First Time Owner, Electrical Outlet Issue

[ATLFleetWood]

Hi everyone, I know this is my first post on the forum, and i generally wouldnt come begging for assistance with my first post.. BUT, i've run into an issue that i know nothing about.

I have a 36 Foot Fleetwood Pace Arrow, that I've converted for business use, and up until about a month ago everything was running smoothly. Besides the brake and tail lights not working (something to do with a replacable part beside the windshield wiper??, i dont know.. just spent a little bit of cash on that a while back only to have them not work any more) the electrical outlet under the dinette in the living room, and ALL of the electrical outlets in the bedroom are not working. Now, i'm no expert on electrical distribution, and i really do not have any experience on the wiring of motorhomes, but i do know (thanks to my radical father) that the breakers should fault before any of the actual wiring gets fried. yeah, simple stuff right? i can only think of the many instances where there has been multiple hair curlers, driers, etc.. plugged up which could have caused this fault in the outlet.

well, why isnt the breaker there to save the day? ... and could this wiring have actually fried internally?

this i'm not sure of..
please forgive me for my ignorance, i'm twenty five years old, a first time RV owner, and know hardly anything about well, anything.

any insight into the issue would be greatly appreciated!

this forum seems like quite a great place to study up on anything RV!

-zac

[TXiceman]

First thing you need to check are the GFI circuits. Usually you Will have one with a Test/Reset button. Make sure these are not tripped. The one will usually control several other outlets.

Oh, and welcome to iRV2. I hope you get your problem solved soon.

You do need to check you circuit loads if you are running high amp loads like hair driers and curling irons. You individual breakers are probably only good for 15 amps and a 1500 watt drire pulls 13.6 amps at 110 volts.

Ken

[ATLFleetWood]

Thanks for the reply, I did tinker with the test/reset button and if that was the case the outlets should be working.

Hrm.............

[Gary RVRoamer]

The 120v wiring in your coach follows the exact same standards as in your home, and yes there is a circuit breaker for every circuit.

It surely sounds as if the GFCI tripped (probably on a bath room outlet) or perhaps it failed outright. GFCI's are known to do that. If the rest didn't work, it's probably worth the $8-$10 to buy a replacement GFCO outlet and try that. First, though, verify what outlets are served by the GFCI. Push the test button (it should "click") and see what outlets do not have power. If there is some other set that has no power, than probably the GFCI is not the issue. If its the same non-working set, you have found the problem and just need to identify the fix.

[AFChap]

Many rigs have two GFCI's, each one controlling maybe 1/2 of the outlets. One of mine is inside a small "appliance cabinet" in the galley. If you have found only one, and some outlets work while others don't, keep looking for a second one.

[wa8yxm]

One way to find a tripped (usually) GFCI (NOTE: see notes) is to enter the rig at night, turn off all lights and using nothing but a SMALL flashlight look for the red "Star" Usually, when tripped they have a red light showing.


NOTES: The ones in my church kitchen show the red light when they are "live" and it goes out when tripped.

THey can hide those suckers in some of the most interesting places.


The other way to find 'em is to call the maker and ask where they hid 'em

[chasfm11]

One other thing to try that is easy. Trip each breaker in the electrical panel completely off and then back on. Sometimes, you cannot immediately tell that a breaker has tripped because the handle barely moved.

If it is not a GFCI or a tripped breaker, you may need a VOM and the knowledge to use it safely. There is no magic to the 120v wiring in an RV so any electrician could help you.

If it were mine , I'd completely remove A/C power from the RV and then, starting with the failing outlet that is the closest to the electrical panel, removed the cover, take the two screws that hold the outlet in place and physically pull the outlet from the box. I'd carefully examine the wires on the back. I've had a couple of occasions where there was a bare wire that was supposed to be pushed into a hole in the back of the outlet but it wasn't. The other problem is that it could be the output of a working outlet - say your GFCI one, for example. The power gets to the outlet, the outlet works by itself but it doesn't feed its "downstream" outlets. Those can be the most difficult problems to troubleshoot without a circuit layout diagram. The VOM on the resistance scale might help you figure out how the circuits in the RV are really wired. Putting back the outlets into their boxes after testing can be more difficult than it sounds.

Good Luck.

[ATLFleetWood]

thanks for all the replies, i haven't gotten around to taking any panels off, and as far as i know there is only one GFCI button that i've ever found.

i'll take another look soon..

thanks for all the replies, i'm hoping that i don't have to start taking panels off and everything.. yikes!

zac

[Ray,IN]

'i've run into an issue that i know nothing about." BOY! Does that ring home. Sounds like me a few years ago.
Welcome to irv2.com and our extended family, occasionally there's a tiff(just like siblings) but we all have the same goal in mind, helping each other enjoy our beautiful earth and family.
I use this approach to locating electrical problem spots. I begin at the circuit breaker panel(insure wire connections are tight), locate the breaker for the problem circuit, then trace the wiring to each outlet, insuring wires are securely held in each connection.
These spring tension type wire holders are not nearly as secure as screw connections, and tend to work loose, which creates 2 problems, heat, and fire danger.
I use a AC/DC voltage tester (GreenLee) with red led's for voltage, continuity(beeps too), to test every connection as it comes in line. Eventually I find the problem.
OH, did I mention I hate electrical problems!







'

[MonacoMama]

Welcome to the forum...
The solution may be pretty simple...and this is coming from a daily "hair-dryer user".
Do you have an inverter on your rig? Our inverter has breakers with reset buttons. Our inverter is in a back outside storage bay - but I cannot say where yours might be.
Look at this photo:



The 2 buttons at the bottom left side of the inverter that read "20"...well those pull out and then you push them back in. I have had to do that a few times with my blow dryer and a combination of other things together have popped it!

I hope this helps... cuz it is pretty simple to do! Good Luck and please let us know what you find!

[K-Star]

You are probably experiencing the same issue I had last year. I too thought I had a bad GFI. The outlets on that circuit worked fine including the GFI outlet. But the outlets after the GFI appeared to be dead. I inserted one of those inexpensive circuit tester that have the 3 lights. Everything looked good until I plugged something in. Then the circuit tester indicated a trouble; short between hot and ground. I'm like how can that be. It just looked good. I replaced the GFI outlet, but the problem remained. Try this to see if your problem is the same. If so, read on.

Most RV manufacturers use those cheap speed outlets. You know the ones that they just press the wire between two copper blades that cut thru the insulation. Over time, running down the road, these wires tend to come loose.

Turn the breaker off for the circuit. Remove the outlet covers and then the outlets one by one. Check all the wires to insure they are tightly inserted between the blades. In my situation the 110V A/C went to the outlet under the dining room table and from there dispersed to the other outlets (left and right) and the wall sconces. So there were 4 wires connecting behind that outlet. Sure enough one of the neutral wires was just hanging in the air. I replaced all the outlets with ones where the wires plug in from the back but have screws that tighten the wire in place. Now they will stay tight.

[slabman]

I thought I had the answer by myself, but Monaco Moma beat me to it! I'm betting your inverter overload/breaker is the problem. MM's shown a Magnum inverter, but I believe yours is a Hart? Or maybe Xantrex? It'll probably be on the drivers side, back near the rear axle. At any rate, there with be a small switch on the outside of the box that'll be tripped. Just reset it and I'm betting you're back in business. Women are particularly hard on these things with their hair dryers...including the "Moma"

[MonacoMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slabman I thought I had the answer by myself, but Monaco Moma beat me to it! I'm betting your inverter overload/breaker is the problem. MM's shown a Magnum inverter, .....Women are particularly hard on these things with their hair dryers...including the "Moma"

Definitely include the Mama!!

[wa8yxm]

There are TWO issues that fake out many RV owners

One (GFCI) has been covered, at least in part, I have heard of some rigs that had a 2nd GFCI hidden in the most hard to find place you can imagine.. Suggestion, at night, turn off all lights, then using a SMALL flashlight look everywhere, Under the bed, in cabinets, under stuff You are looking for a small red light.

The other issue is: Inverters: Many times outlets in the bedroom are inverter powered. The breaker box for THESE outlets may be in another location (mine is in a cabinet under the bathroom sink) and there may also be breakers on the inverter.

Finally, breakers only work if there is an excess current condition, this is one way wires can fail (Shorted) if a wire breakes, or if it comes loose from a connection, (and the connections in most motor homes... Let's say they scare me and leave it at that)

Well, if that happens, there is no current, so the breaker will not trip.

The solution is to "Follow the wire" for this you need to have the simple digram for the motor home (Order from manufacturer) and you go to every junction box, every outlet, on that loop IN ORDER with your test lamp or meter.

You will find the problem that way.