Electrical Issue. Holiday Ruined!

[twochicksandarv]

Attempted to go camping in our 2015 Sunseeker 3010DS over the holidays. First night the power went out. We were plugged into shore power (30amp). Only thing powered on was the tv. We were able to reset and the power was restored until the next day. This time, the tv was on and when we went to use the microwave the power went out again. Tried previous methods to restore and nothing worked. Checked the surge protector and it showed normal conditions. We decided to unplug our cord from our coach and was surprised to find that it was burnt. Holiday trip came to an abrupt end! Please see pics. Has anyone experience this?

[sgtlm17]

I have seen that when the plug is damaged creating heat. Looks like you will need to replace the coach plug receptacle and the power cord. Is your surge protector at the pedastol your hardwired?

[Awilson]

Originally Posted by sgtlm17

I have seen that when the plug is damaged creating heat. Looks like you will need to replace the coach plug receptacle and the power cord. Is your surge protector at the pedastol your hardwired?

X2. ^^^

[llr]

if there is any RV dealer / parts store in your area you should at least be able to find enough for a temporary fix. I had the plug end melt once and just used the generator over night and got a plug the next day.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by sgtlm17

Is your surge protector at the pedastol your hardwired?

I think I see it on the ground in the second picture.

Depending on your skill set or maybe a mobile RV tech, this can can be repaired fairly easily, so you could continue your trip. The hardest thing may be finding the parts this close to Christmas.

Are you close to a Camping World, or RV dealer?

[sgtlm17]

It is an easy fix. I replaced the receptacle on my coach in less than 15 minutes. Three screws removes it from coach and the connections are right there. As noted the trick is finding a replacememt.

[jrwalkerpa1]

Yes, I had the exact same thing happen last summer. We never lost power but discovered the issue when we smelled it. The cord was fused on.

In our case, when I removed the burnt plug, the screws on the bank were so lose the wires barely were in the plug. My theory is the loose wires caused the heat.

FYI...ours is also a 2015 3010

[ependydad]

Two Chicks, have you abandoned your trip already? Don't let this hassle ruin it! A mobile RV tech can typically come to the rescue or give it a whirl on your own. Worst cast scenario, do you have a generator? Just run off of your own power until you can get a proper fix.

But don't let it ruin the trip. Trust me when I tell you- I seem to have trouble following me and we try to not let it get us down. Just ask me about getting stuck last weekend in a Walmart parking on a Sunday needing a mobile mechanic and a leaf spring replaced!

[Flybob]

overheated prong most likely due to a loose connection on either the power cord or back side of the trailer mounted male. Many times it is on the trailer side. If the connections are not tight, high current draw will cause the connector lug to heat up. Eventually it can arc and eat away the lug.

[TheGerman]

Originally Posted by Flybob

overheated prong most likely due to a loose connection on either the power cord or back side of the trailer mounted male. Many times it is on the trailer side. If the connections are not tight, high current draw will cause the connector lug to heat up. Eventually it can arc and eat away the lug.

Agree, seeing that the whole blade terminal came out and the wire is still visible in the hole there's a good chance it wasn't tightened down properly.

[andymil]

Wow! That sucks. Makes me want to check the connections on mine.

Best of luck to you. I hope you can get it repaired so you can enjoy your holiday.

[twochicksandarv]

Thanks for all the responses! We will hopefully be able to resume the trip if we can get a mobile tech to assist and replace the parts. The surge protector was attached to the pedestal and displaying normal conditions. We are relatively new to this so our skill set is pretty low right now. This forum has been a lifesaver!

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by twochicksandarv

Thanks for all the responses! We will hopefully be able to resume the trip if we can get a mobile tech to assist and replace the parts. The surge protector was attached to the pedestal and displaying normal conditions. We are relatively new to this so our skill set is pretty low right now. This forum has been a lifesaver!

Awesome! I'm glad you didn't abandon ship. The first thing to do is find a mobile RV tech- go up to the campground office and ask who they recommend (or have cards for). If they don't have any or you aren't in a RV park, call the next closest campground. My wife made 10-12 calls on Sunday tracking down a mobile mechanic.

The next thing you'll need to do is start calling RV dealers and parts places in the area. You'll need the "doohickey that the power cord plugs into on the RV". They should be able to steer you in the direction if they have it or not. That can give you something to do while waiting for the mobile RV tech.

You got this!

Where are you located currently? Maybe a member is from near there and can make recommendations.

[Flybob]

When you have it fixed, be sure to tell the tech he needs to cut the burnt wire back enough to get to undamaged wire.

[jrwalkerpa1]

Originally Posted by Flybob

When you have it fixed, be sure to tell the tech he needs to cut the burnt wire back enough to get to undamaged wire.

Yes, agreed. When I replaced mine, I had to cut back about 4 inches to get past the burned insulation on the wires. Fortunately, there was almost 12 inches of extra wire in the wall.

It's really a very easy repair once you have the new parts if you have even the most basic knowledge of wiring...... if you can't easily locate a mobile tech. Of course, I'm not suggesting you try something you aren't comfortable doing either.....

[Steve-W]

Originally Posted by Old Forester

Your plug is referred to as an L6-30 R for 30 amps and no neutral - typically found in RV and Generator use. It is a 230v AC plug, meaning it has two 115v legs and a ground. This plug can support two 115v AC circuits, typically, one would be the Airconditioner and an outlet and the other could be the microwave and other AC outlets in the RV. Another even more common distribution is Air and MW on one 115v side and all other outlets on the other side and a prohibition about running the MW with the Air on.
The fact that is is so burned is alarming. This indicates to me a High Leg/Low Leg situation which commonly occurs with a lost ground or neutral in the supply pedestal. You say the inline current analyzer shows everything in the pedestal to be in working order but I wonder. Somewhere - there is enough resistance to cause a burnt/melted lug. You need to put a good multimeter (VOM) Volt-Ohm-Meter in the AC Volts mode and then across various outlets in the RV and make sure they all read at least 110/115v. Use the same meter to check both sides of the pedestal for 115v as well, but realize, many issues do not show up til a load is applied. Voltage may read fine on the pedastal unloaded, but attach a load and the restistance shoots up.
It is possible that wire connection(s) behind THE Main Distribution Panel (where the breakers are in the RV) is/are loose and could arc. This could also cause the same burnt plug result as a bad pedestal in the RV park you are staying at. However, bad supply side, (pedestals) r park power distribution are 80% of the time, the reason for electrical problems - Not Your RV. The RV park problem could even be a bad transformer ground in the park which could lead to several pedastals having a High/Low problem.

This is a serious enough issue that I would, at the very least, ask to switch sites and expect it to go away, or have the RV checked over as soon as possible by a respected electrical person who understands arcing, under load, and knows where to look for bad connections IN YOUR RV. Fixing the plug is easy. Finding the root cause may not be.

The above info is completly wrong.
This coach is a 30 amp system. The connector on the coach is a NEMA L5-30R. The 3 connections are hot, netural, & ground. This is a 120 VAC single phase system.
All the coaches appliances and plugs are fed off the same line. The issue is not campsite related but was caused by a loose wire in either of the mating connectors or due to a over stressed and relaxed contact in the connector. The solution is to simply replace both connectors with the appropriate replacement connectors. For a short term fix remove both affected connectors and use the correct size wire nuts to connect each the 3 wires from the connectors together. Again this is a short term fix unless they are properly secured into a permanently mounted junction box.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

The above info is completly wrong.
This coach is a 30 amp system. The connector on the coach is a NEMA L5-30R. The 3 connections are hot, netural, & ground. This is a 120 VAC single phase system.
All the coaches appliances and plugs are fed off the same line. The issue is not campsite related but was caused by a loose wire in either of the mating connectors or due to a over stressed and relaxed contact in the connector. The solution is to simply replace both connectors with the appropriate replacement connectors. For a short term fix remove both affected connectors and use the correct size wire nuts to connect each the 3 wires from the connectors together. Again this is a short term fix unless they are properly secured into a permanently mounted junction box.

Thanks Steve, I had just read the above post you quoted via my mobile app and was trying to get to a computer to post the info you provided and correct it.

ALL RV services have a neutral (whether they are 30 amp or 50 amp).

Old Forester was correct in that a L6-30 doesn't have a neutral, but that is not the NEMA connection a RV uses, as it is a L5-30 WITH a neutral. ALWAYS WITH A NEUTRAL

Here is a schematic we now keep in the FAQ section of the forums that shows the 120 volt L5-30 wiring for a RV...as well as the 240 volt L6-30 (non RV)

Although the L5-30 and L6-30 look kinda similar, there are differences in the prong placements that you can see in the schematic. It would be easy to mis-identify these similar connections at first glance.

The "L" designation just simply means "locking" or twistlocking. Not all RV's have a twistlock connection with the shore power cord.

[houstonstroker]

Wow, Old Forester is so far off base that it would be dangerous to follow his lead. There are no RVs sold in the US that don not have a neutral. It sounds like he is referring to an old dryer plug. 30 Amp RVs have three wires hot, neutral and ground. 50 amp RVs have 4 wires, hot, hot, neutral and ground.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by houstonstroker

Wow, Old Forester is so far off base that it would be dangerous to follow his lead. There are no RVs sold in the US that don not have a neutral. It sounds like he is referring to an old dryer plug. 30 Amp RVs have three wires hot, neutral and ground. 50 amp RVs have 4 wires, hot, hot, neutral and ground.

It's all good now. That's what most of us are here to do, share our collective knowledge and learn. If something is not exactly correct, then we share what is the correct answer so others can learn. It's all part of the learning/education experience to make us all better RV'ers..... and the main point of our forums.

As I stated in my previous post, it would be real easy to mis-identify these similar connections at first glance.

[Old Forester]

Oh, oh... I agree with gentlemen recognizing the Residential/RV config is straight 115v only, my bad. I removed the post - Sorry to have mislead about there being 2-115v legs as in a drier. My 1985 airstream is a hybrid 220v now - not a good example and our Windjammer came with dual AC and a 50-amp service. However, I will stick by the point that electrical issues are usually because the park supply is messed up.