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Old 01-01-2021, 08:01 AM   #1
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GFIC (GFI) Outlet Replacement?

I was looking for a thread about replacing your GFI or GFIC and could not find one specifically about this topic. So since I need to replace one I thought it would be valuable for others if they have not had to do this yet

I have two, one in my kitchen and one in my bathroom. Most times there is another outlet wired to your GFIC that will not work if your GFIC outlet goes bad.

First you need to test to see if the outlet is actually bad. You do this by pressing the TEST and then RESET buttons located on the outlet itself

If those do not work chances are its the outlet itself

However, there are also ways to check to see if the GFIC is actually GETTING power and this is where I need someone to jump in...before continuing with the how to of replacing the GFIC outlet...
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Old 01-01-2021, 08:52 AM   #2
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A $5 plugin test light from a hardware store. I GFI will not reset if it has no power but it does not mean it's bad. Be sure your breaker is not tripped it will be a 15 amp breaker. Because it is a normal house hold outlet they are pretty easy to change. If you can't make it reset just go ahead and replace after you have turned the power off or unplug the camper they are not expensive.
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Old 01-01-2021, 09:21 AM   #3
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I can't remember but do I turn the power off by flipping off the main 30amp in the breaker box or unpluging the power cord at the outside pedestal?


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A $5 plugin test light from a hardware store. I GFI will not reset if it has no power but it does not mean it's bad. Be sure your breaker is not tripped it will be a 15 amp breaker. Because it is a normal house hold outlet they are pretty easy to change. If you can't make it reset just go ahead and replace after you have turned the power off or unplug the camper they are not expensive.
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Old 01-01-2021, 11:56 AM   #4
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Either one works!
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Old 01-01-2021, 06:18 PM   #5
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A $5 plugin test light from a hardware store.
Unless I'm picturing the wrong device, that won't tell you if the GFCI outlet is bad, or if there's simply no power coming to it. In either case, the tester wouldn't light.

You need to actually pull the outlet out of the box and verify whether power is coming in at the line side.
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Old 01-02-2021, 06:00 AM   #6
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Unless I'm picturing the wrong device, that won't tell you if the GFCI outlet is bad, or if there's simply no power coming to it. In either case, the tester wouldn't light.

You need to actually pull the outlet out of the box and verify whether power is coming in at the line side.
Quite true however if you have nothing to test it with or you are unfamiliar it is easier and possibly less dangerous to turn off the power and replace it. The idea with the test light if it was on and no longer is something is up it also lets you know if camp ground wiring is correct. For less than $15 you can buy a new GFI that even has a power on light built in!






















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Old 01-04-2021, 02:53 PM   #7
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I just spend the good part of the afternoon struggling with a "slim" GFIC outlet that wasn't! Did NOT fit the holes of the face plate or junction box although it was advertised on Amazon as slim.

So then I put the old one back on and guess what it works!! Do I have a short? Did something come loose??


I have no idea where to get outlets now that work unless I go to a hardware store with my old one or order from a RV product company

So just for comparison>>


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Old 01-04-2021, 03:26 PM   #8
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I hate to say this but there is no such a thing as an RV GFI basically if you have seen one you have seen them all. Yes depending who made it there might be a slight difference one way or another but they are made to fit the standard space "slim" or not. RV walls are not deep enough to house a GFI that is why they have a box extension built into the wall. It is possible someone has tinkered the extension. Now bottom line if it resets and works there is nothing wrong with it. Take a picture of what you have maybe we can make some sense of it.
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Old 01-04-2021, 03:26 PM   #9
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"Slim" usually refers to the depth of the device, not its width.

If there are no connections in the box other than to the receptacle itself (like wire nuts), chances are that you had a loose connection, and the reinstallation took care of that. Good job!

Keep that in mind as something to look for if you encounter this situation again, before purchasing a replacement.
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Old 01-04-2021, 03:42 PM   #10
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Just about every GFI is back feed and figuring RV don't have much space it probably is not wire nutted being #one in the chain. Vibration plays into this most houses don't "shake"GFI are very sensitive, so yes loose wiring joints can play into this. Bottom line you "fix" it good job.
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:04 AM   #11
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Well it WAS fixed!

Worked for a couple of days now it quit. I had a hell of a time trying to get the wires back in the box too, never have had such trouble before

Doing the same thing it did before when I push reset, green light flashed for a moment, do I have a short somewhere? In the GFIC? In the wiring?

It affects two outlets, bathroom and bedroom
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:52 AM   #12
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Okay, assuming the GFCI itself isn't defective, that's how it should behave if it's actually sensing a ground fault.

Simplest first: is anything at all plugged into the "downstream" outlet(s)? If so, unplug and then try a reset.

Since you had a tough time getting the wires back in, it's probably worth opening it back up and making sure nothing's touching where it shouldn't be. While the GFCI is out of the box but still connected, try resetting it. Don't get zapped while handling it live.

If it still won't reset, since you already have the box open, replace it with that new one and see if THAT will reset. It doesn't have to be in the box for that test.

If the new one won't reset either, it's time to open up those downstream outlets and disconnect them one at a time, trying a reset after each one. If you wind up with everything downstream disconnected and it still won't reset, most likely you have a problem with the wire in the wall. That would be unlikely unless someone installed a screw or nail that's hitting the wire.
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Old 01-09-2021, 11:09 AM   #13
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I just unplugged everything at the bedroom outlet, still the green light blinks for a moment. I ordered one from Amazon and it won't fit, the screw holes to replace the face plate don't line up

I can open it back up but when I push all the wires back how can I know they aren't touching? I struggled with it so long trying to get the wires back and then they would come off the GFIC itself, NEVER had a struggle like that before and I have replaced them before

I just can't do it right now, that struggle to push the wires back in was too frustrating. And I need to find a GFIC outlet that works, lines up with the face plate holes. I actually Googled the number on the old outlet (93484-029 ZR 6)to see if I could find it and nothing. The new outlet I purchased off Amazon is the same company as the old, Leviton. I don't get it?

I will report back when I:

1. Find another GFIC somehwere that works
2. Have the desire to struggle with the outlet again

Thanks for your advise




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Okay, assuming the GFCI itself isn't defective, that's how it should behave if it's actually sensing a ground fault.

Simplest first: is anything at all plugged into the "downstream" outlet(s)? If so, unplug and then try a reset.

Since you had a tough time getting the wires back in, it's probably worth opening it back up and making sure nothing's touching where it shouldn't be. While the GFCI is out of the box but still connected, try resetting it. Don't get zapped while handling it live.

If it still won't reset, since you already have the box open, replace it with that new one and see if THAT will reset. It doesn't have to be in the box for that test.

If the new one won't reset either, it's time to open up those downstream outlets and disconnect them one at a time, trying a reset after each one. If you wind up with everything downstream disconnected and it still won't reset, most likely you have a problem with the wire in the wall. That would be unlikely unless someone installed a screw or nail that's hitting the wire.
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Old 01-09-2021, 11:45 AM   #14
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Oh, I know what a bear it can be sometimes to get the wires stuffed back in. Still, when it comes to troubleshooting stuff like this, it really pays to methodically follow logical steps rather than trying things randomly and just hoping you'll luck out.

You say the face plate holes don't line up. You mean the cover plate that goes on after the outlet's installed? That's no big deal. I could grab this one at Lowe's today for 87 cents, and I guarantee it would fit.

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Old 01-09-2021, 12:52 PM   #15
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Thanks but that is not it. The holes on the GFIC and the junction box to keep the GFIC in place so you can even put the face plate on
I am in a small town with a Walmart and a hardware store. the nearest Lowe's is an hour away

I will have to uninstall the old GFIC outlet and take it with me I guess to try and find one like it. I don't know I am mystified really as I said I have replaced them before, just bought one at a store and it fit


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Originally Posted by Tinstaafl View Post
Oh, I know what a bear it can be sometimes to get the wires stuffed back in. Still, when it comes to troubleshooting stuff like this, it really pays to methodically follow logical steps rather than trying things randomly and just hoping you'll luck out.

You say the face plate holes don't line up. You mean the cover plate that goes on after the outlet's installed? That's no big deal. I could grab this one at Lowe's today for 87 cents, and I guarantee it would fit.

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Old 01-09-2021, 01:25 PM   #16
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That's really odd. I routinely work on 100 year old houses, house trailers from the 70's and many newer places, and don't recall ever running into that situation. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience with campers per se.

All I can do is wish you luck finding one to fit--or you might wind up having to replace the box. Either way, the troubleshooting steps I outlined are still valid.
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Old 01-09-2021, 03:21 PM   #17
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Found the source of the problem I hope!

I had a heavy duty extension cord plugged in to the engine block heater on my diesel and my outdoor outlet and once I unplugged the cord the GFIC came on.

I had read that sometimes the outdoor outlets get moisture and can cause a problem but that is the next step, trouble shooting the outside outlet. Sometimes I forget to unplug it and its plugged in all day and night to the engine block heater Maybe that is why?? I like to plug in the engine block heater if its going to get into the 30s which doesn't happen often here in southern Texas.

Fortunately I can position my truck to use the 20amp outlets on my site pedestal however that might not always be the case and not every camp has 20 amp outlets on their pedestals so I want the ability to use my outdoor outlets

I haven't plugged anything in to the outdoor outlets yet as I am afraid it might mess up my other outlets but I may get brave later
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Old 01-09-2021, 03:57 PM   #18
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Found the source of the problem I hope!

I had a heavy duty extension cord plugged in to the engine block heater on my diesel and my outdoor outlet and once I unplugged the cord the GFIC came on.

I had read that sometimes the outdoor outlets get moisture and can cause a problem but that is the next step, trouble shooting the outside outlet. Sometimes I forget to unplug it and its plugged in all day and night to the engine block heater Maybe that is why?? I like to plug in the engine block heater if its going to get into the 30s which doesn't happen often here in southern Texas.
Ah, the engine block heaters.... Yes, I have one on my diesel tractor that would trip my "older" GFI's at our old barn. (1985 vintage) It would pop almost as soon as I plugged it in. Then we moved to the new place. We now have all new 2015 GFI's in the barn. I have zero issues with new barn on the new GFI's with the same tractor plugging it in. There is something, I'm not sure what, with the older GFI's that they do not like engine block heaters.
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Old 01-09-2021, 03:57 PM   #19
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That is most likely your problem if I'm reading you right. The truck cord is plugged into the camper yes? GFI are not real fond of electric heating elements particularly older ones. All of the outside outlets are connected to the GFI If you are determined to replace the GFI if you have seen one you have seen them all they all are the same they follow the national electrical code (NEMA). Now depending on how the box is mounted it maybe too deep I have seen some interesting mounting with boxes too deep and cock eyed You may have to loosen the outlet mounting screws just enough to get the cover on. Bottom line if it ain't broke don't fix it! Your camper should have a 30 amp plug plugged it into that it will free up a 20 amp on the post, plug the truck into that beware the truck may also trip that.
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Old 01-09-2021, 04:30 PM   #20
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Looks like to replace the outside outlets you have to remove the cover and therefor the caulk. Another job

Its weird to me as someone who knows virtually zero about electrical systems why the outside plug would trip the bathroom GFIC when its farther away from it? The kitchen is very close to the location and on the same side as the outside outlet

Also weird, when I would turn my over the bed bedroom lights on usually it would interfere with my antenna and I would loose my channels??
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