Inverter trips GFCI when plugged into 120VAC

[Kim Petersen]

We have had our 2004 Itasca Horizon for 4 years, love it. We just found out the circuit we use to keep the inverter plugged in trips the GFCI. It has always worked in the past, but this year has tripped at two separate locations. Of course the inverter keeps the batteries charged when plugged into the standard 4W 50VAC RV receptacle, there is no GFCI on that.
Any tips where to look, or any experience with this would be much appreciated.

[be happy]

I have read and reread your post and I am sorry I really do not understand what you are asking. Maybe its just me

Heres my take, you are plugging your coach into the 120v outlet at your house. By doing that it trips the GFCI at the house outlet. Correct? I maybe wrong but I thought the standard invertor was hardwired into the units. You make it sound like you have something you take and plug in.
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...ram/Wiring.htm

You have said it has worked in the past, so what has changed in the unit our where its plugged in. Check things like loose wire connections, battery connections, anything you might think of that has changed.

But again I am sorry I really do not understand your post maybe someone else will come on to help more than me.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Kim Petersen

We have had our 2004 Itasca Horizon for 4 years, love it. We just found out the circuit we use to keep the inverter plugged in trips the GFCI. It has always worked in the past, but this year has tripped at two separate locations. Of course the inverter keeps the batteries charged when plugged into the standard 4W 50VAC RV receptacle, there is no GFCI on that.
Any tips where to look, or any experience with this would be much appreciated.

I'm with be happy, your post makes no sense. Is the GCFI protected outlet outside or inside your MH? Did you mean "charger" instead of "inverter"?

Inverters, in themselves, don't charge batteries. They "invert" 12V DC battery power to 120V AC power and don't plug into a 120V outlet. They feed 120V into a 120V outlet. An inverter/charger will charge your batteries but is going to be hard-wired to both your batteries and 120V AC power in your MH.

There also is no such thing as a "4W 50VAC RV receptacle". Your motorhome may have a 4W 12V DC receptacle (looks like a cigarette lighter receptacle) for powering small 12V DC appliances and there are 50A AC shore power receptacles that provide two 120V "legs" of AC power.

We'd be happy to help you but you're going to describe your problem more accurately.

[Morich]

Sorry that we all seem to be confused but I'm with that group also!
I thought to look at the parts list for your RV to see exactly which inverter you have as there is often a lot of confusion between the terms, inverter, inverter charger, and converter as they are all related but different.
Inverters use DC to make AC, converters use AC to make DC and the combo does both, so how we use each may differ.

But that brought another problem as I looked at your profile and see a 38 foot listed but none of the parts list is a 38?
Possibly a start would be to check near the drivers seat for a label that gives the model of your Rv and we could start to clear some questions there?

Lots of folks happy to help but there are so many different ways to do things on the electronics that I like to start with knowing we are all speaking of the right thing!

[Kim Petersen]

I will try to unconfuse a confusing post. the gfci that trips is from the house panel on a residential neighborhood. I have plugged in using a 50 amp to 110 volt RV adapter cord so I can run the furnace in colder weather. when I am at a camp ground or at home I plug into the 50 amp RV receptacle NEMA 14-50 , every thing works like is should until I plug into the 110 v circuit
My coach is the 36 GD not 38, (My mistake)
I have turned off all the 120 volt circuit breakers, yet when I plug into the 110 volt gfci receptacle on the house, the gfci trips.

[Marine359]

GFCI receptacles wear out in time. Replace the offending gfci outlet in your home. If it still trips, there is a grounding issue somewhere in the circuit; likely somewhere in your home. What circuits does this gfci protect? Check those circuits for grounding problems, like loose wiring, moisture intrusion, even a mouse can chew through the wire insulation.

[Morich]

Right, we can see better now and what you tell us is a semi-common thing!
Much debate about the what/why and how but the general idea is that the GFCI is very sensitve and works really hard to keep us from being shocked.
That leaves it not quite agreeing with what it sees on power flowing to/from the RV , so shuts down!

This seems to be something that variesat times as you have seen. One of the things not mentioned often is that the commercial power DOES vary and it is also true that a GFCI does vary over time.

I have not followed this problem much but I feel like it works better if you can find an outlet that is not GFCI protected to plug the RV in. as you may be in a fight with "gremlins" that is hard to win as there is not real "defect" as such, just things that are maybe a bit too sensitive for what you are doing?

[Marine359]

One other thing to check.
If the gfci is on the outside of the house and it also protects other exterior outlets, and if ant of the outlets are covered: check inside all the covered outlets. At my home, oftentimes wasps will get inside the outlet cover and short the gfci circuit.

[creativepart]

Perhaps something has changed with the "dogbone" 50 amp to 110 volt RV adapter you are using and this could be the cause for the GFCI tripping and why it just started doing this.

If you have another adapter, try that one.

[Morich]

I agree that this is a grounding problem but the issue seems tobe that the RV ground is the frame and tehn possibly thought the cord to the hose. The GFCI at the house is using the house grouding as it's referecne, but that is what gets things confused, even though "ground is ground the world around", we know that is not true!

The ground at the house GFCI is going to be a bit different than the ground for the RV, just due to the extra wire and connections involved in getting ground to the RV.
It likely is not much different and for safety, it is likely good enough but the GFCI is much more critical and doesn't agree, so shuts it off and it may change with things as small as different temperature or humidity!

The ideal solution of course is to use a seperate wired in 30 or 50 amp service for the RV as they are GFCI code exempt in many cases! But that also is where money gets involved!

One of the "funnies" when we look at codes is that any outside electrical outlet has to be GFCI protected per codes---unless it's a 30 amp!
So you get into it being considered totally unsafe to use a 15 amp plug outside but if you want to plug that same tool into a 30 circuit using an adapter, it's fine !

[Kim Petersen]

yup, did that, the non-gfci receptacle feeds the bus with no problem, and the meter registers between 2 to 5 amp draw depending on furnace and or refrigerator cycling. thanks. must be something in the bus, no other load trips the gfci receptacle that I plug into it, like a drill, or shop vac, etc. my problem is a wind storm damaged my roof so I have stored the bus and the only available power is a gfci receptacle.

[Marine359]

Ground is ground and will always be the easiest path to ground. So when you plug anything into an outdoor gfci protected circuit, the gfci circuit will become ground, even if that something is the rv sp cord. Since OP knows there is no wiring problems with his coach (remember, it works everywhere else), it has to be the home gfci circuit. If your first step is to replace the outdoor gfci, and it works properly, then it was just an old gfci. If it trips again, you now know there is a problem with that circuit and it may not be the gfci out, but one of the other outlets in the circuit.

[Marine359]

Oops, sorry, simultaneous posts.
Glad you now know where the fault lies.

[Morich]

Since this is likely to be more a matter of "mismatch" than an actual safety fault, there may be a solution to consider. It will of course depend on how you feel and the local ideas?

What I might do, rather than fighting a battle which seems to be difficult for folks to solve, I might look at alternates that are somewhat easy and safe if done correctly but do take a little understanding with outlets?

Can you change out an outlet?

What if one were to change out the outlet, replacing the GFCI where you plug the RV in and using a standard outlet. That makes it not trip when used for the RV but to make it safe for outside use if you are prone to using it for power tools etc, like hedge clippers that try to cut the cord, add a portable GFCI when not using the outlet for RV but using something where you may WANT the GFCI?

https://www.google.com/search?q=port...hrome&ie=UTF-8

This is one which I have used when doing power washing where there is not a GFCI outlet installed but I don't want to be standing in and spraying water if there is a problem with the cord getting wet, etc.!!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Wa...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Moderate cost but might be much quicker/easier than trying to sort what to do about tripping!

[Kim Petersen]

yeah, I can change an outlet, been an electrician for 50+ years, this one is kicking my butt. that is why I am looking for other opinions. If it was easy, any body could do it right?

[Morich]

Originally Posted by Kim Petersen

yeah, I can change an outlet, been an electrician for 50+ years, this one is kicking my butt. that is why I am looking for other opinions. If it was easy, any body could do it right?

Okay, always nice to find a bit more about the folks who we "talk" to here!
And getting kicked around is not that odd if it is something like this that I consider more of a come and go weird idea. I worked in a mobile radio shop and chased a fair amount of the weird stuff to the point that I did get used to just going with what worked, rather than "I won! as it sometimes costs so much to fight those little things if there are ways to work around that get the job done without giving too much on safety, etc.

I've read quite a few posts about the GFCI at the house tripping and lots of high leveltheory but the best I've come up with is that it is a "mismatch" between the house GFCI grounding and the RV grounding.

One would think with the RV ground in the cord running to the outlet, it would all be the same---except it doesn't work and some have changed out the outlet and it still doesn't, so I'll leave you to decide how far to fight it.

I've not had an RV that I got into that fight!

I used to chase phantoms and think it needed but now I'm more into making it work and assuming a different problem will be along most any time!
I

[Marine359]

Thanks guys. Never seen or heard of this happening before. So, I suppose the answer is not as simple as swapping out the gfci. Let us know what works please. Would be good education for a shade tree guy like me.

[SaltLife]

Interesting. I had to chuckle a little since I just went thru this. 1st I tried plugging the MH into an outside outlet. The transfer switch kept starting and stopping till the breaker in the house kicked off. Found out I had a huge voltage drop. For some reason it was on the same circuit as my freezer in the furnace room and who knows what else, assumed it was overloading the circuit.

Tried an outlet inside the garage. Lost power instantly, it was also on the same circuit as the outside entryway outlet AND one of our bathrooms GFIs. Yup, kicked it out. No rhyme or reason to how this house is wired. Did find an outlet in the garage that worked fine. All garage outlets are on different circuits.

What I need to do is run a dedicated 50amp from the box to a post dedicated for the MH only. Shouldn't have anymore issues....��

[Bearpawl]

Originally Posted by creativepart

Perhaps something has changed with the "dogbone" 50 amp to 110 volt RV adapter you are using and this could be the cause for the GFCI tripping and why it just started doing this.

If you have another adapter, try that one.

Try plugging in the dog bone by itself to see if its tripping the gfci.
Most gfci outlets are only 15 amps is this big enough for what the demand is? It may have overheated something in thee receptacle or in the wiring. I would definitely have a professional electrician check it out and instal an outlet just for your RV

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Kim Petersen

We have had our 2004 Itasca Horizon for 4 years, love it. We just found out the circuit we use to keep the inverter plugged in trips the GFCI. It has always worked in the past, but this year has tripped at two separate locations. Of course the inverter keeps the batteries charged when plugged into the standard 4W 50VAC RV receptacle, there is no GFCI on that.
Any tips where to look, or any experience with this would be much appreciated.

Hey Kim,
We have the EXACT same coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP. We've owned it now for 11 years and we now have 101,625 miles on it! It's been a great coach has been ultra dependable for us. We've not had any problems in the shore power system such as you've been having so, this is an interesting thread to be sure. WE have a dedicated 50A RV plug inside the RV garage AND outside in the side parking. So, we have the needed juice to supply the coach for whatever it needs, whenever it does need it. I have always hesitated to plug into a 15 or 20 120V circuit due to those being weaker circuits for a potentially higher demand operation.

It will be interesting to find out what your remedy is/was.
Scott

P.S. May I ask, what your color scheme is? Ours is the Slate Gray. I almost never see another '04 36GD on here and I've been on here for what seems like an eternity.
Scott