Want to save $1000's in RV repairs? The next time your outlets stop working in your RV do THIS before you call a tech.

GFCI

Head to your bathroom and looking for an outlet that has buttons on it.

If you look closely one button will probably say test and the other will say reset. 

Try pushing the button that says reset and see if that solves your problem. 

This is called a GFCI or ground fault circuit interrupter.

Its designed to shut off power to the outlet if water gets in it. 

It is just like the breakers in your breaker box panel just tinier and made just for the outlet. 

In a house you would have these anywhere that water could get into the outlet. - The bathroom, the kitchen, and outside.

In an RV they usually just wire all the outlets in these places to 1 GFCI in the bathroom.

So very often all the outlets in your kitchen, your outside outlets, the outlet to your fridge and any other outlets in the bathroom are all wiring in with this one GFCI outlet in the bathroom. 

This means that if something goes wrong at ANY of these outlets that GFCI will pop and stop power at ALL of those outlets. 

So if like half the outlets in your RV stop working all at the same time this is the first place I want you to check.

Breakers

If the GFCI wasn't your problem then the next place I want you to check is your breaker panel. Your breakers are big safety switches that turn off power to electrical appliances when things go wrong. 

In an RV things just "go wrong" more often than in a house. Imagine a house that was going through an earthquake on the regular - that's your RV. 

So you may find that you need to keep a closer eye on your breakers in your RV than you would in a traditional house. 

Just head over to your breaker box panel - it's usually somewhere in your RV, close to the ground. I find them in the kitchen near the fridge most of the time, but underneath the bed in the master bedroom is also a common hiding place. 

Make sure all of your breakers are switched to the ON position. If one is clicked to the OFF position just switch it over like you would a light switch. 

When these guys trip it isn't always obvious, so while you're in there, if there is a breaker labelled "outlets" try switching him OFF and then back ON to see if that solves your problem. 

I can't tell you how many calls I've had where the customer has told me it couldn't be the breakers because they already checked and when I looked at the breaker panel there was a tripped breaker that just wasn't super obvious. 

You Got This. 

Outlet Tester

If you're having consistent problems with the outlets in your RV I highly recommend getting an outlet tester. 

Its a SUPER easy to use tool that you just plug into the the outlet and it will light up the right two most lights if the outlet is getting appropriate power. 

We've all done the thing where we go to plug your phone into an outlet and it doesn't work, but you're not sure if its the outlet or your phone charger that's the problem... So you're trying to track down another outlet or a different phone charger so you can narrow down which your problem is... 

This guy replaces your phone charger in this scenario and he's super reliable so you don't need to worry. If he doesn't light up then you know the outlet isn't getting power. 

But it can also help test for other things that could be wrong with the outlet like an open ground or a mis-wired outlet. 

Its like $7 at harbor freight and is one of my go to tools when it comes to fixing outlets in people's RV's. 

Multimeter

If you're one of the amazing RVer's out there that has taken the Save $5000 in your RV in 5 days challenge and has learned how to use your multimeter in your RV, then your outlets can be a great place to start using your new multimeter skills. 

Here’s how to test if your outlet is getting power.

Set your meter to AC volts, make sure you’re plugged into shore power and head over to one of your outlets in your kitchen. If you put your probes here and here, you should see a number in the realm of 120 V. This is the neutral path for the electricity.

If you put your probes here and here, you should also see a number in the realm of 120 volts. This is the back up ground path we talked about for the electricity.

Just for kicks and giggles go ahead and put both of your probes in the same hole here. You should see 0 volts, because your probes are in the same place, and we're measuring voltage difference across your probes. Remember that from the last video? See it all comes full circle.

So, even though there is power going to the outlet, you're not reading it because you have both of your probes in the same place.

Now put your probes back here and here. You should see 120 again. Now go to your bathroom and find your GFCI. There should be a button on it that says test. Hit that button and you should lose 120 at the outlet in your kitchen. Hit the button that says reset and you should get that 120 back.

I hope you found this helpful. 

Now go fix your outlets!

Want to learn more RV secrets like this that most techs don't want you to know?

When you're ready check out RV Academy.  - This is my course that costs less than what most tech's charge for a single call and instead will teach you how to be your OWN personal RV tech. I walk you through step by step exactly what I would do if you called me with a problem about your water heater, fridge, furnace, or air conditioner. You Got This!