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RVRon · 04-10-2016, 05:24 PM

I went to the coach this afternoon and found it with no shore power even though it was plugged into a 20 amp circuit that was live. I have a Progressive HW50C surge protector hard wired immediately after my shore power reel. There is no power at the HW50C.
Now the plot thickens; I just had the entire power reel replaced at my dealer due to an intermittent power issue, drove the coach home from Florida, plugged it I and all was ok. I have not moved the coach since then and now there is this issue. In my mind, I have to believe that the connection to the new reel made by the dealer failed somehow while the coach was sitting still. Unlikely but who can argue with the facts. Before I waste time pulling out the reel, is there anything I could be missing or not considering? Oh, this is the view alongside the reel. Note the uncrimped crimp connector

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Any input appreciated.

unw1red · 04-10-2016, 05:54 PM

Have you checked that the shore power size is set to 20A and not the 50A default?

Skip426 · 04-10-2016, 06:03 PM

Those crimp connectors are for 12v wiring only and if the red wire starts back at red block connector at the left edge of the picture, someone may have just used the connector to dead head the wire rather than remove it.
Was the whole power cord replaced or just the power reel ?
I'd suspect bad wire or connections , where the cord attaches to the reel or the slip rings in the reel or the cord connections from the reel to the surge guard.

NOTE: I have at least 5 of those unused wiring connectors under my dash.

RVRon · 04-10-2016, 06:26 PM

There's no power whatsoever in the coach and yes it was set to 20 amps.
The entire reel and cord assembly was replaced. I figured that was a dead head in the picture as well.

Skip426 · 04-10-2016, 06:36 PM

Did the new reel come with the wiring from the hub to the surge guard ?
Or did the installer re-use the original?

RVRon · 04-10-2016, 07:00 PM

I don't know Skip. I was watching in the shop and then the shop manager made me go to the waiting room. When I was allowed to take the coach out, the tech was no where to be found.

Scottybdivin · 04-10-2016, 07:10 PM

It's just a process of elimination. Do you have a multi-meter and know how to use it? If so, start at the pedestal, then the shore side of the transfer switch. If you don't have power there, work you way back toward shore power and find the last place where it is present. If you do check the coach side of the transfer switch. Transfer switches can go bad if you are having intermittent electrical problems like you had with your reel. I had to replace two of them in my previous RV, and it turned out to tbe a loose connection from the generator that caused them to fail.

Old Scout · 04-10-2016, 07:18 PM

Kind of hard to mess up 50 amp wire connections unless they used too small wire nuts and they have come loose. Since you are going from 50 amp to 20 amp, think I would double check the dog bone adaptors one by one to see if power is getting thru...

C.Martin · 04-11-2016, 05:36 AM

Might trip the 20 amp breaker....rotate the reel a few inches...and reset the breaker. I'm wondering if your new reel has a dead spot. If that's not the answer...There is a bad connection somewhere before your HW50...or it would light up and give you a reason for not transferring power to the coaches transfer switch. If it was telling you it had good power...then the transfer switch would be my next place to go...but it obviously hasn't gotten that far yet.

Long Island Mac · 04-11-2016, 05:48 AM

To eliminate the surge protector from the problem, You could take the cover off the surge protector. I have a Progressive 50 hard wired. The board went bad. There should be a small light inside. Should be green. Red..bad. Progressive replaced board, showed me how to by-pass until new board came. No protection, but was on road, needed power.

GaryKD · 04-11-2016, 09:47 AM

Hi RVRon,
Scottybdivin's post is the answer. Track to where power is lost. There will be the guilty component.

BPoland · 04-11-2016, 10:22 AM

When you said it was working before, was that on a 120 circuit with the adapter, or on a 50 amp circuit.

Does your adapter have any kind of fuse in it?

If the adapter that you are using doesn't supply power to both legs, the Progressive Surge Protector will not engage. Also, if the voltage is low, the progressive will not engage. But, If that happens, you will hear a clicking as it engages and kicks off due to the low voltage. Check the adapter! It's hard to believe that after surviving the trip from the dealer and working, it just stops.

As others have said,

Check the power at the outlet or post
Verify the voltage
Verify the adapter

If the voltage is good to the reel and the adapter checks out ok, the reel would be the next step, but as I said, since it worked at first. Does the Reel have a breaker or a fuse?