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General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: jeffprupis on September 08, 2018, 10:33:18 PM

Title: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: jeffprupis on September 08, 2018, 10:33:18 PM
Spending 6 months in Canada has wrecked havoc on our electrical system mostly at older 30amp CGs. Latest adventure pertains to 50 amp HU with GFIC on circuit breaker at pedestal. Plug in, through breaker and GFCI trips immediately. Moved sites, same problem. Left went to another CG w/ 50amp svs - no problem. Only difference was GFCI at pedestal. (05 Beaver Monterey RS 2000 Inverter, Surgegard 40250) Any thoughts? TIA
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: Joel Ashley on September 08, 2018, 10:54:42 PM
Several years back, Ed Buker clued us in to the fact that GFCI’s come in various qualities.  There’s not much one can do but complain, move on, and author a bad park review somewhere, if a park uses antiquated or low end devices.

Joel
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: Gerald Farris on September 09, 2018, 04:08:27 AM
Jeff,
The only campground that I have ever seen with a 50 amp GFCI breaker was at a Provincial Park in Newfoundland. I was driving a 2000 Marquis at the time and it tripped the breaker immediately, but a friend that was traveling with me in a later model Beaver had no issues. Some of these coaches do not have a clean enough ground circuit to use a GFCI breaker and my Marquis was one of them. It tripped every GFCI that I ever tried to use like the 20 amp exterior plugs at the house.

Gerald   
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: jeffprupis on September 09, 2018, 06:12:11 AM
Jeff,
The only campground that I have ever seen with a 50 amp GFCI breaker was at a Provincial Park in Newfoundland. I was driving a 2000 Marquis at the time and it tripped the breaker immediately, but a friend that was traveling with me in a later model Beaver had no issues. Some of these coaches do not have a clean enough ground circuit to use a GFCI breaker and my Marquis was one of them. It tripped every GFCI that I ever tried to use like the 20 amp exterior plugs at the house.

Gerald

Yes, we were at Dildo Run PP in Twillingate, NL.
Is that the park?
I've never seen that set-up either.
Is there a fix for the ground issue?
TIA
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: Gerald Farris on September 10, 2018, 03:56:13 AM
Jeff,
Yes, that is the same park that I was at.

Since I am not sure were the cause of the problem is, I have not tried to correct the issue especially since I have only seen it at one park in 15 years as a fulltime RVer. A very interesting note is that I was traveling with 2 other Beaver owners at that time, a 2004 Thunder and a 2005 Monterey, and neither one of them had any trouble with the GFCI breakers. In fact one of them used the spot where I was tripping the GFCI without trouble and I took their dry camping spot.

Gerald   
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: Jim Nichols on September 10, 2018, 12:52:27 PM
We where with Gerald on the trip he's referring to. I had never seen a 50 amp GFIC at a campground outlet before and our 05 Monterey did not trip it.
Title: Re: 50 amp GFIC on Pedestal
Post by: jeffprupis on September 10, 2018, 11:44:05 PM
Thanks all, I've never seen that set-up either. The park ranger (while exceedingly nice) was adamant that it had NEVER been a problem before. We moved up the road to Peyton's Woods RV Park. 50amp sac, no problems. Loving NL.