Outside 120 V dead

[Garypowell]

For the first time today I tried to use an outside plug and I could not find power anywhere. The awning, side, basement, and UDC plugs all dead. Most of them are marked they are GFI. The only GFI plug I can find is in the bathroom and it is working as we'll as every other GFI plug inside the coach. The fuse panel shows only 1 GFI circuit......

my questions are:

1. Is there another GFI plug that I cannot find?

2. Where is the most likely point of disconnect if the bathroom GFI is the only one.

I know from tearing the basement apart for the dishwasher project there are three wires into the basement plug and maybe I pulled enough to disconnect the feed inside the plug.

Sorry. 2013. 3010RE

thanks

Gary

 

[jbeletti]

Hi Gary,

My guess is the trouble is with or at/behind the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. Even though the receptacle tests and resets fine, there's a chance the pass-through to other receptacles on the branch is not working. Or maybe even a physical/electrical discontinuity behind the outlet. I'd shut off the breaker that feeds that outlet, then pull the outlet off the wall to do a visual inspection. If all looks well, just to test, you may want to leave the receptacle out and wire-nut the incoming power feed to the rest of the branch circuit that also connects there. If power is restored to your outside receptacles, then it's likely an issue with that GFCI receptacle.

Best of luck and be safe.

 

[Garypowell]

Jim,

thanks I'll start there. I hope there are three wires behind the plug as the inside is OK. Might have time tonight but we are seeing customers in Tuscaloosa today. Pulling over to Frog Hollow in MS tomorrow so might have more time in PM. My next try will be the basement plug as I could have pulled something loose when I had the basement apart. But I'll track it down.

Gary

 

[TeJay]

Gary,
With many, many years involved with electrical and mechanical troubleshooting a good lesson to remember is to always go back to the last work/repairs that were completed and many times you'll find at least a beginning to the problem that may have been created as a result of the work. It seems you've already learned that lesson. My problem is sometimes I forget to ask if any work has been done lately. Another issue that I've discovered. "Well I just replaced the "...part..." so that can't be the problem. Never assume that something new is OK. When my students attended the Ford/AAA troubleshooting contest when they would ask for a replacement part they would sometimes give them another bad part on purpose. That was fun and it did get many contestants.
TeJay

 

[mobilcastle]

Gary,
My unit has a switch located at the interior control panel to turn the outlet on or off which is located under the awning.

 

[Garypowell]

Well.....the outside 120 V is working now. Many times when I fix something Linda will ask, "how'd you fix it?". About 90% of the time I respond "I took it apart and cleaned it and now it works"

I went into the bathroom GFI as suggested and only one set of wires in and out. Both were HOT and seemed fine. Then went into the basement wall (with out checking the outlets first....dumb) and once I had the wall moved out I tried the outlet in the basement. And it worked! All of the rest of the outside outlets worked too. Even the awning outlet when the switch is turned on.

Crazy.....not sure where the magic was. And certainly I don't like these kinds of fixes. I would have rather found something......

I appreciate the suggestions.

Gary

 

[wdk450]

Well.....the outside 120 V is working now. Many times when I fix something Linda will ask, "how'd you fix it?". About 90% of the time I respond "I took it apart and cleaned it and now it works"

I went into the bathroom GFI as suggested and only one set of wires in and out. Both were HOT and seemed fine. Then went into the basement wall (with out checking the outlets first....dumb) and once I had the wall moved out I tried the outlet in the basement. And it worked! All of the rest of the outside outlets worked too. Even the awning outlet when the switch is turned on.

Crazy.....not sure where the magic was. And certainly I don't like these kinds of fixes. I would have rather found something......

I appreciate the suggestions.

Gary

Gary:
I think that the GFI outlet in the bathroom uses the same (lame) wire connection method as the rest of the outlets in the trailer - Insulation Displacement Connectors (NOT screws on stripped wire ends). Think Scotchloks auto wiring connectors. These V shaped metal slot connectors that the wire insulated conductors are stuffed into (the V cuts the insulation open at 1 small point and makes contact with the conductor) make notoriously bad connections (especially under high current loads) that can go open with road vibration, and make good contact again with a slight movement of the outlet/wires.

I had a bad outlet in my living room where I plugged my electric heater into. I was clued to the bad outlet wiring connections by noticing the pilot light on my electric heater flickering when I ran it. It didn't flicker when plugged into another outlet. In the best of all worlds replace the GFI outlet with one that uses screws for wire connections. Do the same for all the other outlets in the trailer if you are so inclined, or at least take a flat blade screwdriver and push the connecting wires FIRMLY down into the outlet metal IDC V groove.