Warning about wiring connections

[Dayle1]

Woke up this morning with the bedroom electric heater off. No power since the GFI for the front of the trailer had tripped. Disconnected the heater and the GFI still tripped. So I got a replacement GFI and when I removed the factory unit, it was badly burned on one of the hot leads. Even the wire insulation was melted and the lauan paneling was slightly scorched.

The trailer is 4 yrs old and the heater was minimally cycling on the low setting (600W) since last night was the warmest in the past 10 nights. Most likely the screw terminal had loosened up from repeated flexing from plugging and unplugging items since the RV walls flex more than a S & B house. Anyway, increased resistance from the loose connection caused too much local heating that melted the plastic case and the insulation.

So, one warning is that if you are capable, all outlets should be checked for loose terminal screws and any evidence of overheating, especially those that are used frequently. In addition, the GFI outlets may be a greater risk. The design and depth of the extended box puts the screws right at the level of the lauan, so overheating can easily start a fire.

Installing the replacement GFI revealed a second issue. The factory GFI was wired backwards and in spite of this, the GFI still appeared to work normally. Meaning the 'test' and 'reset' buttons worked. However, the name brand unit only worked once the wiring error was identified and corrected. In this case, the 'test' and 'reset' buttons did nothing even with power applied. The danger with the GFI being wired backwards is that all outlets downstream from the bathroom outlet were NOT protected, meaning the two bedroom outlets, one in the storage bay and the exterior outlet.

[mark5w]

Sorry to hear about this potentially tragic findings. You were very lucky it did not turn into a fire. Someone was watching over you.

All members should heed this warning.

[Lloyd]

I will be checking mine this spring.
I have been planning to run a new #12 for a dedicated rcpt. in the back of the trailer. Primary use will be an electric heater.

[Tim D]

Good thing to check from time to time. Good thing you avoided a major incident. You could also run an a minimum 14 gauge, 12 would be better, extension cord thru the slide to the pedestal for a dedicated 110 just for the heater.

[Dayle1]

Originally Posted by Tim D

Good thing to check from time to time. Good thing you avoided a major incident. You could also run an a minimum 14 gauge, 12 would be better, extension cord thru the slide to the pedestal for a dedicated 110 just for the heater.

Actually, with a spare breaker I've been wanting to run a dedicated outlet from the factory panel. But for the heater in the living room since it is frequently running at 1500 watts. The bedroom heater is almost never at 1500 watts, and last night it was very minimal power since high temps were in the 80s.