We just started full timing while waiting for my retirement date at the end of March. We are living in our 1990 36' Airex in a friend's pasture. Everything was going well until a few days ago when the furnace stopped working. I started the generator and plugged in a small electric heater to get through the night and found and fixed the furnace problem the next afternoon. The problem occurred after we shut down the generator. That evening I started the gen to run the microwave and it started right up. However there was no power to any thing in the coach. I got the multimeter out and tested at the breaker box and there is power there. I decided to replace the gcfi outlet in the bathroom, since it would not test or reset. After doing that the gcfi outlet is live but nothing else in the coach has power. I am stumped. I thought perhaps everything ran through that gcfi outlet and if it was bad nothing would have power. I do not know where to look next. Any help would be appreciated.
rv-vagabond said
02:37 PM Jan 4, 2014
Sounds like you may have a switching solenoid somewhere that may be stuck.
Lonney Wade said
02:52 PM Jan 4, 2014
If you have 50 amp breaker box there will be (2) 120 volt polls on the breaker box, right and left, are they both hot? with the multimeter check if you have (120 volts) on both polls, if they are hot you will have to follow the hot wires till they go dead, (0 volts) make sure all the incoming wires are tight on the breaker box, remember it will bite you be careful, you can do this!!!
Lonney
tobyjack said
12:24 PM Jan 7, 2014
I found, after replacing the gcfi and breakers that there are two breakers on the generator itself and one of them was tripped. When I reset it, it trips one of the 20 amp breakers and the gcfi outlet. If I reset either of those, it trips the breaker on the generator.
Lucky Mike said
12:41 PM Jan 7, 2014
you either have a short between the breaker and GFI or the gfi is wired incorrect.....judging from what you posted the gfi is wired incorrect or one of the string outlets or lines in that GFI circuit is shorted to ground.
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 7th of January 2014 12:42:37 PM
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 7th of January 2014 12:43:34 PM
Lonney Wade said
12:55 PM Jan 7, 2014
Is it the same 20 amp breaker every time that trips, if so you may have a dead short, the gcfi outlet is on the same breaker. You will have to look around to see for a loose wire, anyway you look at it, you have a short, could also be two wires touching together, just let me know I'm very good at troubleshooting that's one of the things I do for a living. Remember black is hot and white is neutral and green is ground.
Lonney
Lucky Mike said
01:01 PM Jan 7, 2014
Check your Gfi wiring.....and check the ouside outlet......they are on the same circuit........
tobyjack said
04:55 PM Jan 13, 2014
It turns out that the gcfi in the bathroom and the outside outlet were both bad. After replacing both of them I was told that there are two breakers on the generator itself and that they should be pulled towards me. That was wrong, since when I pulled them towards me they caused the gcfi to reset. I pushed them both away from me and everything now works. I should know by now not to listen to everything everybody says. Thanks to all who responded.
We just started full timing while waiting for my retirement date at the end of March. We are living in our 1990 36' Airex in a friend's pasture. Everything was going well until a few days ago when the furnace stopped working. I started the generator and plugged in a small electric heater to get through the night and found and fixed the furnace problem the next afternoon. The problem occurred after we shut down the generator. That evening I started the gen to run the microwave and it started right up. However there was no power to any thing in the coach. I got the multimeter out and tested at the breaker box and there is power there. I decided to replace the gcfi outlet in the bathroom, since it would not test or reset. After doing that the gcfi outlet is live but nothing else in the coach has power. I am stumped. I thought perhaps everything ran through that gcfi outlet and if it was bad nothing would have power. I do not know where to look next. Any help would be appreciated.
If you have 50 amp breaker box there will be (2) 120 volt polls on the breaker box, right and left, are they both hot? with the multimeter check if you have (120 volts) on both polls, if they are hot you will have to follow the hot wires till they go dead, (0 volts) make sure all the incoming wires are tight on the breaker box, remember it will bite you be careful, you can do this!!!
Lonney
I found, after replacing the gcfi and breakers that there are two breakers on the generator itself and one of them was tripped. When I reset it, it trips one of the 20 amp breakers and the gcfi outlet. If I reset either of those, it trips the breaker on the generator.
you either have a short between the breaker and GFI or the gfi is wired incorrect.....judging from what you posted the gfi is wired incorrect or one of the string outlets or lines in that GFI circuit is shorted to ground.
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 7th of January 2014 12:42:37 PM
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 7th of January 2014 12:43:34 PM
Is it the same 20 amp breaker every time that trips, if so you may have a dead short, the gcfi outlet is on the same breaker.
You will have to look around to see for a loose wire, anyway you look at it, you have a short, could also be two wires touching together, just let me know I'm very good at troubleshooting that's one of the things I do for a living.
Remember black is hot and white is neutral and green is ground.
Lonney
It turns out that the gcfi in the bathroom and the outside outlet were both bad. After replacing both of them I was told that there are two breakers on the generator itself and that they should be pulled towards me. That was wrong, since when I pulled them towards me they caused the gcfi to reset. I pushed them both away from me and everything now works. I should know by now not to listen to everything everybody says. Thanks to all who responded.