GFCI circuits inoperative on inverter

[Steve-W]

Jim,
Regarding wiring prints, maybe. If you contact your warranty rep (via email is best) they may provide you with the wiring prints. I have had luck getting some structural and plumbing prints that way from FR.

Check to see if on shore power when you turn off the breaker for the GFI outlets if they all are on the same circuit. Also if the ones that are live on the inverter are on a different breaker but all on the same breaker. I suspect that you have two breakers for your oulets one on each side of the 2 phase incomming AC. That being the case again I suspect only 1 of the 2 breakers will be hot on the inverter.

If you can post a picture of your circuit breaker panel with the ratings of each breaker visible as well as the legend for each breaker ( ac, converter, water heater, etc) I should be able to tell you what loads are on each side of the incoming 50 amp AC line. The model number of the panel would help as well.

[CHICKDOE]

please disregard everything I have said. you are getting power out of the converter when on battery. yet you say the gfci circuit doesn't have power from the inverter. there is only one hardwired cable carrying a/c power out of the inverter. so it must be supplying those receptacles you stated are working. these working receptacles will only have one power feed to them and we know it must be coming from the inverter. yet having all those receptacles plus the non-working gfci receptacles all on one circuit being fed by the inverter seems to be too much. It was mentioned in other posts about possibly having a 2nd distribution panel and transfer switches to distribute the inverter power. but this seems unusual. I just don't know and it would be wrong to speculate any further. I really hope you get this figured out and let us know as this is quite a learning experience.

[McCormickJim]

Steve-w, thanks for the support. I'll post a picture of the breaker box. Probably Saturday.

Regarding contacting FR by e-mail, their contact e-mail is non-operational. Has been for three days.

Forest River RV Contact Us - Forest River, Inc.

I've reported this by phone to FR, who transferred me to "Nicholas" answering machine, but "Nicholas" never returns phone calls. I've had to go around "Nicholas" before. Will probably have to do the same again.

If you have an alternate e-mail contact for FR that would be appreciated.

[Steve-W]

Did you try:

Bryan Knight
Phone: (574) 206-7611
Email: bknight@forestriverinc.com

[McCormickJim]

steve-w, thanks for the contact. I'll write to Bryan.

[Steve-W]

Good luck.
If you were near me we would solve this in a heartbeat over pizza & a six pack.

I spent way too many years troubleshooting electrical issues far more complex than any RV.

[McCormickJim]

First, I want to thank everyone for the head-scratching and problem solving efforts. To solve an electrical problem can be difficult enough, but when doing it remotely with limited, and in some cases incorrect information from the person with the problem, it can be a frustrating and maybe impossible task.

I provided a little incorrect information (Converter vs. inverter) and the technician doing the PDI somehow got incorrect readings during his test.

It turns out the dealer (service manager) was correct. The GFCI is not supported by the inverter (no coffee in the kitchen off the inverter).

It took 3 days for FR to get back with me and 5 minutes on the phone to go over the issue and verify the design:

* The GFCI circuit is powered from the main AC distribution box, same as the inverter. It is not powered by the AC-out on the inverter. No shore/generator power equals no power

Although I'm disappointed that I have to crawl under the dinette to plug in the coffee pot, or run the generator for 5 minutes, I still love the GT5.

And, it was the incorrect readout on the tech's receptacle tester and not a problem with the coach or FR. FR sent me a picture of the main distribution panel (attached) which clearly shows the GFCI and Inverter powered from the main distribution panel.

Thanks again for all your input. It's really nice consulting with you. Hope we meet up somewhere along the way.

Jim

[McCormickJim]

31L5 is on the third page.

[Steve-W]

Glad you were able to get to the bottom of this. The distribution panel wiring layout is what I expected it to be.

[wrapperman]

Thanks for the update Jim.
I too wanted more inverter power to operate more plugs, so I added any extra inverter and put it in line with a different circuit branch. Not too difficult. I bought a new inverter from someone that didn't need it and a transfer switch on line. About $200 total.

[dolfan1981]

I have the same GT5 motorhome, a Georgetown 31L5. Thanks to this thread I now know why there I have no power to GFCI outlets when on batteries. It was frustrating for sure since while driving down the road having AC power in the kitchen counter top area to run the coffee pot and toaster. Yes, I could have started the generator to get power there but not what I wanted while driving and when on batteries while dry camping.

What I have found is the GFCI plug on the Xantrex Freedom Xi inverter still works. I had to press the GFCI reset button on the inverter first. I have a three prong extension cord plugged into it and with a hole I made in the bottom of the cabinet I can now just pull the plug end of the extension cord up and plug in whatever I need while on batteries. When I don't need it I just push the cord back into the hole.

It was a little hard because of how close the inverter is to the wall but be patient and use a good flashlight to see which way the outlet plugs go.