Electrical question

bianda620

So this happened:  Hot and muggy, AC on continuously for day and a half. All systems Go, no problems.  I had already used my nuWave cooktop and electric teapot once before.  Plugged the teapot in again to heat up water and everything went off.  Panic ensued.  I turned everything off inside, went outside, flipped the switch and went back inside.  I hit the reset button on the GFCI and the then turned the AC on.  It worked.  (Whew!).  However, none of the convenience outlets worked for the rest of the weekend and the fantastic fan would not work either.  I was told that it was probably due to the campgrounds overload from all of the behemoth campers also drawing on the electric for their ACs and whatnots.  Anyway.  I have another trip scheduled in 3 weeks.  I have propane and a regular camping lantern, so I have options, but I want things to work.  Do I need to replace the GFCI?  And on that note:  is the light on the GFCI supposed to be red? And those of you fabulous folks out there who have the answer (because I know you do), please break it down to a very elementary level for me.  Please have mercy!
Thanks in advance.
Donna G

Sharon_is_SAM

There is not much you can do if the campground supply can’t keep up with demand.  If you are in a low power condition, it can damage your A/C.  Hopefully you are using an Electric Management System as part of your surge protector that will identity the low voltage and turn off your power to prevent damage.  

Have you checked your circuits since leaving the campground?  Make sure the GFI is reset.  Check the breakers to make sure none have tripped.  Check your 12 V fuses - one should be marked for the fan.  

MuttonChops

bianda620 said:
. . . hit the reset button on the GFCI and the then turned the AC on.  It worked.
However, none of the convenience outlets worked for the rest of the weekend
and the fantastic fan would not work either.

[1]  The AC unit and the and 120VAC (GFCI) outlets are on different Circuit Breakers.
   My guess is your 120VAC outlets breaker tripped or you have not reset the GFCI.
   Have read posts that it takes a lot of force to get the GFCI button in to cause a reset.
   The door of the Power Center should have a sticker (like picture below) showing the breaker assignments.

[2]  Fantastic Fan is 12VDC.  It has two fuses and two power on/off switches.

      First confirm your 12VDC is working - - - do any of the lights work? Assume, yes;
      then check Power Center DC Fuses.  A Red LED will light next to any blown fuse.
      Assume, no LEDs so all OK, then check second fuse in the FFan itself.
          There is a screw cap fuse holder near the speed selector switch, fuse OK?  Assume yes,
      then is the FFan selector in a 1-2-3 position?  Is the FFan Cover open.
          There is a switch in the cover assembly to turn off power when the lid is not open wide enough.

Now if your cabin lights do not work, your FFan does not work, and no 12VDC fuses are blown; the Power Center convertor might have been damaged which is a different discussion.

You can test the above items/steps with the T@B on 120VAC 20A power at your house, you don't need a 30A power source for the testing - - - just don't try to run AC and Tea Pot at same time.

ScottG

+1 what MuttonCops said.

I'll add (because it may not be obvious) that all of the convenience outlets are linked to the one with the GFCI buttons. If that one is tripped, none of the other outlets will work either.

Sharon_is_SAM

Is this 320 or 400?

falcon1970

@bianda620
There should be NO lights showing on the GFCI when it is functioning normally.  There WILL be a light when it is tripped--mine in the house are yellow but I suppose different manufacturers may use a red light.  The reset button does take a bit of a strong push to to activate.  And it is a long "throw."  that means that you have to push it in a rather long way to reset the breaker.  You will hear a click and the light will extinguish when you have successfully reset the breaker.
BTW, a GFCI outlet not only protects that particular outlet but also all outlets wired downstream from it.  For that reason GFCI's are normally the first outlet on a wiring run.  A GFCI at the end of a run would protect only that outlet.  If one or more of the outlets in your TAB (or TAG, I guess) seems dead check for a tripped GFCI somewhere.

ChanW

What @falcon1970 said.

Also, on the GFCI, be sure you're pressing the 'Reset' button, and not the 'Test' button. The Test button simply throws the GFCI. The Reset button resets it...

4ncar

Ditto to falcon & Chan. Also, the air conditioner is on a separate electrical circuit that of the gfci, with its own overload breaker. It’s located on the wall plug of the air conditioner.

ScottG

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Is this 320 or 400?

320 per signature line, though I would expect the 400 is wired the same way.

Marceline

ScottG said:

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Is this 320 or 400?

320 per signature line, though I would expect the 400 is wired the same way.

I hope that everyone is aware that signature lines don’t appear in the mobile version of this forum. 

ScottG

Yep, I'm aware of that. With so many mobile devices in use, it's worth reminding members that for questions that might be model specific, it's a good idea to state your version specifically, even if you have it in your signature line.

davel4wa

It's  not that uncommon for campgrounds, particularly older ones, to suffer brownouts during heavy A/C use. The problem could even extend outside of the campground to the utility provider. It is important to not expose the A/C compressor to very low voltage as it can increase the internal motor current to a damaging level. The compressor should have protective devices built in but why take a chance?
Why not just turn the A/C off for a short time while you use other devices. I believe some of the AC protective devices have a readout of the voltage on them. In any case the WFCO converters have LED indicators to signal high or low AC inputs.