Help I may blown an converter......

[James.Bolton]

Long story short I mis red my house plug and it was 30a 240 and not 30 am 120 even though when I installed the plug it only read 120 when I check it and it was 120 at my outdoor plug on the trailer, but this time it was 240 I was confused but got that sorted. But I had the trailer plugged at 240 for a while but my 30 amp panel did not trip, but I am afraid that I may have broke my converter I have no 12v lights with the correct power. Help

[nomad297]

You probably “blew” more than just your converter, but from what you are saying, I would say you definitely “blew” your converter if your RV is setup for a 30amp service.

Bruce

[5picker]

Yes, you likely damaged the converter and anything else that might have 120v to it when plugged in such as the microwave or a fireplace.

[PhilFromMaine]

This subject was also the subject of a thread just a week ago. Your problem is not uncommon.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...et-231733.html

[tomkatb]

The good news is likely the converter blowing, the 12 stuff is likely fine.

However the 120 volt ac appliances could be in the same position.

You have to check each of them carefully for full function. 0 to thousands of damage is possible. Carefully check the fridge. It could have been operating on electricity, not propane.

Order the new converter.

[Thomas ho]

pull converter out , it will show burned capacitor or other damage. i got mine on ebay . mine exploded and sparks ,smoke ,

[rsdata]

WOW...

even though when I installed the plug it only read 120 when I check it and it was 120 at my outdoor plug on the trailer, but this time it was 240 I was confused but got that sorted

plugs don't change themselves from 120 to 240 when your not looking... they have to be wired that way...

[llamb]

Originally Posted by James.Bolton

Long story short I mis red my house plug and it was 30a 240 and not 30 am 120 even though when I installed the plug it only read 120 when I check it and it was 120 at my outdoor plug on the trailer, but this time it was 240 I was confused but got that sorted. But I had the trailer plugged at 240 for a while but my 30 amp panel did not trip, but I am afraid that I may have broke my converter I have no 12v lights with the correct power. Help

Sounds like you measured it wrong, hot(L1) to ground would be 120V, as would the what should be neutral(L2) to ground. Hot to that same would be neutral would have been 240V instead of 120V.

Who wired the outlet? If it was a qualified professional, they should have insurance coverage for this sort of neglect. Is the receptacle a 30TT? It should clearly state 30A 120V for RV use only. If it goes back to a double pole breaker at the panel, that tells you all you need to know.

If you'd had used an EMS (Higher end surge protector), it would have caught this and saved your rig. Hopefully nothing more than the converter, but you're entire AC side would need checked out for other possible damage.

[NJKris]

when I installed the plug

I assume this means the OP installed the outlet. I never heard anyone say when they plugged in the cord that they 'installed' it.

[James.Bolton]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

The good news is likely the converter blowing, the 12 stuff is likely fine.

However the 120 volt ac appliances could be in the same position.

You have to check each of them carefully for full function. 0 to thousands of damage is possible. Carefully check the fridge. It could have been operating on electricity, not propane.

Order the new converter.

The only thing that turned on was the microwave and it works. The fridge was off and the ac unit was off.

[James.Bolton]

Originally Posted by Thomas ho

pull converter out , it will show burned capacitor or other damage. i got mine on ebay . mine exploded and sparks ,smoke ,

I looked at it and nothing looks damaged no smell of burnt. I am going to do more checking today.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by James.Bolton

I looked at it and nothing looks damaged no smell of burnt. I am going to do more checking today.

Testing a converter is really an easy task. Make sure you have 120 volts ac coming in, and 13+ volts dc on the output side WHILE DISCONNECTED from battery.

If not, check reverse polarity fuses. If bad replace then check again. It's a simple "works, doesn't work" situation. Don't replace until you perform this test.

[James.Bolton]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

The good news is likely the converter blowing, the 12 stuff is likely fine.

However the 120 volt ac appliances could be in the same position.

You have to check each of them carefully for full function. 0 to thousands of damage is possible. Carefully check the fridge. It could have been operating on electricity, not propane.

Order the new converter.

The fridge was off at the switches. At the end of the season I turned all switches off.

[James.Bolton]

No visible black marks or smell from it. I am however not getting 12 to 13 v to the 12v side..... can the fuse in the last picture be replaced?

[James.Bolton]

Originally Posted by Thomas ho

pull converter out , it will show burned capacitor or other damage. i got mine on ebay . mine exploded and sparks ,smoke ,

See pictures I added

[llamb]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I assume this means the OP installed the outlet. I never heard anyone say when they plugged in the cord that they 'installed' it.

Very likely Kris. But he did say plug and likely meant receptacle/outlet. And we also know, even hiring a professional yields a mixed bag. Hopefully the OP isn't out a ton in the end.

[NJKris]

Not sure what that fuse is for, but with the opaque tube you can't see if it's blown. Funny, usually that sort of fuse is held on each end by a little clip, but to me it looks soldered to board? Here's a nice little piece on how to check out your converter:
https://www.rvingknowhow.com/how-to-...verter-is-bad/

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by James.Bolton

No visible black marks or smell from it. I am however not getting 12 to 13 v to the 12v side..... can the fuse in the last picture be replaced?

It's possible the fuse was blown by the surge. Easy to test with Multimeter. Set to lowest "Ohm" range and touch both ends of fuse at same time. Should show as close to zero resistance as possible.

Can also apply 120 vac to input wires then measure voltage across the fuse. If it's good it should show only a few milivolts, max (this is merely the voltage drop across the fuse which is normal). An open fuse will show full voltage, in this case 120 vac.

If the fuse is open, replacing it might be all the converter needs to be resurrected from the dead.

[James.Bolton]

I just finished charging my batteries and hooked them back to the system and now the fridge turns on I thought it was 120v or propane. I have removed the converter pending more investigation and or replacement anyone got ideas about this?

[NJKris]

If fridge is set to auto, it will fire up on propane when batteries are connected and no shore power. How this happened with no converter is a mystery to me, as you still need 12v to fridge. BTW, I would have all power shut off messing around down there, including 12v.