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Old 09-10-2013, 07:22 PM   #43
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The way mine went out was a little odd. I went to my rv to clean it and ran the a/c for about 20 min to have a cool place to work. I shut it off then. I vacuumed. I put the vacuum away an worked in the rig for 5 more min and left and the power was still on. I come back 30 min later and its burnt up. No smell no reason. I had 2 different high amp appliances running (not at the same time) and all was well. Later on with no load it cooks. Also it never tripped a breaker in the coach or the house. Seems strange to me
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Old 09-10-2013, 08:43 PM   #44
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Use IR thermometer to check for electric and other problems

I have found several loose electrical connections in my RV using an IR Thermometer I got from Harbor Freight several years ago. It beats taking things apart, 'just to check'. It is the singular best trouble shooting tool I have ever found. I have a hair dryer that is about 1200 watts. I plug it in turn it on and check the temp of the wall outlet. If I see less than a 5 degree increase in the temp of the outlet, I move on to the next outlet. Now I only do random checks of often used outlets, but when I first got this rig I went through every outlet with the hair dryer and IR gun. I found several outlets with loose screws. When I did the test on the GFI outlet in the bathroom, it went to over 180 degrees in seconds and when I took it apart one side of the outlet was brown from the heat. I put in a new one and had 0 degree increase running the hair dryer. I also found 3 loose connections on circuit breakers. To use the IR gun effectively the thing you are checking has to be working close to it maximum. I keep a close eye on the wheel hub temps to make sure the brakes on my W22 are not dragging. It also works better than a big stick to check for a low tire. after driving for an hour or more, I check the tire temps. Both front tires should be about the same temp and then I compare outside dual to outside and inside to inside on the rear. This thing shows high heat when the tires are only 10 psi low. The right side tires are usually 3 -5 degrees hotter than the left, but when you see 20 or more degrees difference it is time to pull out the tire pressure gauge. I also used it to locate cold air leaks in the front under the dash. There was a 1/2" open gap between the body and dash letting cold air in. Well it was cold when I was checking. I also found where all that heat was coming from, burning my right foot. Sealed it up with some foil tape and all is good.

Very handy diagnostic tool. Think about it, when things are not working right they are usually too hot or too cold. Put some thought in it, and you'll find many uses for this tool.

H F is currently selling one similar to the one I have for about $40.

Didn't mean to hi-jack the thread. I got a little carried away.
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Old 09-10-2013, 11:06 PM   #45
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Thanks R R. That is a good idea. Especially since I am baffled about the source of my problem. All the other uses are bonus and also duh. I always laugh when things that should have been obvious get by me. I laugh a lot!
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Old 09-11-2013, 04:34 PM   #46
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I ordered my parts today and will post when the repairs are completed. Hey Larry did you get yours back together yet?
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Old 09-11-2013, 04:51 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by RVNYORKIE View Post
I am going over my coach cleaning, repairing, tightening and sealing. In doing so Today I pulled the cover form the breaker panel to tighten all the screws that hold the wires. Wow was I surprised, all of the white wires (neutrals) were fried to the point that a couple of them had little or no insulation remaining for 2-3 inches from the neutral bar. It appeared as thought it may have actually flamed up some, at least once. I have had the coach only a little over a year and that may have happened before I purchased it. On a couple of occasions I thought I smelled a faint smell of hot wires. I have an electrician friend coming tomorrow to look at it. His first comment when I called him was, "polarity reversed". I realize that mostly likely comes from the power source pedestal but would like to find a definite fault so that I can sleep in my coach. Any thoughts here are appreciated. Thank you.
Someone at the factory forgot to tighten the neutral wires on the bar. With the insulation burnt back that's a clear indication that they were sitting there arcing and you're lucky you didn't have a fire. It's a good idea to check your panel at least once a year. Not just the wires on the neutral and ground bar but the ones on the breakers as well as the main lugs in the panel. Be sure you are NOT plugged in to any shore power when doing so. Count your blessings on this one.
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Old 09-11-2013, 04:56 PM   #48
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Generator off. Inverter off.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve N Sal View Post
Be sure you are NOT plugged in to any shore power when doing so. Count your blessings on this one.
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Old 09-11-2013, 05:01 PM   #49
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Generator off. Inverter off.
EVERYTHING OFF!
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Old 09-12-2013, 05:53 PM   #50
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And do not forget to disconnect the battery(s) Take down the lightning rod, cover the solar panels and for goodness sake no using the force Jedi!
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:11 AM   #51
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Got my parts so I am hoping to get it done today. Rvnyorkie, did you have any luck with yours?
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Old 09-18-2013, 06:35 PM   #52
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Well, good news bad news. I got the neutral bus bar and all associated wiring installed and no more burning wires. The bad news is I have no shore power. All the 12v works so I fired up the generator and all the 120v circuits worked fine. Shut down and still no shore power. I am guessing the switch between line and generator is bad. The main neutral running to it was the most significantly burned wire sooo... Any thoughts? Test procedures? Thanks.
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Old 09-24-2013, 09:31 PM   #53
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OK so I decided to eliminate the transfer switch on my coach and just use 2 different plugs from the generator and the shore power. All is back together and functioning well finally. Thanks for all the help everyone.
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