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Old 07-30-2017, 09:12 AM   #1
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Another GFCI outlet question

We have a Minilite 2506s. Last trip, connected to30 amp, the GFCI outlet stayed tripped so I installed another but still tripped. Came home and plugged into 20 amp circuit and it worked for a day. Today, no green light but all the plugs work. Used a circuit tester and all show either a hot/ ground reverse or a hot/neutral reverse. Could the GFCI have been working when wired backwards? Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-30-2017, 09:19 AM   #2
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You could plug into a revise polarity circuit and it still will work, but I don't think wired to ground as you stated, but I'm also not a elecrtrican
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Old 07-30-2017, 09:30 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RFGTLG View Post
We have a Minilite 2506s. Last trip, connected to30 amp, the GFCI outlet stayed tripped so I installed another but still tripped. Came home and plugged into 20 amp circuit and it worked for a day. Today, no green light but all the plugs work. Used a circuit tester and all show either a hot/ ground reverse or a hot/neutral reverse. Could the GFCI have been working when wired backwards? Thanks in advance.
Yes, will work with reversed polarity (Hot neutral reversed)... GFCI will only tell you there is a minor fault to ground before tripping.


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Old 07-30-2017, 10:19 AM   #4
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Hot/neutral reverse but where?

Yep, I did some checking and I misread the tester. It indicates a hot/neutral reversal. All outlets give the same reading and work. However, I cannot plug into the GFCI outlet as the holes are blocked and there is no "OK" light on the outlet.
Anyone have an idea of where the reversal occurred? I doublechecked the 30 amp cord and all wires are correct for it.
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Old 07-30-2017, 10:42 AM   #5
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Update!

So I removed the screws to the GFCI outlet so I could test the wires. With 30-amp power, I found that the WHITE wires were hot while the BLACK wires were neutral. To me, that means that the incoming wiring is reversed. Am I right and if so, how do I correct it?
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Old 07-30-2017, 10:43 AM   #6
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Guessing hot/nuetral are reversed going into the GFCI causing all the others to be reversed as well.
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Old 07-30-2017, 11:22 AM   #7
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If you check another outlet, NOT on the GFCI circuit string, do you still see the Hot-Neutral reversed condition ???

The outlet behind the refrigerator is likely a separate circuit from the GFCI string ... not hard to get to if your fridge has that outdoor access panel ... the microwave might be another but they tend to be built-in these days.

If your bathroom has an outlet with a built-in GFCI then it is likely NOT on the same circuit as the failing GFCI string, maybe another point to check.

It is doubtful but not impossible, that they hosed the wiring at the converter / circuit breaker panel. All of the white NEUTRAL wires should go to one neutral block (NOT to be confused with the 12 Volt DC neutral block OUTSIDE of the converter) and all the wires coming from the circuit breakers will be BLACK.

Of course, stay out of the converter panel if you are not comfortable working with line voltage. Safety first.
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Old 07-30-2017, 11:41 AM   #8
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I did check the refrigerator outlet and got the same thing. I went to the panel in the bedroom and the power comes in via an orange sheathed wire. There are some markings on the wire (strange symbols) and that is the one that is hot according to my tester. I am trying to find wire with that sheathing to see if it is reversed there.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:00 PM   #9
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Panel

All the white wires at the top of the image are HOT. Black are not. See image.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:07 PM   #10
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Start with where the RV is plugged in, and go down the line the cord, etc

Good Luck !!
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:21 PM   #11
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All the white wires at the top of the image are HOT. Black are not. See image.
Hey, now you know for certain that all the hots and neutrals are as they should be at the breaker / converter panel. How did that old restaurant saying go, "In sight, it must be right."

Starting to suspect that issue is somewhere between the inlet connector and the AC source ... another person on forum here actually found that his inlet connector was "pretty much NOT connected" from factory in the last few days.
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Old 07-30-2017, 12:25 PM   #12
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Yep, am going to check at the origin next.
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Old 07-30-2017, 01:40 PM   #13
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Another update...

I feel like I don't know any more than I did... The white wires in the panel were hot so I went to the source and the white there was hot but the color coding on the female receptacle had the correct wires as did the power cord. White was hot coming into the camper. Could it be that the whole thing is wired backwards? I am lost at the moment for any explanation.
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Old 07-30-2017, 02:38 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by RFGTLG View Post
I feel like I don't know any more than I did... The white wires in the panel were hot so I went to the source and the white there was hot but the color coding on the female receptacle had the correct wires as did the power cord. White was hot coming into the camper. Could it be that the whole thing is wired backwards? I am lost at the moment for any explanation.
Doesn't sound like you are lost at all, you are seeing that the White/Neutral is measuring hot to Black, and hot to ground, and that the black is probably measuring nothing to ground. Sounds reversed from the source ....
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Old 07-30-2017, 03:11 PM   #15
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I got this before I took my 2506S from the dealer. When I was helping a guy that came into the rv resort when I was on a bike trip in Idaho he had on. He had to try three spots before he got a good one. So I got one, I always plug it in before trailer gets plugged into it. https://www.amazon.com/TRC-44260-Amp...urge+protector
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Old 07-30-2017, 04:03 PM   #16
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I would check the 30/50 A cord caps to see if the if the hot is on the brass colored screws and the white is on the silver colored screws. I believe the factory twist lock for the rv end is not a molded cap. If that is ok you may need to check the male twist lock to the rv which is harder to get out
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Old 07-30-2017, 04:07 PM   #17
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When checking for "hot" at regular or gfci outlet the small blade should hot, the large blade is neutral and the semi circular one is ground. Don't get hung up on the colors just yet. They've been known to reverse the colors in the camper industry before. Is the small blade the hot?
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Old 07-30-2017, 04:36 PM   #18
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Check the source at home to make sure you are feeding it correctly.
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Old 07-30-2017, 04:37 PM   #19
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I have used this $8.00 device from Home Depot for many years. The item K7TNT shows is good also and available for 30 or 50 amp.
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Old 07-30-2017, 06:22 PM   #20
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Check the source at home to make sure you are feeding it correctly.
I checked everything from the shore power (OK) to the cord (White was hot) to the female connector (matched the cord). Every test I have done shows White as hot.
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