Electrical problem

[ericwrenn]

My Rockwood by Forest River 2318g Pop-up was plugged into my household electricity when we had a power surge. It blew the outlet I was plugged into. Now, no light comes on the power lid when it is plugged in and it doesn't seem like any power is coming through.



What should I check? The cords work. I plugged into another outlet that works as well. I’ve flipped the breakers and nothing in the fuse box seems affected. Are they are different fuses that I might not know about?

The battery still powers all the DC parts.

[CHICKDOE]

i don't know your unit so I may be off a bit here. first, did you have an surge protector / ems in the power circuit? if so could it be damaged? do you have a multimeter? if it were me i'd plug into a receptacle that you know is working. then I would measure voltage at each connection. start at the other end of the power cord and prove it works. then plug into the unit and measure voltage where it enters the distribution panel. if it has power then you'll have to check each branch circuit and the devices on each branch circuit. there may be damage to individual devices but it is hard to believe that all devices would be damaged. since you say you think you are not getting power into the unit it would have to be either the shore power cable or the main wiring that brings power to the distribution panel.

[Bama Rambler]

When you say "It blew the outlet" do you mean that it actually damaged the outlet, or that it tripped the breaker feeding the outlet?

Either way, it could have also damaged the connections within the cord at either/both ends, or it could have damaged the connections at the power panel. It could have also damaged the main breaker in the power panel in the RV.

You'll have to start at the RV cable plug and work your way back until you find where the power stops.

Do you have a multimeter and know how to use it? If not, you may want to enlist the help of a friend that's electrically handy or an electrician.

[RamblerGuy]

The outlet may be on a GFI. I have a GFI in my shop that always trips when there is a power surge. If first outlet on the circuit is a GFI, try resetting it. The power must be on to reset it.

[jeff64]

If you are speaking of the led on the lid covering the power connection, mine hasn't worked for a while as do the led on the cord itself. The systems all work though. About as reliable as the black tank gauge lights. Not!

[Amartin453]

My blue led light blew on the outlet lid too. I thought the same thing “I had no more power” but after troubleshooting, I found all other electrical components worked and it was just the led light that blew out.

I purchased a new outlet because I like the indicator light, however, it’s not necessary and will probably blow again.

[5picker]

We'll need a little additional basic information...
Have you tested for voltage at the outlet with a multimeter?
Have you tested for voltage in the shore power cord where it connects to the trailer?
Have you tested for voltage at the breaker box/power center in the trailer?

[Flybob]

If you are simply going by the LED indicator light in the power connection you may not have any issue at all except that the LED burnt out as this is very common even without a surge.

[ericwrenn]

Thanks all for the responses. My electrical knowledge is pretty limited but I’m trying to learn without frying myself!

The house outlet is not gfi and it did fully blow out (it didn’t trip my breaker, but no voltage is coming out).

Connecting shore power to an outlet that does work, I did use my multimeter, which I kind of know how to use, and saw that I was getting 120 volts into my dog bone converter, out of the converter, and out of my 30 amp shore cord. I’m not sure if I might have lost continuity with a ground or something like that. I took my cords across the county and everyone swore they couldn’t test them, which doesn’t make sense to me.

Plugging into my camper, the blue light doesn’t come on, and none of the outlets inside work.

Where is the power panel and how do I test it with multimeter? Is it the fuse box below the sink or is there another panel?

Thanks for all your help, everyone!

[Amartin453]

Make sure the main Power cut off switch is on and not off, (my main power switch is near the door and radio). Also, there is another safety power cut off switch typically under your galley, so when you put it down it cuts all power off.

Just some troubleshooting tips

[ericwrenn]

Originally Posted by Amartin453

Make sure the main Power cut off switch is on and not off, (my main power switch is near the door and radio). Also, there is another safety power cut off switch typically under your galley, so when you put it down it cuts all power off.

Just some troubleshooting tips

What does that look like?

[ericwrenn]

Originally Posted by ericwrenn

What does that look like?

Like a breaker? If so, the one by the galley is on. Not sure if I have another one.

[Amartin453]

Mine looks something like this.

[ericwrenn]

Originally Posted by Amartin453

Mine looks something like this.Attachment 155930

Hmmm...maybe I have that under my trailer somewhere. I don’t think there’s any in the pop up that I’ve seen.

[Amartin453]

I have a 2016 Rockwood 2516g, I think the set up should be very similar. As soon as you step up into the camper the switch should be on the left side wall near the radio or maybe near the fire extinguisher.

[ericwrenn]

Wow—feeling stupid. I always thought that was just the exterior light switch. I’ll check tomorrow afternoon when I have some light. Thanks!

[ericwrenn]

Nasty cold rain today/tomorrow so I might not check until Thursday....

[Amartin453]

Keep us posted!

[ericwrenn]

Sorry I forgot to update. Good news is that it turned out to be a combination of two things: 1) my wife thought she pushed the gti enough to reset it but didn’t 2) the blue power light indicator must’ve blown so it seemed like it wasn’t working even after it was. All is good now (except for the blue power light). Thanks for all your input!

[Amartin453]

Good news, as you will see, most issues are really not as bad as they appear after working through them.