Electric outlets not working

[budster]

Hello everyone I'm hoping to get some help on this one.

I have a Wildwood fifth wheel and at the end of last year I ran into a problem. It seems the two outlets one located on either side of the trailer no longer function. In addition the outlet inside the television cabinet also does not function.

However, the GFI protected outlets all work fine, all interior lights, stove hood, furnace, AC, 12 volt outlets all work properly. Even the exterior outlets function properly.

I checked the breakers, they seem to be working fine and I checked the fuses all fine. When I place a meter on the outlets though NO POWER.

I will tell you the outlets seems to cease working after a hairdryer was placed into an outlet that already had a portable heater plugged in.

You guys are my last hope before I take it into a dealer who will charge big bucks just to look at it.

Any help will be grateful.

[wmtire]

You stated the GFCI outlets all work fine. RV's can have the outlets wired in series so when a GFCI outlet trips (or is faulty) it kills power to the other outlets wired in series after it.

It is common for there to be a GFCI protected outlet (thus controlling all the other outlets wired after it) in the bathroom and another one in the kitchen area. I would advise to locate/check (and press the reset button) on these GFCI outlets. The bathroom one get's overlooked a lot.

Simply put, you can have 2 (or more) different circuits controlled by, in layman terms, a master GFCI switch. If the master switch is tripped (or faulty/Burned out), then all the outlets connected to it are not going to work.

You also stated you plugged an electric heater and a hair dryer into the same outlet.................which in almost all circumstances should have overloaded a 15 amp circuit.....thus turning off all the outlets wired on that circuit.

The RV's breaker that controls the circuit should have tripped, as it was overloaded. I would check the RV's breaker box again, and maybe FULLY turn off all the electric breakers and then back on again, to make sure the breaker isn't tripped. It's easy to overlook a tripped breaker, if you don't cycle it all the way off and on again.

These are easy things to check.....and won't cost you anything.

You may have to replace a faulty/burned out GFCI or even a breaker inside the RV's electrical panel.......but not knowing your electrical expertise.............this may be better left to the dealer.

Hope this may help. Please, let us know if you find something simple as stated above. Maybe some other members have more solutions.

[Oakman]

There is no question you would have tripped one of the circuit breakers. When a breaker trips it doesn’t go to the OFF position it just jumps out of the ON position. It is easy to misread that breaker as still in the ON position. As wmtire said, turn the breakers to OFF and then back to ON and see if that doesn’t fix your problem.

[campdohbrew]

Originally Posted by wmtire

You stated the GFCI outlets all work fine. RV's can have the outlets wired in series so when a GFCI outlet trips (or is faulty) it kills power to the other outlets wired in series after it.

It is common for there to be a GFCI protected outlet (thus controlling all the other outlets wired after it) in the bathroom and another one in the kitchen area. I would advise to locate/check (and press the reset button) on these GFCI outlets. The bathroom one get's overlooked a lot.

Simply put, you can have 2 (or more) different circuits controlled by, in layman terms, a master GFCI switch. If the master switch is tripped (or faulty/Burned out), then all the outlets connected to it are not going to work.

You also stated you plugged an electric heater and a hair dryer into the same outlet.................which in almost all circumstances should have overloaded a 15 amp circuit.....thus turning off all the outlets wired on that circuit.

The RV's breaker that controls the circuit should have tripped, as it was overloaded. I would check the RV's breaker box again, and maybe FULLY turn off all the electric breakers and then back on again, to make sure the breaker isn't tripped. It's easy to overlook a tripped breaker, if you don't cycle it all the way off and on again.

These are easy things to check.....and won't cost you anything.

You may have to replace a faulty/burned out GFCI or even a breaker inside the RV's electrical panel.......but not knowing your electrical expertise.............this may be better left to the dealer.

Hope this may help. Please, let us know if you find something simple as stated above. Maybe some other members have more solutions.

As WMTire described in his post above about the GFCI outlet having other outlets wired in a series with it, my sister and brother-in-law had this experience in a 5th wheel they used to own. Once it was changed, no problem.

Too, if you have not pulled all the outlets to check for a loose connection, you probably need to do that too. My brother-in-law had that to happen with that same trailer. It was an older trailer they had purchased used.

[budster]

Thank You for your responses.

Some of the things I have done already when checking the breakers was to trip them all to the off position and then fully reset them to make sure they were in the up position.

The GFI protected outlet in the galley that does work does not have a reset switch however the bathroom sink outlet that also works does and I did reset that switch.

I did check all the fuses and I am only wondering if I did not see a break because it was up against the plastic end. Normally those fuses do break dead center.

$2.00 in fuses won't put me in the poor house and maybe I should replace them all just to be on the safe side. I have the sad feeling it something much worse.

[fonzie]

What model and year of trailer do you have? Are the 3 non working outlets in a slide? 120 volts outlet are on breakers, not fuses.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by budster

Thank You for your responses...

I would start by pulling all the receptacles and check for loose wires, especially the GFI outlets. The wires from this receptacle to the other outlets could be loose and the reset won't make any difference.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by budster

$2.00 in fuses won't put me in the poor house and maybe I should replace them all just to be on the safe side. I have the sad feeling it something much worse.

Fuses protect 12 volt things (lights, furnace, etc)

Circuit breakers protect 120 volt things (outlets, microwave, air-conditioner, etc)

http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformat...lectricity.asp

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by budster

The GFI protected outlet in the galley that does work does not have a reset switch however the bathroom sink outlet that also works does and I did reset that switch.

Are you sure it's a GFCI?

You may also be overlooking another GFCI outlet that controls these outlets (one in TV cabinet maybe).

[budster]

The outlet in the TV cabinet is the same as the other two non functioning outlets. No reset switch.

I do have a question. Is it possible that the three non functioning outlets are on a series not involving any other outlets or lights ? When the portable heater was plugged in and then the hairdryer was turned on it literally fried that receptacle and the only thing needing to be replaced is a new receptacle ?

If you can't tell I hate working with electricity.

[budster]

I am so sorry. I failed to mention the outlet in the bedroom next to the TV cable hook up is also non functioning and on the passenger side of the trailer in the bedroom there is an outlet close to the floor with no reset button that is fully functional.

[iowaborn]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I would start by pulling all the receptacles and check for loose wires, especially the GFI outlets. The wires from this receptacle to the other outlets could be loose and the reset won't make any difference.

X2
I hate the practice electricians use of "stabbing" the bare wires into outlets. I know it is because of labor costs, but every failed outlet I have fixed is because of a high resistance connection on a stabbed wire of daisy chained outlets.

Iowa: Not as bad as you picture it.

[fonzie]

Originally Posted by budster

The outlet in the TV cabinet is the same as the other two non functioning outlets. No reset switch.

I do have a question. Is it possible that the three non functioning outlets are on a series not involving any other outlets or lights ? When the portable heater was plugged in and then the hairdryer was turned on it literally fried that receptacle and the only thing needing to be replaced is a new receptacle ?

If you can't tell I hate working with electricity.

Yes very possible......

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by fonzie

Yes very possible......

I concur with Fonzie. Now that we know that the receptacle was indeed fried, yes, it is very possible (and highly likely) that the non-functioning outlets are all downstream of the burnt outlet on the same circuit.....thus not functioning.

[Crabbyguy]

Originally Posted by wmtire

I concur with Fonzie. Now that we know that the receptacle was indeed fried, yes, it is very possible (and highly likely) that the non-functioning outlets are all downstream of the burnt outlet on the same circuit.....thus not functioning.

I'd go with that too. Space heater and hair dryer in same outlet....not a good idea.

[campdohbrew]

Originally Posted by wmtire

I concur with Fonzie. Now that we know that the receptacle was indeed fried, yes, it is very possible (and highly likely) that the non-functioning outlets are all downstream of the burnt outlet on the same circuit.....thus not functioning.

Same here too.

[fonzie]

Disconnect shore power, replace burnt receptacle, wire correctly, hookup shore power and test receptacles....let us know.