Can You Use a Household GFCI Outlet In an RV? How to Replace
This is true in most circumstances including electrical needs you may have. What you can buy to solve an electrical problem in your home, can also be bought for your RV and solve its electrical problems.
Yes, you can and the replacement process is the same as in your traditional home. Shut the power off at the breaker, unscrew the GFCI circuit, then replace it with a new one. If the outlet keeps tripping, the problem may not be with the outlet but somewhere else.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can safely make the repair. Take a few minutes to see how this information helps you solve your electrical GFCI issues.
Is RV GFI The Same as Home?
When it comes to electricity there are no real varieties for you to have to worry about. By that, we mean that the only difference between electrical components may be their design.
They all wire the same, they all do the same purpose if they are the same component and they all handle the same power they are rated for. What this means is that what works in your traditional home should work in your RV.
The GFCI outlet is a prime example of this point. You can use the one made for your home in your RV. There are no special GFCI outlets that should not work in either place or be restricted to either home.
Now, if the old GFCI outlet keeps tripping, shut the power off, remove the load wires and then turn the power back on. If the GFCI outlet keeps tripping after doing that, then the outlet is bad.
If it resets, then you know you have a problem somewhere else down the line. You won’t have to replace the circuit but trace the wires back to where the source of the problem lies.
You may be able to do this but if you do not have the proper tools, or do not like working with wires, etc., then call in a prof to handle the task. Just be careful about going to the dealer.
If you are not on warranty, find a different professional to handle the work and save some money, hopefully. Sometimes regular repairmen jack up their prices because you own an RV. They figure you can afford it.
Can You Use a Household GFCI Outlet in An RV?
Generally, this is possible. By using the word generally, you may find some slight design differences between the outlets in your RV and household outlets. These slight differences are not hard to overcome or adapt.
For example, the GFCI outlet’s plastic box may not be wired in the same way. You will have to adapt the wiring a bit to make the GFCI first properly.
Also, the wires may be secured by pinch points instead of screws. You would have to make changes to that system as well. Generally, this is not hard to do with a normal GFCI outlet.
There is nothing stopping you from using the traditional home’s GFCI outlet in your RV. There are no laws or safety regulations presenting it unless some state has created them recently.
You can check your state’s electrical regulations or the national standards boards to see what they say but for now, there is no reason not to do this replacement.
The good news is that it does not take long to wire in the new replacement. It will or should take just as long as to wire in an RV GFCI outlet. Once done you can go back to your normal retirement duties and read or watch t.v.
Finding a GFCI Outlet For Camper
Not a problem to do. You can go to Camping World or some other RV supply and accessory outlet and pay a lot of money. Those retail stores are known for raising prices higher than normal electrical outlets.
But the problem with avoiding them is that they may be the only place to go in your area and you are stuck with buying from them. Or you can go to any one of the numerous big box stores. They will have these outlets for a reasonable price.
Plus, they are located everywhere in medium to large cities. It is possible to shop at Amazon or eBay and get what you want. They seem to have just about everything on sale these days.
But, before you go to them, you may find another electrical outlet online that has better outlets at a better price, along with good advice on how to install them, etc.
Amazon and eBay should not always be your first online choice. Sometimes you are thinking you bought one item when another shows up at your door. We have found many good online outlets that are great with customer service etc., through our different research efforts for the topics we write on.
Getting your products from a dedicated electrical supply outlet is better than shopping with anonymous vendors on Amazon, etc.
How To Replace GFCI Outlet in RV
This is another task that is not that hard to do. If you know how to handle a screwdriver, then the task is half done. The key to the process is to make sure you flip the right breaker and cut the power to the right outlets.
If you get that done, you are 3/4s of the way done with this project. The next step will be to remove the outlet cover and which is usually held in by one screw. Then pull the GFCI circuit out and start removing the wires and any screws holding it in their plastic safety box.
When all the wires and screws are off, set the GFCI outlet aside and reverse the process with the replacement outlet. That is all there is to this task. Make sure to toss the old circuit in the trash when you are done.
Or if you want, hire an expert to do it for you. That may cost you something but sometimes it is just better to get a pro to handle the rewiring. Before we forget, you need to do one last important step.
Do not forget to turn the power back on when you are done. This is a small but very important step that if you forget can draw the anger from your spouse.
What Causes The GFCI Outlet To Continue To Trip
It goes without saying, and we will say it anyway, that the GFCI outlet may be bad. It happens but it is not the only source of this issue. You cannot assume that the outlet is the sole source of this problem.
Here are some other sources you may need to test for before taking the old outlet off and replacing it with a new one:
1. The grounding of the outlet is inferior- in other words, the outlet was not grounded properly and that could be the fault of the manufacturer. Or they used cheap parts.
Check the ground wire with a meter first and see if this is a problem.
2. The wires wore out- this is a possibility due to the high use of electricity in an RV. It Is not just your electrical toothbrush that will do this or your hair dryer. It will be all of the appliances etc., that help wear those wires out.
Replacing the wires is your only solution here.
3. Moisture or humidity got inside the plug- this is another possibility as these plugs can lose their seal. Once that happens moisture and humidity can get in and ruin your wires. They can corrode them or help wear them out.
Replace those damaged wires and reseal the outlet better to solve this problem
4. Worn out insulation- or missing insulation can create this problem. Once you lose that protection, your GFCI outlet is vulnerable to many sources that make it trip constantly.
Replace the outlet and the insulation if this is the case. Use silicone caulk to help seal the outlet so insulation can’t get lost.
5. Other electrical components- when these parts act up they can do a number on your GFCI circuit. The key would be to check all your electrical components to find the problem
Replacement or repair of those components is the solution here.
Some Final Words
The task of replacing your GFCI outlet is not a difficult one. It is a project that is made easier because you can use a GFCI outlet made for your home as a replacement.
The process to replace your old one is very simple and should only take 5 to 10 minutes to get it done. Make to turn the power off first before tackling this repair.
