Troubleshooting An Open Ground With A GFCI Outlet In A Trailer

Updated 12/28/2023 | Published 12/23/2023

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Digital Multimeter with 42" Long Test Leads - LED Display

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Question:

I’m unsure what to buy to fix my GFCI outlet in my travel trailer. At first it tripped. I put it back on and it blew out in the same night. I originally thought the outlet was bad so I bought a new outlet. After installing a new outlet and the wires using a YouTube video my outlet tester said open ground neutral. I can’t find any solution to fixing that and what do I need to buy to fix the issue.

asked by: Shamieka E

Expert Reply:

An open ground is most often caused by the hot and neutral wires being installed in reverse. If you're sure that these two wires are properly installed then the next thing to check would be that the ground wire is properly attached at both the outlet and the panel and that there's no breaks in the wire between these two points. The most likely case is that the old outlet was faulty and needed to be replaced and the wires just got crossed. You can remove the outlet from the wall and remove the wires and test for hot with a multimeter # PT89ZR to make sure you have them correctly wired to the new GFCI.

expert reply by: Kevin C