make sure that you have reset all of the circuit breakers before you call someone. I would do this by opening each one and then closing it again. I would do that one more time even if you have done so previously, just to be sure that you didn't miss one. 

A licensed handyman here in this RV park looked everything over. He said I am getting power to the GFI but also to my ground wire.   He also said that my two white wires were backwards so he move the top in to the bottom and the bottom one to the top. The plug and still did not work because he said the ground wire is hot.  He said it  is hot and that is why my GFI won't reset.  I still do not understand how that works but the plug-in isn't working. He said I could take the GFI out and put a regular plug-in in there but I told him no I want it done correctly. I will call a regular electrician tomorrow.  He also stated that the ground wire might have gotten kinks somewhere in the wiring in the RV. Thanks again for your input Kirk. 

[maggie blair]

Just now, maggie blair said:

A licensed handyman here in this RV park looked everything over. He said I am getting power to the GFI but also to my ground wire.   He also said that my two white wires were backwards so he move the top in to the bottom and the bottom one to the top. The plug and still did not work because he said the ground wire is hot.  He said it  is hot and that is why my GFI won't reset.  I still do not understand how that works but the plug-in isn't working. He said I could take the GFI out and put a regular plug-in in there but I told him no I want it done correctly. I will call a regular electrician tomorrow.  He also stated that the ground wire might have gotten kinks somewhere in the wiring in the RV. Thanks again for your input Kirk. 

Sorry about any and all typos. I have to use my phone to type. 

[Jimalberta]

If you have a hot ground the potential for serious problems and death are a possibility. Hot grounds are nothing to fool with. I suggest you unplug your rv until it gets fixed.

[maggie blair]

I bought  another tester today and when I touch it to the ground it isn't hot. He touched it to a hot wire and the ground at the same time and said the ground was hot. I turned off the circuit breaker for that plug and all plugs associated with it. Do you think it's still a dangerous situation? There is only one wire going into the GFI that shows electricity. The other three do not read anything. 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Your "licensed handyman" doesn't know s**t about 120 volt circuits. Please get a licensed electrician out there to check out your system before something happens to you. From the sound of it, you have the GFI outlet wired wrong but please don't rewire it yourself, get someone that knows what they are doing and stay safe.

[maggie blair]

Thank you. I am calling a 'real' electrician first

thing in the morning. Thanks again. 

[Devilishjim]

48 minutes ago, maggie blair said:

I bought  another tester today and when I touch it to the ground it isn't hot. He touched it to a hot wire and the ground at the same time and said the ground was hot. I turned off the circuit breaker for that plug and all plugs associated with it. Do you think it's still a dangerous situation? There is only one wire going into the GFI that shows electricity. The other three do not read anything. 

Maggie Maggie Maggie Where did you find this beezlebum. Yep you got it right touching one lead to the ground and the other to the remaining wires should give you one hot one. What you really need to do is shut power off completely and pull the four screws out that hold cover over breakers. You will find a bunch of wires going to breakers and a wire or maybe two coming off the breakers. check the screws on each wire making sure they are all tight. Dont be surprised to find a screw that is half to three quarters turn loose. tighten them all and replace cover. Just for gigggles touch one probe to bare metal ant then touch the other probe to the hot wire if the meter registers power then you know your probe is on a good grnd. when you get that done keeping the probe on the bare metal where its getting a grnd touch the other probe to the grnd wire, Now you should be getting no reading

[Kirk W]

12 hours ago, maggie blair said:

I turned off the circuit breaker for that plug and all plugs associated with it. Do you think it's still a dangerous situation?

No. Your RV is quite safe.

12 hours ago, maggie blair said:

There is only one wire going into the GFI that shows electricity. The other three do not read anything. 

That is exactly as it should be but it is possible that the polarity of the positive and neutral has been reversed or some other issue that could cause problems. If your outlets all used to work but now the GFCI is tripping, that means that something has changed and not that something was wired incorrectly. 

I am not familiar with the term "certified handyman" and have no idea who might have certified him, but it quite likely was the ACHP, which is new to me and I know nothing of. Even a licensed electrician will occasionally turn out to be one who doesn't know his field but those are pretty rare so the odds are in your favor and most of them carry insurance to cover any mistakes that they make. To get an electrician's license from your state you must do at least a two-year apprenticeship, while the handyman just does a simple online test. 

Unfortunately, it is pretty much impossible for anyone to know how qualified people on the forums are when getting advice so I always advise caution. I have always felt that I would rather fail in helping someone than to risk giving them bad or misunderstood advice. 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

46 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

....Unfortunately, it is pretty much impossible for anyone to know how qualified people on the forums are when getting advice so I always advise caution. I have always felt that I would rather fail in helping someone than to risk giving them bad or misunderstood advice.....

Kirk,

That is why I keep urging Maggie to get a qualified electrician. She didn't even know how to use a multi-meter when this thread started. I know that everyone on this board is a journeyman electrician, journeyman plumber and AC tech and that 95% can build a rocket and put a satellite into orbit with scrap from the junk pile but asking her to poke around in the load center is WAY more than she needs to do. It's not that she can't learn it while someone is there, she shouldn't learn about AC circuits on her own without a qualified person there to help.

[maggie blair]

18 minutes ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Kirk,

That is why I keep urging Maggie to get a qualified electrician. She didn't even know how to use a multi-meter when this thread started. I know that everyone on this board is a journeyman electrician, journeyman plumber and AC tech and that 95% can build a rocket and put a satellite into orbit with scrap from the junk pile but asking her to poke around in the load center is WAY more than she needs to do. It's not that she can't learn it while someone is there, she shouldn't learn about AC circuits on her own without a qualified person there to help.

Electrician is onboard for today. I will let you folks know what he finds. Let's hope he knows what he is doing....

[Devilishjim]

On 7/25/2017 at 7:27 AM, maggie blair said:

Electrician is onboard for today. I will let you folks know what he finds. Let's hope he knows what he is doing....

Maggie did I miss a post ? What became of your electrical problem ?

[maggie blair]

The replacement GFI was wired wrong by the HANDYMAN and his info was incorrect. The electrician wired the GFI correctly and he was out of here in 15 minutes (and 200.00). 

I sure appreciate all the support that is given on this site! Thanks again! Have a great day! ?