15 amp fuse keeps blowing

[Ghenry66]

The #2 15 amp fuse for the kitchen in my 2016 Flagstaff Shamrock keeps blowing when on battery power. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[bikendan]

It would help idpf you posted which Shamrock model you have.
The #2 fuse may vary by model.

[swampdonkey772]

Is that for the lights? Did you change the bulbs. Could be that they are double pole and you changed them with a single pole

[rracer5]

Does it blow right away as soon as you put a new one in? Or, does it take awhile or only blow when you try to turn on what ever is on that circuit?

[Ghenry66]

It arcs and blows right away

[Ghenry66]

I did not replace the lights

[tosh99]

Pull fuse out then use voltmeter.


First, check to see if there is 12vdc on one side of the fuse holder, with fuse out of course. Never have meter in resistance mode while looking for voltage source.


If fuse is glowing, blowing when you place a new fuse in then there is obviously a fairly solid ground source on the other side of the fuse holder. If you know what that fuse is for, you can start eliminating things in that circuit until you find the grounded source.



If electricity is not your thing, I would take it to a reputable shop. Maybe someplace like an automotive shop that specializes in car electronics and by that I mean not the dealers.

[Bama Rambler]

It might also help if you'd post a pic of the fuses. Especially if there's any kind of label on the panel.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Ghenry66

It arcs and blows right away

Then you have a "dead short" somewhere in that circuit. Finding it will be a challenge.

[Ghenry66]

Thanks may have to take to a dealer

[bikendan]

Hey, 21SS owners! Can you give the OP a hand?

[tosh99]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

It might also help if you'd post a pic of the fuses. Especially if there's any kind of label on the panel.

All the labels on my fuse panel are labeled via hand written style. I'll just leave it at that.

[tosh99]

Originally Posted by Ghenry66

Thanks may have to take to a dealer

Of course it's your choice but I have found through experience that many automotive dealers have no clue when it comes to trouble shooting electrical problems. It's too time consuming and a lot of times out of the spectrum of knowledge of their "mechanics".


I had one dealer that wanted to replace the entire wiring harness in my truck to "fix" a problem. I took it to an automotive electrical repair specialty shop and they had it fixed in under an hour for less than $20. This was many years ago but it was still cheaper and more effective than a new harness!


Can you make sure everything is turned off in the kitchen before you place a new fuse in it?

[Ghenry66]

Thanks tosh I will make everything is of before I replace the fuse.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Ghenry66

Thanks tosh I will make everything is of before I replace the fuse.

If it still blows after making sure EVERYTHING on that circuit is off then, the + wire in that circuit has been pinched/chaffed/broken & is making contact with metal therefore creating a ground/short.

If the circuit relates to lights in the RV then, you could take each light down and inspect the connections. Sometimes the splices/crimp connectors come apart and a wire may be touching something grounded or touching the - wire in that circuit.

[TranceX2]

Bummer, tracking a shorted wire can be difficult and often it is easier to run an entirely new line under a camper or along the frame instead. My campground host has a new 5th wheel with a bad short which has been back to the dealer twice. Probably a wall or roof screw that shorted the wiring in his situation. He is furious and not willing to drive 7 hours back to the dealer for another fix attempt and is hoping FR will send and pay for an onsite tech.

Good luck with your situation.

[larryandamy]

You have something drawing more than 15A. If it arcs and blows immediately then it is probably a direct short due to a component failing or a wire shorting to ground somewhere. The way to troubleshoot this is to disconnect all loads on this fuse circuit and then add them back one by one. When the fuse blows at reconnection of a load, then that is the load drawing excessive current. Not easy because you need a schematic to see what is on that circuit and then locating the wires and components. If a wire harness short is the cause, then cut that wire out of circuit and run a bypass wire. This is troubleshooting 101. Good luck. You will need a voltmeter...

[5picker]

Just a couple quick questions....
Did this just start happening or has it been this way a while?
What made you notice the fuse was blown? Did a specific light or fan not work?
Did you recently add something you would have used a screw or nail?
Did you move a slide or any other part of the unit?
Was any other part of the unit worked on for something?

[pdqparalegal1]

First, what doesn't work when that fuse blows? Is there a "slide"?

The lights in my slide would not work after moving the slide in or out. Would blow the fuse for the slide lights. There was a bare spot on the hot wire that fed those lights. I removed the plastic under cover and repaired the wire, added length to it as well as adding protection to the wires. So far so good. Untill I found it, I could replace the fuse after moving slide in or out. Safe as long as it was stationary! Hope you find it.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by larryandamy

You have something drawing more than 15A. If it arcs and blows immediately then it is probably a direct short due to a component failing or a wire shorting to ground somewhere. The way to troubleshoot this is to disconnect all loads on this fuse circuit and then add them back one by one. When the fuse blows at reconnection of a load, then that is the load drawing excessive current. Not easy because you need a schematic to see what is on that circuit and then locating the wires and components. If a wire harness short is the cause, then cut that wire out of circuit and run a bypass wire. This is troubleshooting 101. Good luck. You will need a voltmeter...

Not really. You really don't need a schematic (which isn't available). With the fuse blown, see what items don't work. These are all the items you must suspect.

Here is how to find the offending item without blowing a thousand fuses.
Get:

• a 12 volt bulb, incandescent, not LED ( https://www.amazon.com/Camco-41273-R...ords=1141+bulb )
• a socket for it ( https://www.amazon.com/MonkeyJack-Ba...SYST0K4PKGH09N )
• two male spade connectors ( https://www.amazon.com/Baomain-Insul...8+mm+22-16+awg )

Strip about 1/4" of insulation off the end of each lead of the socket if not already stripped. Twist the end of each lead so the wires form a helix. Then insert each wire into one of the spade terminals and crimp it with a pliers or crimping tool. Put the lamp into the socket and then plug the socket in where the fuse goes. The lamp will light. Now, one at a time, remove lamps and other items as described below. When the lamp goes out, you have found the offending component.

For every light that didn't work when the fuse was blown, remove the bulb. If the lights are LED, remove the fixture and disconnect/cut one of the wires at the back. It doesn't matter which one--with the current loop broken anywhere, the light won't draw current/blow the fuse.

For other items (range hood, ceiling fan, bath fan,) disconnect in what ever way possible. You may have to dismount the item to disconnect/cut behind it.

Don't forget to disconnect things like smoke detector, CO detector, propane detector, step lights, power awning, decorative LED strings, etc. Anything that quit working when the fuse blew.

If there are items with a remote switch, remove the switch from the wall and make sure the wiring looks okay. Check that a terminal has not fallen off the switch and is touching a metal part of the trailer.

Larry