I Shorted Out The Electrical System On My Travel Trailer, HELP!!!

I shorted out the exterior plug in on my 1998 Wilderness Travel Trailer with a bad cord. This also shorted out my GFCI plugs 2 of them in the kitchen; they must be on same circuit. No breaker or fuse is blown in fuse box.

What can be done to fix or how to reset these plugs? Oh, the outside plug does not work since the incident. Am I missing a fuse box somewhere, bought this camper used no manual.

ANSWER: Greetings thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

The first step you need to take is resetting your GFCI Receptacles. A GFCI outlet has two buttons on it one is a test button and the other is a reset button. You need to press the reset button on both of these outlets. The electric outlet on the exterior of the RV may be wired into one of these GFCI circuits and that is why it is not working.

From your description, I am not sure if all of the 120 volt electricity in your Travel Trailer is not working. If all of the electricity in your travel trailer is not working then you should check the circuit breaker for the circuit you have your Travel Trailer plugged into. If you were plugged in at a campground you would check the circuit breaker at the electric box, you have your travel trailer plugged into. If you were plugged into your home electric you would have to check your house circuit breaker.

If you still have some 120 volt electric working in the trailer, you do not have to worry about the step I outlined above. I am assuming that when you say you checked the fuses and breakers that you were talking about the fuses and breakers located in your travel trailers electrical compartment that is located in one of the exterior storage compartments of your trailer. I need you to go back to that compartment and manually turn all of the circuit breakers off and then on again and then go press the reset buttons on your GFCI outlets again. See if this procedure has solved the problem.

You say that you blew out both GFCI Receptacles and you assume that they were both on the same circuit. Standard use of GFCI outlets is to never have 2 GFCI outlets hooked up in series on the same circuit as they can interact with each other and cause them to trip more often. So I am going to assume that each one of the GFCI outlets in your kitchen are protecting their own individual circuits.

If the above procedures do not work then it is time to call in an expert to diagnose and repair your electrical problem. Below is a list of possible problems they may find.

1. They may find some burnt or shorted wiring.

2. The GFCI outlets may have been damaged and need to be replaced.

3. If you are getting no 120 Volt power in the trailer at all the Trailer's Electrical Converter could have been damaged.

This is the best I can do without being there to actually see what is going on with your trailer. I wish you the best of luck.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

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