The Manufactured Housing Forums

we have recently purchased a 1994 crestrige 2x2. all the outlets work except the GFCI's in the bathroom. this causes a serious problem. can anyone help? i have tested the circuits and can't find where the power is coming from. i have ohm'ed the outlets and can't find the point in the breaker box where they connect. there are two in the master bath and one in the other. help please.

I am not familiar with your particulate brand home... but many MH builders use inline GFI breaker outlets. The breaker is built into one of the bathroom receptacles. Often you will find that the exterior lights and receptacle also run off the inline breaker.

Check in your bathrooms for an outlet with small buttons on it. When you find it reset the breaker by pushing the button on the face of the receptacle. If there are 2 buttons, one is the reset and one is a test button.

The GFI in my house trips often after a heavy rain when too much moisture gets into the lights on the corners of my porch.... when they dry out they start to work properly again. Check to see if any of your outside fixtures or outlets are getting moisture.

If it will not reset you may have a ground fault problem or the receptacle/breaker may need to be replaced. You can find replacements in most electric supply departments


LIFTED FROM The Natural Handyman http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infe ... gfi.html#5

..."A GFI, or ground fault circuit interrupter, is an automatic device that offers personal protection against electrical shock. They are installed in areas where known electrical shock hazards exist... outdoor outlets and fixtures, swimming pools, saunas and hot tubs, outlets in kitchens, basements, bathrooms, and garages. Wherever there is the potential for contact between a person and an electrical appliance in or near moisture, water, or water pipes, a GFI should be protecting the circuit... and you!

All GFIs, have two testing-related buttons on them. One button is appropriately labeled TEST, and one is labeled RESET. Turn on an appliance or light fixture connected to the GFI. Press the TEST button, and the appliance should immediately turn off. If it does not, either the GFI is miswired, there is a problem with other wiring in the same circuit, or the GFI has malfunctioned and should be replaced. Pressing the RESET button will restore power to the appliance or circuit.

Conversely, if you have a GFI that has tripped and will not reset, you may have a wiring short in the circuit, a defective appliance on the circuit, or the GFI itself has become defective.

The easiest way to troubleshoot a GFI is to obtain a GFI tester, available at most hardware stores. It plugs into the GFI outlet, and will supply you with a "snapshot" of your connections, indicating wiring problems and/or the condition of the GFI.

Over time, a GFI will become more sensitive to minor variations in current that are caused by certain types of appliances. Hair dryers and space heaters are notorious for stressing and tripping GFIs. Replacing the GFI will help solve this problem, though it may recur eventually as the new GFI ages."

the GFCI is not the problem. there is no current reaching the outlet. every other light and outlet in the home works properly. it is very frustrating. i believe Patriot Homes manufactured Crestridge. thanks.

All circuits in manufactured homes are wired in series. So, like a string of Xmas lights if one item in the series is not completing the circuit, nothing on that line will work.

I would consider opening every GFI circuit receptacle, fixture and switch in, on and under the home one at a time to see if the problem is a disconnected wire. That would include the baths, the exterior lights, and the heat tape receptacle.

All manufactured homes, even those built in the south have a GFI protected electric outlet installed under the home. This is so a heat tape can be wrapped around the water riser to prevent freezing. You will find this at the point where water is hooked up under the home, most times directly under the water heater. If this outlet was damaged in transport or during installation it could be the source of the problem depriving the rest of the CGI circuit of power.

Patriot homes was forced into bankruptcy. I doubt that you will have much luck finding any wiring diagrams. Many factories outsourced their warranty work to local contractors. If you can find someone, in your area, that has considerable experience working on Patriots they may have diagrams.... or know if this was a common or reoccurring problem with the brand. In that case they may be able to finger the problem very quickly.

If you can not locate the problem, running a new circuit is relatively easy with a manufactured home. You can run new circuits in conduit under the home avoiding the need to open up walls, saving a load of work and mess inside the home.

Let us know what you find. Good Luck!!