GFI circuits all fail and something melts in electrical box

[JoBo]

Hi, we have a 2017 Thor ACE 30.3 and the GFI outlet in the bathroom tripped and we lost all GFI outlets. At approximately the same time my wife thought she smelt something burning but couldn't determine what or where it came from. So I reset the GFI outlet and all sub-outlets were working again, but I thought I should investigate the burning smell.

I went to the electrical connection box and although the circuits weren't name correctly, it was easy to find the circuit breaker for the GFI circuit. It had a pigtail attached to it and one lead had a component that was burnt into the plastic of the box itself. Please see attached photos.

Does anyone know what this component is and what it does? Can it be eliminated?

Thanks in advance for any insights into this problem

jim

[OldWEB]

WOW! Looks like the Marrette® has melted! Well, I am sure it is NOT an original one, as I have seen them baked and brittle, never melted, so I guess that it is a cheap knock-off.

It appears they used a wire nut and it overheated and this is the feed for the GFI circuit?

Just cut off the bad wire, you may have to stretch the one from the outside, there is usually more length behind the box and then utilize a good quality wire nut, not the Dollar Store brand.
Also, looking at your picture, if you can stretch it enough, maybe eliminate the pigtail altogether and run the wire straight into the breaker.

[Tom N3EQF]

Right; generically known as a "wire nut" as a way of connecting two conductors together. If not tight or not done correctly, arcing will occur and meltdown like you're seeing here.

Just make sure you have nice shiny conductors on both ends before making the new connection.

[JoBo]

Thanks gents,

Definitely makes sense. Never expected to find a wire nut in an electrical panel, but with RV's anything is possible.

Appreciate the quick feedback!

Thanks again!

jim