Electrical Gremlins

Snowman53 · 09-27-2012, 09:47 AM

I returned from a short trip with the trailer this past Saturday. Plugged into my dedicated 30 amp RV circuit and then went in the trailer to rearrange and unload. No 110 volt power anywhere. So I checked the panel and found that the main and micorwave breakers had operated and were off. Reset them and they held. Microwave clock was still out but everything else seemed o.k. Opened the microwave to watch the light come on and the turntable go round and round. Close the door and it stopped. Microwave control panel unresponsive and an unplug/reset on did not work. Then I returned last night from a three day business trip and went into the TT to get something and found all the 12 volt systems were dead. 110 volt oulets were fine, TV worked, mircowave light comes on and turntable still goes round and round when I opened the door. Main refrigerator was out too. Pulled the battery and placed it on a charger. It showed a little over 12 volts on the tester, but that could be an erroneous reading. I am at a loss. This is a head-scratcher. We have pulled this trailer over 5,000 miles since last fall and camped in it at least 20 nights without a problem until now. The warranty is about to expire too, of course. Help!!

Triguy · 09-27-2012, 10:30 AM

Sounds like a few issues so I'm spit-balling here.

But first, I would make sure to report this to your dealer pronto and hope that is sufficient to get it "on the record" for warranty purposes. Is the dealer far away?

I have a couple of questions.

You said your battery is at 12 volts. That's only 50% SOC. Was the trailer plugged in while you were away on business? If so, then there is a problem with the charger or the inline resettable fuse between the battery and the converter was tripped. Take a look for a small box with a very small button that can usually be found within a few feet of the battery in line to the converter. Mine is underneath the trailer on the driver's side front corner.

If it was plugged in and the fuse was fine, then the converter needs to be checked for its output voltage. What converter do you have?

Those breakers were off for a reason. Did you ever find out why? Low voltage, a spike, etc. Do you have the system on a surge protecter?

Snowman53 · 09-27-2012, 10:38 AM

I will search out the in line fuse between the battery and the charger tonight. It would be great if that were the issue. I will also stop at the dealer this weekend and pick up a surge protector, even though I have no idea that a surge actually caused the problem. Thankfully my dealer is nearby (12 miles) and very helpful.

Snowman53 · 09-28-2012, 12:10 PM

Mystery solved. Fixes TBD. I have the electrician out doing some new construction wiring in our house today and I asked him to check out the RV circuit that they installed for me this spring. Turns out it was wired 240 volt instead of 120. Hence the breakers operating, microwave getting toasted, etc. Nice to know the gremlin mystery is solved but I do have to wonder why the breakers did not protect the microwave. Also have to wonder why I was able to close them back in and they held at 240 volts. These are things to discuss with the dealer. The electrician is an experienced guy with a well known firm in Rochester. He agreed to reimburse us for any damage. Unfortunately that means the TT is done for the season but at least I know what is going on.

TURBS · 09-28-2012, 12:14 PM

oh my ! You know I thought about this and almost asked but never questioned that the outlet be 220 ! wish I would have now .
your lucky if nothing was harmed in this deal.
others in recent past spent thouasands on replacement electronics !

this happens more than you think !

Turbs

**wmtire** · 09-28-2012, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

this happens more than you think !

Turbs

Turbs is right. I think this about the fourth one just posted here in the last six weeks or so IIRC, where an electrician wired it wrong.

Hate to hear it.

Lou was good enough to place a sticky post on how to correctly wire a 30 amp rv outlet, located here:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...let-27223.html

You might want to print it out, to doublecheck any future work.

This is another good case in point for others to read, where utilizing a good surge protector would have saved the day.

Snowman53 · 09-28-2012, 12:44 PM

Thanks all! I will print the wiring diagram and double check when I get home today. The dealer suggested finding (I have one someplace..) or buying a circuit tester as well. Nice thing is the electrician immediately admitted their mistake and agreed to pay whatever is needed to make it right. Biggest issue now is my TT will be out of service during the best part of the camping season.

**wmtire** · 09-28-2012, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman53

Thanks all! I will print the wiring diagram and double check when I get home today. The dealer suggested finding (I have one someplace..) or buying a circuit tester as well. Nice thing is the electrician immediately admitted their mistake and agreed to pay whatever is needed to make it right. Biggest issue now is my TT will be out of service during the best part of the camping season.

Snowman, the same site that has the info on how to wire a 30 amp outlet, also has advice on using circuit testers (or building your own).

You can check out this link to read the information (on 30 and 50 amp services), and then click the outlet testing tab on the left.

On this new page, click on the link on how to build a 30 amp tester (if not using the all-in-one digital meter) near the bottom. It's good to have something like these to check campground pedestals also.

Hope it helps you avoid any future mishaps.

RV Electric

MillerTime · 09-28-2012, 10:38 PM

If you have an electrician hook up service a safe bet is to have them install a 50 amp service and use a 50-30 amp adapter. Thankfully I did this otherwise I would have fried my trailer. The 50 amp is what everyone is use to installing(usually 220v) for appliance) so every electrician is going to hook a 30 amp for 220 (like a typical home hot water heater is) unless you specify 120 service (which most are not use to installing) .

Plus you have the service for that next trailer, even though "this is the last one"!!!!

Snowman53 · 10-01-2012, 09:57 AM

Thanks to all for the insightful advice. You folks plus a very helpful dealer and an very apologetic electrician have eased my concerns. Now a question. Since the dealer can't get to my TT until next week at the earliest I am considering using the trailer this weekend. The 110V circuits seem undamaged from the 220V experience with the exception of the microwave, the big refrigerator, and the battery charger. The small outside refrigerator is fine. Outlets are fine. I have been operating 12V systems on the battery all weekend and doing fine. Any reason why I should not proceed with a camping weekend? I would run the refrigerator on propane and bring a digital car charger along. My thought would be to connect the car charger on an auxillary 110V source (even one of the trailer outlets once plugged into a 30 amp source). The charger rate has settings for 2 amps, 10 amps, and 15 amps. I usually use 2 amps but could bump that up if I am running short of battery. It also shuts off when the battery is fully charged. Would this potentially cause problems with the 12V system? I am thinking the fusing in the panel combined with the digital charger should provide adequate protection. Advice?

jimh · 10-01-2012, 10:53 AM

i wouldn't have any problem with it. if the charging system in the trailer (converter) was undamaged, it should carry the load w/o a spare charger.

TURBS · 10-01-2012, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman53

Thanks to all for the insightful advice. You folks plus a very helpful dealer and an very apologetic electrician have eased my concerns. Now a question. Since the dealer can't get to my TT until next week at the earliest I am considering using the trailer this weekend. The 110V circuits seem undamaged from the 220V experience with the exception of the microwave, the big refrigerator, and the battery charger. The small outside refrigerator is fine. Outlets are fine. I have been operating 12V systems on the battery all weekend and doing fine. Any reason why I should not proceed with a camping weekend? I would run the refrigerator on propane and bring a digital car charger along. My thought would be to connect the car charger on an auxillary 110V source (even one of the trailer outlets once plugged into a 30 amp source). The charger rate has settings for 2 amps, 10 amps, and 15 amps. I usually use 2 amps but could bump that up if I am running short of battery. It also shuts off when the battery is fully charged. Would this potentially cause problems with the 12V system? I am thinking the fusing in the panel combined with the digital charger should provide adequate protection. Advice?

You'll be fine doing what you ask !
Have fun this weekend!

Turbs

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