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05-25-2012, 12:12 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 2
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Very odd electrical issue
Hi everyone,
I was preparing our camper for a weekend trip yesterday and I plugged it into the home 110 outlet to start cooling the fridge. When I plugged it in, I noticed that the AC came on so I went in to cut it off. Well, before I got to it, it tripped a breaker in the house. I cut it off and reset the breaker.
Here's where the odd stuff started happening:
I can get power to the camper now but most of the lights and the fridge will not get power unless I turn on the light over the sink. When I turn on the light over the sink, everything seems to start working again. However if I turn the light on over the sink and then turn another light on, I can cut the light off over the sink and everything will continue to work. I've checked all fuses and breakers in the camper and all is fine. The combination of lights on / lights off to get things to work is really frustrating. Has anyone ever seen this?
thanks
Greg
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05-25-2012, 12:23 PM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 336
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Sounds like a short somewhere.
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05-25-2012, 01:38 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 456
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I'd check first for an open ground. Tripping the breaker in the house may have been a separate problem. If it is a short I'd think the breaker would not reset. Did any of the fuses in the RV blow? Turning the light on over the sink may be completing a circuit that is otherwise open -ie -an open ground. That should not be true but it sure seems like it.
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05-25-2012, 01:45 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 456
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I had to keep reading your post. It is a head scratcher. Perhaps you have a corroded connection? You should be able to find this by the heat generated (smoke!) at the bad connection. This could be on either side on the circuit. You may be able to find it with a multi-meter - test for excessive amperage (current) since resistance will be high. Worst case, may be more than one bad connection.
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05-25-2012, 01:58 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 1,987
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You have a bad neutral connection some where.
__________________
Art
1999 Trade Winds 7371 Cat 3126B w/current upgrades
1990 D 250 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo
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05-25-2012, 02:19 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 322
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__________________
scgator / South Carolina
http:/www.myyardsale.biz
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05-25-2012, 03:04 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Varies Depending on The Weather
Posts: 8,517
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You had better get yourself a Progressive Industries EMS Power System Protection Device that would have shown you to have a bad neutral when you had plugged into your circuit at home.
A bad neutral is one of the worst things for a coach. If it had happen with a 30 amp or 50 amp shore power supply, I am sure you would be replacing many electrical devices inside your coach as a result.
Very cheap insurance for protecting your coach and yourself.
Dr4Film ----- Richard
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05-25-2012, 03:12 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 1,987
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A open neutral in the coach will not show on a EMS that is between the coach and
the shore power outlet. It only looks at the power that it plugs into.
__________________
Art
1999 Trade Winds 7371 Cat 3126B w/current upgrades
1990 D 250 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo
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05-25-2012, 03:15 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 1,987
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Side Note
Unless the EMS has a EFIC to monitor its output.
__________________
Art
1999 Trade Winds 7371 Cat 3126B w/current upgrades
1990 D 250 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo
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05-25-2012, 03:34 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,696
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I wonder if the house circuit breaker was a Ground Fault type, and tripped because it sensed a problem with the RV...
__________________
John Day....|'88 Winnebago Super Chief 27ft. Class A Eastern .....|'88 KIT model 240 24 ft. 5er Oregon ......|'02 Dodge/Cummins 2500 Quad Cab
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05-25-2012, 03:42 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas
Posts: 476
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Unplug the trailer until you find the bad connection,or you might complete the circuit with your body when you reach for the door! Art.
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05-25-2012, 03:53 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,696
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ARTWERKE
Unplug the trailer until you find the bad connection,or you might complete the circuit with your body when you reach for the door! Art.
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YUP - my thinking exactly! 
And for sure, sounds like a grounding issue - I'd start by checking and tightening ALL wire connections at the main power panel of the RV, especially the grounds, and then trace those grounds down to the frame of the RV to check them as well. I had to do that on our older '88 Winnie, and ultimately, had to completely remove and re-do those frame ground returns, new connectors and all - plus grinding the frame grounding point down to clean metal, and using a good quality inhibitor to protect the connections against corrosion.
__________________
John Day....|'88 Winnebago Super Chief 27ft. Class A Eastern .....|'88 KIT model 240 24 ft. 5er Oregon ......|'02 Dodge/Cummins 2500 Quad Cab
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05-26-2012, 07:22 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 2
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Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions. We went ahead and went to the campground and haven't had any problems while connected to the 30amp plug at the site. I wonder if it's just a problem while plugged into the 110 at home. Could there be a difference that may cause that?
Thanks again
Greg.
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05-26-2012, 07:58 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 1,987
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Moving the unit down the road may have caused a loose connection to make contact
again until the next time.
__________________
Art
1999 Trade Winds 7371 Cat 3126B w/current upgrades
1990 D 250 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo
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