GFI outlet shorted out....

CliffA

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2009
4,712
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340DA
Name: 'Happy Place'
4.5kW West. Generator
Purchased Nov. 2014
Fresh Water Use
Engines
Twin Merc. 6.2L (MPI)
640 hp (Total)
Raw Water Cooled
V-Drive Transmissions
this past WE I plugged in my Vornado space heater in the cockpit as we usually do this time of year to warm up the cockpit......after a few mins I noticed the heater was not working.....the Admiral had been near the heater so I assumed she bumped it with her foot and tripped the tip over safety switch....so I pushed the power button on the heater and it started working again.....a couple mins later the Admiral was in the cabin and said she was smelling something burning.....I went down in the cabin and there was a strong 'electrical' smell....I first thought it was coming from the AC/heat unit so I ripped all of the bedding off to gain access to the unit....but it checked out OK.....so I started sniffing around the power control panel and the smell was stronger in that area....I decided to touch the GFI outlet which is directly below the power control panel and it was warm to the touch.....I killed the power to all outlets and pulled the GFI out of the wall for inspection...as you see in the pic the black wire at the top had become hot to the point it melted the insulation on the wire and plastic connector cover at the connection to the outlet which is the brown 'stuff' you see.....apparently the GFI did trip once but did not fully break the internal contact....that caused the heater in the cabin to shut off since all of the outlets on my boat are on the same circuit.....this did not trip the breaker for the outlets in the power control panel......that is why I was able to turn the heater back on after the GFI initially shut it down.....there must have been a short in the GFI....

I guess the moral of this story is it may be a good idea to occasionally exercise the GFI breakers to keep them in good order to help insure they fully pop open when called for....

cliff
 

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GFCI'S do go bad. We test all of them at work every single month, and there are several hundred of them. We change quite a few, especially the ones outside.
That almost looks like the connection may have become loose, a loose connection creates heat and can melt the wire.
 
GFCI'S do go bad. We test all of them at work every single month, and there are several hundred of them. We change quite a few, especially the ones outside.
That almost looks like the connection may have become loose, a loose connection creates heat and can melt the wire.


thanks.....I thought the same thing but the screw was actually pretty tight on the connection.....not really sure what happened.....

cliff
 
In looking at your picture do all 110/120v outlets use crimp on connectors?


the outlet has both screw connectors as well as 'push in' connectors where you can just push the wire into a hole in the connector......not sure why Sea Ray decided to use the screw connectors instead of the push in method....

cliff
 
You have to use them on the ground if it's stranded. Not sure why they used them on the hot and neutral, cost them more money.
It does make for a really good connection though.
 
Wyrman,

For my own knowledge, the "screw connection" is better than the push in connection?

I have always thought so, but confirmation is good.

Bennett
 
thanks.....I thought the same thing but the screw was actually pretty tight on the connection.....not really sure what happened.....

cliff
Could have possibly been the crimp as well...
 
I didn’t have them in my annual list. Thanks for the tip. Folks, reminder than in some boats they hide some of them. I two of them inside cabinets.
 
Wyrman,

For my own knowledge, the "screw connection" is better than the push in connection?

I have always thought so, but confirmation is good.

Bennett
In my opinion yes, but putting the wire behind the screw is very good also.
They're rated for both ways.
 
Just be thankful you were onboard.

This could have been disastrous.


yep.....this is one reason I don't use portable heaters on my boat during the winter while we are not there....these heaters pull a lot of amps and place a significant load on the typical 15 amp circuits in the boat and if something in the circuit is weak bad things can happen....if I had left the heater on the boat unattended this post could have taken a very different direction....the bilge heater is bad enough to leave unattended but that is a 'necessary evil' during cold nights......

cliff
 
the outlet has both screw connectors as well as 'push in' connectors where you can just push the wire into a hole in the connector......not sure why Sea Ray decided to use the screw connectors instead of the push in method....

cliff
Terminating wires under the screw is a far better mechanical connection that the quick wire method of just pushing a wire into a hole in the receptacle.
 
They're not quick wire. The wire goes into a hole and the screw tightens down internally.
Quick wire outlets suck.
 
the outlet has both screw connectors as well as 'push in' connectors where you can just push the wire into a hole in the connector......not sure why Sea Ray decided to use the screw connectors instead of the push in method....

cliff

Push-in connectors require non-stranded wire which is generally a bad idea on boats. (not to mention that it violates AYBC standards)
 
Thats bullsheet building practice to use crimps on AC circuits.
Stranded wire is never used on the push in connection .only solid wire
 
Thats bullsheet building practice to use crimps on AC circuits.
Stranded wire is never used on the push in connection .only solid wire

I find it hard too believe that crimp on connectors are factory build on any 110/120V system.

As far as the "push in/quick wire outlets" are concerned,...
(including the ones that you can tighten down the screw on)

Refer to Bt Doctuur's post.

And as we all know solid wire has no place on a boat.
 

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