# Ever Happen To You?



## Sam Cales (Sep 13, 2006)

Hi everyone, a fellow Outbacker turned me on to tthis site and it seems like a bunch of fun.

I'm kind of new to the camping game, this has onle been my second year with a camper and after 2 trips in a pop up we traded it in on an Outback 28bhs. So far its been a TON of fun.

Well heres my thing, we were trying to leave on a weekend trip and couldn't get the fridge cold. It was a short trip so the food went in the cooler and we tried everything when we got to our site. Come to find out that drain hose hadn't been sticking out far enough and the discharge was collecting in a space in the outside fridge panel and some how splashed onto the outlet the fridge was plugged into.

Maybe I'm just an idiot, or missed it on walk-through bur the outlet under that panel runs through the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. Hit the reset button and the fridge was cold in no time.

Now I leave the drain hose sticking out an inch or so and hasn't hapened again.

JUst thought I'd share in case you are ever scratching your head and like me don't look for the simple solution.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

People have been known to leave the defrost\condensate drain inside of the trailer (not sticking out of the vent cover) and then being surprised to find water in the trailer. It will work its way down to the floor and depending on how the trailer is sitting it will come out from under the cabinet and really confuse people on its source.

The GFI could have been tripped for any number of reasons but even it the AC is dead, try the gas mode.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hmmm. Interesting. Seems kind of lame to wire the fridge through the GFCI in the bathroom. I would have expected it to be on a dedicated circuit. Thanks for the info


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

*Welcome to Outbackers, SAMandAMI!*








I'm glad to hear you are enjoying your Outback! And that you have decided to join our little family!









The drain hose issue crops up every once in a while, but it sounds like you figured out the proper solution.



California Jim said:


> Hmmm. Interesting. Seems kind of lame to wire the fridge through the GFCI in the bathroom. I would have expected it to be on a dedicated circuit. Thanks for the info


It's not? I'm going to have to look next time I am out there, but I was sure there is a refrigerator breaker in the main panel. Maybe I'm halucinating!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

PDX_Doug said:


> It's not? I'm going to have to look next time I am out there, but I was sure there is a refrigerator breaker in the main panel. Maybe I'm halucinating!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Got some for me?


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

California Jim said:


> Hmmm. Interesting. Seems kind of lame to wire the fridge through the GFCI in the bathroom. I would have expected it to be on a dedicated circuit. Thanks for the info


I would tend to think that because the outlet is behind a removable pannel with ventilation holes in it, it would be considered an outside outlet and sould be covered by a GFCI. I Keystones attempt to be, well, frugal, they wired through the bathrooms GFCI insted if installing a seperate one for the frig.

BTW, congrats to the upgrade to the 28 BHS, we love ours, and welcome to Outbackers!


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

The only experience I have with GFCI outlets and refrigerators is in a household situation. Refrigerators will not operate properly on a GFCI outlet.

Many people take their old refrigerators and put them in the garage. According to code, most communities require all outlets in the garage to be GFCI protected. Imagine their surprise when they lose everything they have in the refrigerator because it tripped the GFCI outlet. Many times I have arraigned to have a dedicated non GFCI outlet installed in the garage of a homeowner for the sole use of the refrigerator.

Now my curiousity is piked. I will have to go look in the camper tonight to see if the fridge has it's own breaker.

Dan


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## cmhaugen (Aug 31, 2006)

As info the gfci is hooked up to the outlet by the sink too(but the only reset is in the bathroom) My 8 year old son pushed the button to see if old dad could figure it out---it only took an hour to figure it out...also if you are washing don't spray the hose diectly at the cover as water will get in


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Congrats on your new Outback








Welcome to Outbacker.scom









Thor


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## Sam Cales (Sep 13, 2006)

The GFI could have been tripped for any number of reasons but even it the AC is dead, try the gas mode.
[/quote]

We had tried both ways. I couldnt understand why the gas mode wouldn't work either.



California Jim said:


> Hmmm. Interesting. Seems kind of lame to wire the fridge through the GFCI in the bathroom. I would have expected it to be on a dedicated circuit. Thanks for the info


True, you would expect it to have a dedicated circuitand I really don't get this. I know there is a breaker for the fridge in the breaker panel but in this case it had not been tripped. At the site we had a manager try to measure current in the outsied panel and nothing. The breaker wasn't tripped and once we reset the GFCI in the bathroom there was current running through it. I don't know a lot about electricity and wiring and the likes but it does sound goofy that the fix was the bathroom GFCI.

Anyone know if a wiring diagram is included with the manual for the fridge or something?


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi SAMandAMI,
Thanks for sharing...wow, you learn something new here everyday! Good for you for figuring it out








Dawn


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

I have looked at my electric setup for the fridge and this is what I found.

There is only a breaker for outlets in the panel, but it is not a GFCI breaker.

There is a fuse for the fridge, but it is a 12 volt fuse. 12 volts are needed to operate the controls of the fridge.

I opened the panel on the outside to look at the back of the fridge. I found the 120V outlet for the fridge there with (1) 2 wire romex with ground going IN the outlet and (1) 2 wire romex with ground going OUT of the outlet.

I then tripped the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. I checked the convience outlets in the camper and they were all without power. I went outside to see if the fridge would start on propane. I waited 10 minutes with the door of the fridge open and the propane burner did not light. I checked the gas at the stove to make sure I had propane flow.

Without tearing into the structure or running a continuity test, I surmise that both the fridge outlet and the rest of the convinence outlets in the camper are on the same breaker. The installation for the fridge outlet looks very unprofessional. I might have to do something about that. But in the interm I did not want to even unplug my fridge to test the outlet for fear I might break something.

I think the factory ran the power into the fridge outlet, and from there ran a line to the GFCI outlet. In my community, according to code, you can protect up to 7 other outlets with one GFCI outlet. So the other oulets in the camper are GFCI protected, but not the fridge outlet.

A future mod might be to install a dedicated breaker just for the fridge. There is room in the panel for additional breakers. But the junction at the fridge outlet would have to be modified.

Boy I was long winded!

Dan









PS to Sam. It is possible that the factory wired your fridge outlet improperly If they did not pick the proper "poles" on the GFCI breaker, the fridge might trip the GFCI breaker. I would suggest that you have either the service department look at this, or an electrician.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

GILLIGAN!!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Thanks for the research


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> Maybe I'm halucinating!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Again?


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

3LEES said:


> Many people take their old refrigerators and put them in the garage. According to code, most communities require all outlets in the garage to be GFCI protected. Imagine their surprise when they lose everything they have in the refrigerator because it tripped the GFCI outlet. Many times I have arraigned to have a dedicated non GFCI outlet installed in the garage of a homeowner for the sole use of the refrigerator.
> 
> Dan


Yup. My daughter had one of those small freezers; she put it in the garage of her new home. In less than a week, several hundred bucks worth of food was spoiled, because it tripped the GFCI. Thinking it a fluke -well, you can guess the rest. On my next visit I ran a dedicated circuit (two of them, actually, as we gave her our little freezer when we went full-time). No more food loss due to GFCI tripping out.

Sluggo


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