2005 Forest River Flagstaff odd electrical problem

[CMoore-trav]

My 2005 Forest River Flagstaff has been serving me well since I bought it. No major issues at all but on my last RV outing I found that my fridge (both gas and electrical) didn't work and the gas water heater didn't work but the electrical water heater did. I've checked the fuses. All good. Power to the fuse panel checked with a voltmeter and that's good. However, I don't detect power to the fridge board on the outside or to the gas heater connection on the outside. Gas furnace works and gas oven works. I removed the fuse panel to check for possible chewed wires but all the wires are good. With the fuse being good, does anyone know what the gas heater and the fridge share that I should check? The gas furnace comes on right away so I don't think it's the battery so I'm thinking I'm either missing a hidden fuse or I've got a break in a shared power line between the two.

Today I swapped our all the 15&40 Amp fuses for new fuses. No change. I also swapped out the battery for a new battery to eliminate that as a common point but no success in resolving the issue. The common grounds outside are tight, clean, and with no rust at all.

[KenHwy61]

You've got good troubleshooting skills and I think you are on the right track. If you don't have 12V to either the ref. or WH a common fault is likely. I don't know why there would be a another fuse somewhere if the circuit is already fused at the panel. You may want check to see if you have power at the water heater power switch inside the trailer. The only other suggestion I have is to physically follow the 12v power wire from the appliance back to the fuse panel. This may be a pain but sometimes there is no other solution.

[CMoore-trav]

Thanks for the speedy response. The voltmeter reports no power going to the back of the switch either. The switch appears to be in good shape so assuming that it's not the switch, my problem would appear to be between the fuse panel and the switch. Agreed?

[KenHwy61]

I agree. I suspect there is some type of junction point possibly behind a cabinet or who knows where that has come apart. Good luck!

[Herk7769]

When you press the appropriate buttons, do the LEDs light up in the tank/battery monitor?

If not a current limiter between the battery and converter may have opened.

If the lights do not work even with the camper on shore power, you may have a serious problem in the converter (wiring).

[CMoore-trav]

Yeah, lights work and pump works. I've even tried running a known good power lead (verified using a test light) from the back of the fuse panel to the connection on the back of the HW switch to see if that was the issue but no success.

[kerrlakelover]

Just a wild guess...are your appliances in a slide out? If so, could the wire running under slide have a break?

[KenHwy61]

It still sounds like a bad 12v power wire somewhere between the fuse panel and where it splits to feed your appliances. On my old RV my clearance lights quit working and I found after cutting a few inspection holes in the underbelly a mouse had gotten in and chewed right through the wiring including the copper.

[limblips]

Originally Posted by CMoore-trav

Yeah, lights work and pump works. I've even tried running a known good power lead (verified using a test light) from the back of the fuse panel to the connection on the back of the HW switch to see if that was the issue but no success.

I would continue with the jumper wire idea until you find the errant section. You might try going direct from the battery to the WH or Reefer 12v input just to prove it is a bad wire somewhere.

[CMoore-trav]

Slide's not out. I am starting to suspect rodents though. Found a few droppings behind the fuse panel. During the course of my research I found that my Dometic fridge has an outstanding critical recall. I located an authorized RV dealership that is willing to apply the fix this week. As much as it kills me, I think I'll turn this bad wire hunt over to them while I'm still sane.

[KenHwy61]

Darn rodents!!

[BillRV]

CMoore-Trvlr I have had a similar problem with my 2007 Sunseeker refrigerator and
the lights in both of my pop-outs. RV repair place tried several times to correct, including new wiring from the fuse panel to the pop-outs. Final fix was the replace-ment of the fuse/power distribution panel. All seems to work well now. I have since purchased a surge protector just in case that is what caused my problem. BillRV

[tomrob1161]

Did you check your battery(s). If the voltage from the battery is low, the gas valves won't open.

[CMoore-trav]

Posting a follow-up as a lesson learned for others and extending my thanks to those that reached out with suggestions. I called around and found most RV shops couldn't take my trailer for weeks. Mays RV service in Lewisville, Tx not only agreed to look at it the same day but had it fixed at a reasonable cost in 24 hours. The issue was, as most suspected, a rodent(s) got into the trailer and chewed a lot of wires and not just in one location but three different locations (including the electrical brakes connection) in the trailer. I'll be taking a more proactive approach to protecting my trailer from rodents.

[kerrlakelover]

Had one try to squeeze between the board and heat sync on my converter one winter...I'm guessing to get warm. Well, he got warmed up alright. It literally fried him and the board. Rats are rats...no matter if they have 4 legs or 2. haha