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  1. #1
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    Fridge blows GFCI with no battery

    Sorry in advance if this topic has been covered; I was unable to find a related thread.

    My home GFCI outlet trips when the Furnace/Fridge breaker is flipped in the camper. This only happens when there is no battery connected and only shore power is connected. The fuse in the RV does not trip nor does the home breaker box; only the GCFI outlet. If I connect the battery everything operates as normal.

    Is this normal for this to happen?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Commercial Member huntr70's Avatar
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    Probably a surge from a high draw from the converter, as it thinks your battery is dead when there is no voltage detected.

    It's pulling a big load to try to charge the battery.
    Steve- Inventory Manager at Tom Schaeffer's RV, Shoemakersville, PA www.tomschaeffers.com
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    2011 RAM 3500 SRW Outdoorsman Edition 4X4, 6.7 Cummins--TWEAKED!
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  3. #3
    Site Sponsor
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daduck99 View Post
    Sorry in advance if this topic has been covered; I was unable to find a related thread.

    My home GFCI outlet trips when the Furnace/Fridge breaker is flipped in the camper. This only happens when there is no battery connected and only shore power is connected. The fuse in the RV does not trip nor does the home breaker box; only the GCFI outlet. If I connect the battery everything operates as normal.

    Is this normal for this to happen?

    Thanks
    Not normal. What kind of refrigerator? Does your rig have a generator or solar?

    Compressor refrigerators aren’t very compatible with GFCIs.
    John & Kathy
    2014 F250 Lariat FX4 6.2L SBCC
    2014 Reflection 303RLS
    SW Indiana

  4. #4
    Setting Up Camp
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    No solar, no generator. The fridge is the standard Dometic 3 way that came with 2019 Imagine XLS. Sort of makes sense about the large power draw of trying to charge non-existent battery.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daduck99 View Post
    No solar, no generator. The fridge is the standard Dometic 3 way that came with 2019 Imagine XLS. Sort of makes sense about the large power draw of trying to charge non-existent battery.
    A GFCI only trips on current mismatch, not overload or surge. For the GFCI to trip, the current in the hot has to be different from the current in the neutral. That means power is going somewhere it shouldn’t.

    Without a battery, your convertor won’t draw much current unless there is something using a lot of 12V power in the trailer anyway. The refrigerator, which is just two-way BTW, only draws a couple of amps from the 12V system, so even if that’s on the converter would draw less than an amp from the shore power.

    Your furnace is a 12V appliance and I don’t understand why a breaker would be labelled “furnace”. It uses no 120V power. Propane and battery only.

    The next thing I’d try is to turn the battery disconnect switch to off and see how or if the behavior changes, both with and without the battery connected. Then I’d unplug the refrigerator from its outlet and see what happens in same way. After that, you’ll probably have to figure out what else is on that breaker in the trailer.
    John & Kathy
    2014 F250 Lariat FX4 6.2L SBCC
    2014 Reflection 303RLS
    SW Indiana

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper ForBruce's Avatar
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    any motor , compressor and or vacuum cleaners must not be connected to GFI...
    2022 Solitude 378mbs-r with 3rd air and solar package, Flux Capacitor pending, Removed Nautilus and replaced with the Bruce Select-A-Matic

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