No outlets will work, GFCI won't reset

[mjh203]

I have a 2017 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25 BHS. Using for only the second time. Plugged in at the campground and everything works except for the outlets. I have tried to reset the GFCI and get a real fast green light flash on the outlet but it will not reset. None of the breakers are tripped. I do not see any bad fuses. Any ideas? Nothing is plugged in to any outlet.

[CedarCreekWoody]

It sounds like one of the outlets has a short to ground. You may have to pull the GFCI outlet and disconnect the wire that feeds the other outlets. If that clears it then you will have to check them one at a time.

[Fly YX]

Just like CedarCreekWoody was saying but it is not a short circuit. Turn off the power pull the GFCI in the back of the GFCI you should see a line and load disconnect the load side. To be safe put wire nuts on the wires that you just had on the load side of the GFCI and put it back in the box. turn on the power and if you can test and reset the GFCI it is good. If not you may have no power on the line side of the GFCI. If it is working then look at the other outlets especially the one outside if it has water in it that is the problem or if you have water on the cable going into the box put a drip loop if you can. and seal the box. other things that can trip a GFCI are a bad connection/corrosion that causes an unbalanced load between the ground hot and neutral.In which case the GFCI is doing its job.

[mjh203]

Thanks for the suggestions...so after 2 hours of screwing around with this I decided to get out my 30 amp extension cord and run it to a different power box at the campground. It works fine! I probably should have started there... I still don't understand why everything else works except for the outlets, but at least I know it isn't my camper that is the problem.

[Fly YX]

The pedestal at the campground may have a floating ground or neutral or are reversed somehow causing it to be unbalanced. I forgot the sensitivity of a GFCI but is in milliamps. You should report this to someone at the campground. Being that it was affecting your GFCI I would think it would be on the ground or neutral. A GFCI only sense on the load side of the circuit the GFCI is on. So if it ok now you are on a different pedestal the only thing that circuit would have in common is the neutral and the ground.

[JHurtgen]

Originally Posted by mjh203

I have a 2017 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25 BHS. Using for only the second time. Plugged in at the campground and everything works except for the outlets. I have tried to reset the GFCI and get a real fast green light flash on the outlet but it will not reset. None of the breakers are tripped. I do not see any bad fuses. Any ideas? Nothing is plugged in to any outlet.

Same thing happened to us after a thunderstorm and power outage at campground. We finally went outside, turned the switch off at the post; unplugged our surge protector; plugged it all back in; turned the switch back on at the post; went back inside the camper and reset the GFI. Everything worked again. In a nutshell, we reset the surge protector. It did exactly what it's supposed to do in a power surge/interruption. Hope this helps

[Alleyantique]

A simple outlet tester available Home Depot or Lowes for less than $10 would have found this problem before you connected your power cable. Get a tester and check the pedestal every time before you connect your RV power cable. The problem was on the ground lead and would only affect a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protected circuit. If you had a power conditioner such as Progressive Industries in line it w0ould have also not only pointed to the problem, it would most likely kill all power to trailer due to a faulty ground. A faulty ground can be dangerous as well as hard on sensitive electrical devices like your TV or Microwave. Happy Camping.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by mjh203

Thanks for the suggestions...so after 2 hours of screwing around with this I decided to get out my 30 amp extension cord and run it to a different power box at the campground. It works fine! I probably should have started there... I still don't understand why everything else works except for the outlets, but at least I know it isn't my camper that is the problem.

Thanks for reporting back to post the problem/solution. That helps us all in the long run.

[twdenman]

Originally Posted by mjh203

Thanks for the suggestions...so after 2 hours of screwing around with this I decided to get out my 30 amp extension cord and run it to a different power box at the campground. It works fine! I probably should have started there... I still don't understand why everything else works except for the outlets, but at least I know it isn't my camper that is the problem.

No surge protector? Wouldn't that show the problem?

[Fly YX]

No the most common surge protectors use MOVs to shunt to ground . Don't get my wrong surge protectors are a good thing but for what they are the RV surge protector are crazy expensive

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by Alleyantique

A simple outlet tester available Home Depot or Lowes for less than $10 would have found this problem before you connected your power cable. Get a tester and check the pedestal every time before you connect your RV power cable. The problem was on the ground lead and would only affect a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protected circuit. If you had a power conditioner such as Progressive Industries in line it w0ould have also not only pointed to the problem, it would most likely kill all power to trailer due to a faulty ground. A faulty ground can be dangerous as well as hard on sensitive electrical devices like your TV or Microwave. Happy Camping.

Right on I have 3 of these,,, 1 in the house - 1 in the garage & 1 in the MH !!!

[Fly YX]

A gfci is not just for ground the simplest way to explain how it works is is it's looking for a unbalance in the current between hot and neutral.In a AC circuit there should be no current on the ground. If there was your fuse or circuit breaker should trip.For an example of a GFCI working without a ground look at a hair dryer most of them do not have grounds and still have a GFCI with only hot neutral. A arc fault detector works the same way just a lower tolerance than a GFCI. Sorry for the crazy post probably a lot more than anybody wanted to know.

[bgarbo]

Sometimes gfci's go bad, just saying. Happened to me. Get a good tester and learn how to use it. YOU TUBE.

[Scrapper]

Get a Progressive Industries EMS. They are built with monitoring system and a solenoid inside. If the monitor detects any fault, (low voltage, high voltage, line frequency high, open neutral, open ground, reverse polarity, hot-ground miss-wired) it tell you what the problem is and not let the solenoid energize. Thus, you will be protected and no damage to your sensitive electrical equipment will occur. It also monitors the incoming power and if you get high, low voltage or line frequency problems the solenoid will drop out, turning off power to your RV.

Many on this forum and others , me included, will tell you they are the best investment they ever made. Sure, it's expensive, $ 299 for a 30 amp, $499 for a 50 amp. but your electronics will cost more if they are damaged.

I know what can happen, a friend at our CG went through it 2 years ago, took out his 50 amp converter, tv, battery (converter sent high voltage to battery as it went), plus the cost of having mobile repair.

[D. J. Schuler]

Get a Progressive EMS, save your electronics from miss wired post/home outlets.

[twdenman]

Double Ditto! Progressive EMS will be on my rig. Do any RV insurance companies offer any discounts for those who use electrical protection?