Electrical Issues

kyinger · 07-16-2017, 09:07 PM

Unbelievable day trying to leave RV park today. It appears my inverter died. Gauge was reading .00 volts so I called service tech on call and after 20 minutes of searching I found it located under my kitchen sink. After some trouble shooting he came to the conclusion it died. Then my awning would not retract. It moved about 1/4 of a turn in each direction but that was it. After more phone calls a tech came to the campground only to have it work. He said I have a tired motor. Then at home I turned on the generator to run the AC units while we cleaned and one of the CBs on the generator popped, hence no AC.
All this and I didn't even make the first payment yet!
I'm taking it back to the dealer next Saturday and they can keep it until everything gets fixed.

CHICKDOE · 07-17-2017, 09:09 AM

sorry for the problems, but they may not be as bad as you think. obviously this is a new rv. are you new to rv's or have you had others? you say your inverter died. do you mean converter? an inverter takes 12 volt dc power from the batteries and changes it to 110 volt ac power, typically to run a residential refrigerator. the converter does the exact opposite to create 12 volt dc power to charge the batteries. if the inverter died it would probably only affect the residential refrigerator, nothing else. if the converter died you would not be getting 12 volt dc power to recharge the batteries and run the 12 devices. without the converter running the batteries will run down to the point that they won't power anything. the awnings are 12 volt devices so it is possible they will not work as the batteries are down.

some things to look for. is the circuit breaker to the converter on? is it getting 110 vac? many converter have large fuses on the dc output side that are there to protect against incorrect wiring to the batteries (reverse polarity). have they blown? is the converter putting out about 13.6 volts dc on its output terminals? is there a battery disconnect switch that disconnects the batteries? is it set to disconnect the batteries? if so the converter will not charge them and they will not supply power to the 12 volt dc devices. however, even if the batteries are disconnected and you are pugged into shore power, the converter should supply power to the 12 volt dc devices.

as for the generator not running the a/c did it ever run the a/c? (again i'm assuming a new rv / generator configuration they may not have ever been used before). I do not know the type of rv, ac, or generator. when you tried the a/c on the generator were all other a/c loads off (water heater, converter, etc). also many thermostats actually need 12vdc to operate and tell the a/c to turn on. if you have this type, how were you supplying 12 volt dc to it? it must come either from the batteries or the converter. a converter will pull a large a/c load if it is trying to recharge depleted batteries. perhaps the combination of the converter load and the a/c load overloaded the generator.

hope this rambings gives you some thoughts that will help you get these issues resolved. if not hope the dealer can get it fixed pronto!

kyinger · 07-17-2017, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate your input. This is our second RV as we bought the first one used last March. (tried to tell her it was too small).
I just took delivery of a 2017 Georgetown GT5 and this was our second camping trip with it. I saw the converter in the back bay but the issue is with the inverter. I'm told the function of this is to convert battery voltage to 120 volts to operate sever outlets when the generator is not operating. Not that big of a deal when plugged into external power. I'm also told the converter takes 120 volts and is used to charge the batteries. I'm far from a mechanic and I might have my facts wrong.
I also believe this is somewhat normal with a new unit and I'll be happy when the bugs are worked out.
I called the dealer this morning and they said they could not work on it until the end of August so I had to talk to someone else to squeeze it in sooner. I did think it was right to make someone who bought a new unit to have to wait 6 weeks to repair things covered under warranty. Maybe all dealerships are like that.
I live in the Orlando area. Does any anyone have a good shop they use near by?

CHICKDOE · 07-17-2017, 06:48 PM

you have the converter and inverter correct. the inverter makes 110 vac from the batteries. the awning motors are 12 vdc devices so the inverter issue has no effect on them. all they would need a 12vdc from either the battery or the converter. hard to believe the awning motor is 'tired' on a brand new motor home. even harder to believe that the tech used that as an explanation. did he measure the voltage going into the motor (s/b somewhere around 12 vdc)? either the motor is getting to voltage and it is not working or the voltage is not being supplied to the motor. resolution will depend on which of these is the case.

the inverter should in no way affect the a/c. while the a/c needs 110 vac power it needs more than the installed inverter can supply. the two are not related to each other. as mentioned before, has the a/c ever run off the generator? are all other a/c load switched off. try turning all the a/c circuit breakers off except the one for the a/c and see if it by itself will run off the generator. if it will not then the generator may be too small, but for now let's assume it is simply overloaded. try the a/c off the generator with nothing else on.

also, I would be completely upset with a dealer that can't even squeeze this in for 6 weeks. a simple evaluation of the issues might only take 1/2 hour or so to diagnose the problems. this is not the way to perform customer service. consider posting a review of the dealer and name names for other to learn about

chrisbailey13 · 07-18-2017, 08:20 AM

kyinger Question for you...when the GENSET tripped the breaker at home, were you running both AC's or just one? Also, did you let the GENSET run a few minutes before turning on the AC's? Finally, did you attempt to turn on both AC's at the same time? Those thing are usually what will trip the GENSET. I have also found that if you are running both AC's, Residential Refrigerator, and Hot water heater the GENSET will struggle to keep up especially if it was one of those humid FL days.

Final question, What Dealership did you call?

kyinger · 07-18-2017, 05:15 PM

I let the generator warm up first before I only turned on the front AC unit but I would bet I had on the refrigerator and the hot water heater on at the same time. That's very interesting. There are 2 CBs on the Gen and the bottom one trips. I might just be overloading that circuit.
I bought the Coach at Lazydays in Tampa and their normal service dept told me they were booked thru August so I later talked to the lady who takes care of the punch list when you complete your walk thru and she is going to work me into the schedule. I'm dropping it off on Saturday and plan on leaving it there for 3 weeks. I have a 5 day trip planned to the Keys at the end of Aug.
There's a lot of info on this Forum. I'm glad I joined!

CHICKDOE · 07-18-2017, 05:57 PM

i'm making some assumption. when you say two circuit breakers on the generator I am assuming an onan 5500 (which I know has two circuit breakers). but they are not the same. one is a 20 amp and one is a 30 amp. I don't remember which is on top and which is on the bottom. yes, with all that stuff one, plus probably the converter also, you might be overloading a breaker on the generator. go to the 110 volt distribution panel and turn all the circuits off except the air conditioner. then start the generator and see if it will power the a/c. my guess is it will support the a/c with nothing else on. if you have two a/c's the they should be split across the two legs from the generator. if you get one running then try to other one (again with nothing else on except the a/c's).

kyinger · 07-18-2017, 08:17 PM

I'll give that a try on Saturday. Thanks for the help.

kyinger · 08-22-2017, 07:00 PM

Got the RV back from the dealership and they blamed all of the electrical problems on the inverter. They claim the CB was tripped in the battery compartment. My question is why didn't the service tech I talked to for over 30 minutes suggest I check the breaker? I guess that would be difficult since he didn't really know where the inverter was located! (under the kitchen sink). Took it out last weekend and everything worked as advertised. Goinf to the keys next weekend!

BillMFl · 08-23-2017, 09:57 AM

Just for general info. I have bought 3 new rv's from Lazy Days Tampa. A big 5th wheel and two motor homes. You should always contact the service advisor who was assigned to when you purchased your t.v. They have a complete file on all service performed on your coach, even work done before you were a buyer. While still under warranty your service advisor can get you in quicker. I am not saying they are perfect, but they always made a good effort for me and handled warranty work promptly. For non warranty work you have to wait in a very busy line. From my experience they make a good effort to assist new buyers and give them priority.

BillMFl · 08-23-2017, 09:59 AM

Spell check is a pain. Changed rv to tv.

kyinger · 08-23-2017, 04:31 PM

That's exactly what I did. My service advisor was the one who scheduled my repairs, otherwise it would have been a 7 week wait. I think they're a good dealership, just very busy.

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