Good morning, Dave,
I installed the Progressive Dynamics converter 24 hours ago. The GFI [aka GFCI, ground fault circuit interrupter] in the house was tripped, so once I had everything ready I went in and pushed the reset. (The only 110 draw in the trailer would have been the converter.) It immediately popped! I waited a minute and reset it again. This time it held.
With the WFCO converter and the furnace running you could hear and see a fluctuating voltage. Not now. It’s running smoothly. However, the GFI still trips if we try to run a coffee maker or fireplace. Smaller draws like phone chargers and my CPAP are no problem.
Thanks for your guidance on this issue. I wish I could avoid this GFI supply, but don’t have any options where we are now parked.
A year ago, the GFI in our inverter would trip. The tech for the manufacturer told me to open it up and snip a green wire… which I did.😊 —Wayne, 2009 Cedar Creek
Hi, Wayne,
Thanks for the follow-up. I’m glad the Progressive Dynamics converter works. Here is the original post, if any of our readers would like to look at that.
You did not indicate in your earlier correspondence that the GFCI was tripping, so let’s take a look at that.
Tripped circuit breaker at home
I have had a similar situation in my home and a motorhome that is in storage at my office. We purchased a twin home in a fairly new subdivision and after a few weeks, the toaster stopped working. I checked the outlet with my non-contact voltage tester and it was dead. There was no GFCI reset button, so I went out and checked the circuit breaker and it was tripped. I reset it and everything was good for a week or so, then the coffee maker did not work—and that was bad news.
Sure enough, the circuit breaker was tripped again. I verified that nothing else was plugged in and running, then waited—it did it again. I called the electrician that had wired the house and he came and stated that it was those “stupid” GFCI circuit breakers that were now code. He stated they were too sensitive for some of the appliances that “leak” a small amount of voltage back through the neutral, and it only takes .05 of a millivolt to trip it. So he swapped it out with a regular circuit breaker, stating that during inspection they are required to put in the GFCI. However, the code does not apply to service work after the fact. No more problems!
Tripped circuit breaker in Winnebago Vista
Then we had the Winnebago Vista in the storage shed behind my office doing the same thing with a 50-amp version. My post on that is here.
This unit had a set of NAPA batteries that were completely sulfated. They would trigger the converter to go into bulk charge stage at 13.6 volts and drop to 13.2 volts often. That also fed voltage back to the GFCI from the converter. We put in a new set of Renogy 200 Ah AGM batteries, and it solved the problem.
Evidently, with your situation, the new converter runs much more efficiently with little voltage leak, except for some from the fireplace and coffee maker. I believe it was Dennis from Progressive Dynamics that stated many of the appliances in an RV do not run as efficiently as the newer residential appliances, and this can cause a problem with the GFCI. Since campgrounds are outside, the code does not apply to them, so we don’t see it as often.
Workarounds for appliances
I don’t know if there is much you can do about the fireplace. However, running a dedicated extension cord from an outside 20-amp outlet might help with the coffee maker. I would not suggest cutting the green wire, though, unless Mike Sokol told me to!
As for the coffee maker and fireplace, I contacted Mike Sokol, who is the expert when it comes to electrical issues. He stated that there is nothing you can do for those components as they “leak” too much voltage. He also stated that he wrote a “white paper” regarding GFCI circuit breakers and had the National Code changed so that they were not required for this exact reason. However, local inspectors interpret whatever they want and did not change it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help you with the fireplace or coffee maker.
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I am not sure if my two house batteries are being charged. My RV is connected to shore power. I am only getting about 10 volts out of them when checked with a meter. They are connected in parallel. My motorhome has a Xantrex Pro 1000 Inverter and a Schumacher Mighty-Mite RVCDP Converter. …
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I had a problem with a GFCI receptacle for my gas dryer kicking off every so often I couldn’t figure it out, then had an electrician check it and he couldn’t figure it out. I just use a receptacle by the washer. Installed a motion detector light switch and couldn’t get it to work. Called the company and their engineer provided a different model to use. Installed it and still working. Engineer said there are sometimes issues with grounds in older homes.
RV manufacturers need to have their feet held to the fire about those junk WFCO converters. There is no reason, other than pathetic greed, they can’t install a decent converter in the current over priced cracker boxes they are shoving out the door. College boys, and girls, engineers should be able to figure out how to build a coach that actually works.
I don’t know that I would call this “pathetic greed”. I would call it cutting corners to keep the price down (at the expense of the buyer, of course).
While I understand the issue with an “overly sensitive” GFCI, doesn’t removing that safety feature completely expose one to danger? I haven’t read the code for some time, but GFCI protection must still be required within so-many-feet (IIRC it was 6′) of a water source, such as in bathrooms and kitchens. So if an electrician removes a GFCI breaker that services that area of a kitchen, replacing it with a regular breaker, and there is no GFCI outlet, then isn’t that a code violation?
My mh had a problem whenever it was plugged into a gfci circuit it would pop the gfci. I traced it to the inverter. I made sure it wasn’t grounded and never a problem since. The inverter establishes an artificial ground. You should be able to stand in water and grab 1 wire without getting a shock. never had a problem when plugged into a 30 amp rv outlet.
I would say it was absolutely not true that the Code doesn’t apply to repairs/service calls, or outside in a campground. The Code requirements are safety issues, and if you are not in compliance, particularly if not in compliance deliberately and knowingly, your insurance may refuse to cover you in case of fire or accident. However, I was recently involved in a legal case where the defendant’s attorney argued exactly that and the judge seemed to agree since the existing building code and maintenance codes don’t specifically reference every requirement of the basic code.
Thank you, Dave, for the description of the solution. Have a great day and safe travels!