2021 - 200MK GFCI Failure

[Wandering5thwheelers]

First off, I get my log on is wandering5thwheelers (guess I need to change that), but after losing my husband 15 months ago, I sold the 5'ver for a TT and have been, up to today, very confident in my handling of the unit and what my late husband taught me.

However, today I was baking bread in my countertop toaster oven.
The ONLY thing connected and on was the toaster oven.
I had it outside, plugged into the outside outlet.
When I went to check on the bread about 3/4 way through the baking process, I realized that the power was off.
So, into the trailer to check the circuit breakers and fuses, all fine, nothing tripped or popped.
I then check the GFCI which is located in the bathroom and saw that it had tripped...again (this is the third time this trip). I went to reset it, and when I pushed on the reset button, almost burnt my finger! Man was I scared.
Once I calmed down, I took off the cover and went so far as to unscrew and remove the GFCI plug.
The wires behind were melted (see picture) and the whole plug was smoking hot!
Now, once I calmed down, and spoke with a good friend of mine, I got mad.
My questions to Grand Design on Monday (hopefully they're open then) is why?
Why did the wires melt and almost burn?
The whole plug has melted...anywhere there is plastic.
Why didn't the circuit breaker pop? Shouldn't it have? I get that the GFCI did it's job, but the wires were melting, which could've caused a fire within my walls! I am so mad!
Of course, if my Lennie was still alive, he'd be calming me down and dealing with this as he always dealt with anything. Fix it! Man how I miss that man.
So, I will be in touch with GD a.s.a.p. as I firmly believe this is an electrical fault issue...one that I hope hasn't or doesn't cause anyone else a fire, or worse!
I know I still have warranty, as well as extended warranty. So, they better cover everything!

Has anyone else, with any GD's had an issue like this anywhere in their units?

I have never been so scared in my life.

[geotex1]

I understand you are rattled, but this is not any fault of GD. What you have experienced is quite common! Tonight is not the night for me to write a long description of why this occurs, but it does, RV and sticks and bricks alike. You can find the answers yourself with a few minutes of Googling. You will, however, need to have a proper repair, and the GFCI is an important circuit on most ever 30A. Since you bake outside, get yourself a quality, heavy gauge extension cord and use the 20A GFCI in the pedestal. Toaster ovens really should be used on 20A circuits. After all, they are just a big resistance coil.

Merry Christmas and be safe!

[Corky2]

Seems like something is not right with your electrical system. A toaster oven designed for a 15 amp circuit should should work on a 15 amp circuit without issues. If the toaster oven is faulty and drawing too much current or you had other devices drawing current on the same circuit exceeding 15 amps in total then the circuit breaker should have tripped preventing the over heating issue.

[AZ Camper]

Wandering5thwheelers: I'm so sorry for your loss of Lennie. I know many have suffered similar painful losses and it's nice to have close friends and family to provide comfort (jw.org). I would like to suggest a potential problem and solution to your electrical issue. I'm a home builder and have experienced many faulty GFCI outlets - things aren't being built like they used to. I suggest following up with GD since they often have records of similar cases. What ever info they provide can be related to a GD dealer or electrician to resolve the problem. Hope this helps. It's nice that in spite of your loss you still enjoy "camping."

[Jerryr]

First the GFCI Did it’s job.

Looking at the pictures of the wires it appears that one of the wires had a high resistance contact at the GFCI. That high resistance acted just like the heating elements in your toaster oven and heated up charing the wire insulation. That can happen at any electrical connection, not just an RV.

A call to Grand design should be able to have them authorize either a mobile RV tech or better yet request them to authorize a licensed electrician to replace the GFCI and to repair the wiring. It might be easier to get an electrician to come out vs. a RV tech.

The picture below is a 15 amp 240v breaker in my shed that did not trip but the burning smell had me investigate. That’s what I found. Like I said, it’s not just RVs.

[Wandering5thwheelers]

***UPDATE***
I took everyone’s advice and was lucky enough to find a journeyman electrician in the park I’m in. He came by today and removed the GFCI and found that the screw that held one of the wires was not “tight”…as he said, if it was any looser…
He explained it basically turned it into a “toaster element” like Corky2 suggested, and that the CB wouldn’t have popped because the CB is not for heat (think I got that right).
Anyhow, he happened to have the proper GFCI replacement in his pack of tools and replaced the faulty one.
I am eternally grateful for all the feedback, support and help that fellow RVers provide to each other…usually free of charge or “just buy me a beer” mentality!
I will still be reaching out to GD as I believe they need to be aware of inconsistent workmanship.
I know people make mistakes, but that’s why we have inspectors (at least we did in the airforce).
Thank you again for all your responses, I am grateful beyond means!
Mind is now at ease.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[Redapple63]

Do glad you got this taken care of!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[Jerryr]

Great you were able to take care of it quickly and professionally. It has to be a big stress relief. Now it’s time to have a glass of wine and relax.

[Corky2]

***UPDATE***
I took everyone’s advice and was lucky enough to find a journeyman electrician in the park I’m in. He came by today and removed the GFCI and found that the screw that held one of the wires was not “tight”…as he said, if it was any looser…
He explained it basically turned it into a “toaster element” like Corky2 suggested, and that the CB wouldn’t have popped because the CB is not for heat (think I got that right).
Anyhow, he happened to have the proper GFCI replacement in his pack of tools and replaced the faulty one.
I am eternally grateful for all the feedback, support and help that fellow RVers provide to each other…usually free of charge or “just buy me a beer” mentality!
I will still be reaching out to GD as I believe they need to be aware of inconsistent workmanship.
I know people make mistakes, but that’s why we have inspectors (at least we did in the airforce).
Thank you again for all your responses, I am grateful beyond means!
Mind is now at ease.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Glad to hear it's been fixed but it was Jerryr that posted about the high resistance wire being the culprit and he was correct.

[IBEW Sparky]

@Wandering5thwheelers

Sorry for your loss of your Lennie and also glad to see that you have continued doing what you both loved... RVing. Glad the others on here got you straightened out with the GFCI receptacle and you're good to go. As soon as I looked at the receptacle picture I thought "bad wire connection" .... it happens more than you would think especially with stab-in back wired devices.
We also do a lot of outside cooking with either a crockpot, a griddle, or a large George Foreman grill. With our previous TT we would just run a 12awg extension cord from the campsite electric pedestal but in our 5th wheel I reworked some of the breaker circuits and added a 20A GFCI receptacle out front right where we always set up a folding table. Now it's one less cord to roll out and later put back away.