Help a Newbie please

[shortyroc]

first hi to everyone, my wife and i are new to this and have never been in a MH before.
We just had a 1995 Mountain Aire 38 footer given to us by my dad he never used it and has no clue about any of it.
we had it in the drive way for the last 4 days checking everything out and we were using the generator to power everything in unit since i don't have a hook up yet for it
everything electrical wise was working great untill this morning,

i went out to do more experimenting this time i went out turned on the generator then turned on the fridge put it on auto and turned on the heater in front section. at this time i thought i would try out the propane and water heater to make sure it all worked.
i checked the fresh water tank to see if it had water left in it as i had put water in it the day beforeand i had noticed a leak, it still had a 1/4 tank so i turned on the water heater, then switched the fridge to gas then switched the front heater to gas, no probs yet, then i went to the bedroom and turned the heater on back there and put it on gas after about 3 or 4 minutes later all heck broke loose and it all shut down the generator was still running but no power any where i have power when i start the engine but i now have nothing when i just have the generator on, the generator starts right up no problems but thats it no elctrical power anywhere.
any ideas or suggestions.

[Flagelpater]

Not sure what unit you have but I would first check the circuit breakers right on the GenSet. Make sure the bypass to the water heater is not selected to "ByPass" before you turn On the water heater. Water in the main tank is not enough, make sure you have water in the water heater! If the CB at the GenSet has tripped, turn all loads Off and then select them again, one at a time, to try and isolate the problem area.

[shortyroc]

it is a onan 6500 genset
i dont see any breakers on the genset itself, but i did check the fuses and breaker box in bedroom and nothing is tripped and fuse looked good

[dajudge]

Welcome to irv2 Shortyroc. Your problem may be a tripped breaker on the gen set. There should be two of them. If that is not your problem, it could be the voltage regulator on the gen set or your transfer switch where your power cord ties in to the mh.

Again, welcome to irv2. Post often and ask questions. Remember, there are no stupid questions.

[Chuck 1935]

I would agree that it could be a fuse or breaker. BUT The most important thing you can do, after you get it all back up and running is CHECK THE DATE CODE ON THE TIRES. If they are five years or older they are probably shot from sitting. Check the following web site on how to do it.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=11

[dajudge]

Shorty, the breakers are on the side of the genset itself, not the engine.

[shortyroc]

you guys are great thanks.
here i was looking for big breakers and it was just 2 little on/off switches almost did not see them, but one was tripped i turned it back on and i got power
sorry if the question was stupid but i never had any experience with rv and there are not any manuals here with it.
thanks for the advice chuck but my dad had new tires put on it before we drove it here.
now to isolate why it tripped.
thanks again everyone

[Chuck 1935]

Shorty, The fun has just begun !! This is probably the best site to get information and help that I have ever found. Never be worried about asking stupid questions. We have all been there, anyway, we could use a good laugh at your expense.
If you ask, you might find someone that has or knows how to get a set of manuals.
Sounds like you are a lucky guy with a great Dad.

[Superslif]

You said it was a 95' and not used. What was it's storage history? Was it just sitting for 10+ years. First off, the whole fresh water system is going to have to be flushed....

[shortyroc]

sorry superslif
it is a used 95 my dad bought it last may but never used it due to his health problems
so he let me have it(Christmas all over again) it was owned by one owner before and has 32000 miles on it, the inside looks almost new with no damage or scratch that we can see. the water system is my next project, the valve for the city hook up leaks and i think there is another leak somewhere else. as far as sanitizing it i was looking at that but do not know where to put it in.
the water system is what i believe caused the generator to trip in the first place since it is the only thing that i have not turned back on and everything is fine again.
now to figure out how the gas heat works. lol

[Superslif]

OK good start. Since you said your RV know-how is very basic, we'll start slow. As far as the the water system, you have two ways to get water. #1 is a 3/4" hose fitting that should be labeled "City Water" you would attach a garden hose to it for constant water pressure. One word of advice here, most RV'ers will screw on a pressure regulator at the water source to limit the pressure going into the coach at I believe 65 PSI. You don't want 100 PSI pressured water blowing out fittings inside the coach. You can get one of these for $5 at Walmart.

#2 Usually somewhere else on the side of the coach (Mine is on the otherside of the trailer) there will be a opening where you can fill a fresh water tank. From this tank which can run anywhere from 50 - 100 gallons on a coach, a 12 volt pump will pump water to your faucets inside the coach when needed. There will be a switch inside the coach to activate the pump. When your not in the coach make sure you turn the switch off, especially if your not sure if there are any leaks. :Note If you are using method #1 (City Water) you will not need to turn the switch on for the pump. At least that is the way it works in trailers. If you are searching for leaks using the 12 pump method, the water will be at a lower PSI.

Now onto the hotwater tank. I'm going to assume it is like my trailer. Near the hotwater tank, there will be 2 or 3 valves. Mine has 3 valves. To get water into the tank to fill up and then heat up you must turn 2 of the valves (one to let fresh water in & the other to let heated water out. But most will have a by-pass valve. If both of the other valves are turned off, water can't get into the hotwater heater to heat up. Some systems have a 3rd valve between the two that you will then keep open to "by-pass" the water heater. If you locate these I would first use the by-pass to search for and leaks thru-out the coach.

Water is any RV'ers worst enemy...either from water system leaks or roof and window leaks into the walls and floor.

[Flagelpater]

I think your water system is 12 volt except for the water heater. If you do not have any water in the heater when you turn it On I would expect the 110 volt breaker to pop before the GenSet breaker. The Air Conditioners take about 3 minutes before they turn On after you select them On. Don't let this delay confuse you in your troubleshooting, one item at a time. Also, the GenSet most probably will not run with less than 1/4 tank, while VERY level, if it is not LP.

[shortyroc]

No thats what i am talking about thanks superslif and flagelpater, i will go tommorrow and check the water system and the water heater and let you know. thanks for the help

["007"]

Welcome shortyroc to the Newmar forum.
Congrats on your new to you Newmar.
The Quick Tips link will get you into info that maybe helpful to you as you work thru your coach.
Post as many questions as need be until you have all the info you need we were all learners at one time.