Thor Forums

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Lefty02

Had the exact same issue with a new 2017 Freedom Elite 30FE. Found the ground and neutral was shorted when I checked the end of the cord with a DMM. Took it back to Camping World and their “Master Electrician” told me to stick to what I was good at because there is no problem as this is a false indication. I told him I was a 30+ year aircraft electrician and electricity is electricity. Basically, a GFCI is verifying the same-ish current is returning to the outlet as what left it. If not, then it went somewhere else; to ground in my case. It trips to prevent shock/electrocution. If I were touching a surface attached to the RV ground and another metal surface, then I would become the conduit.

I had Thor send the wiring diagrams for the coach. I checked the outlets until I found one that was shorted between return and ground. Then I used the diagrams to figure out which circuit it was in. I disconnected the wires leaving the first outlet in the circuit on the way to the second. If the short was still present then I knew it was between the outlet and the breaker panel ground/neutral busses. If it wasn’t there then I reconnected the wires and went to the second outlet and did the same until I isolated the short between two outlets. The wiring between the outlets ran under the fridge. I found a house siding screw drove through the wiring behind the drawer under the fridge. Pulled the wire off the screw and viola, no more short.

Good info. It has to always feel good to find and resolve a problem like that. Not many people around that understand to appreciate.

I have a question. What if you have GFCI tripping and you have verified no short to ground on neutral or hot? When I expanded my driveway for new RV, the Rolling Gate Installer hit a UF-B underground wire that ran to a outdoor receptacle in backyard and my storage shed. In my infinite wisdom, I told them to leave it because I wanted to add a new receptacle close to where the RV would be. Initially (about a week) it worked great and then it started to trip. My new receptacle I added has GFCI; but before there was no GFCI on the circuit. IMO it should have a GFCI because we have pool in backyard. But now; no matter what I do when I connect the hot wire (black) that runs from the storage shed to location of old receptacle it trips my new GFCI breaker next to RV. It is as if something is wrong with the hot wire? It has me stumped. I even put new receptacles in storage shed and the original old receptacle in backyard. I can connect the Neutral & Ground wires to receptacle and nothing happens, but as soon as the black wire touches receptacle the GFCI by RV trips.