Electrical Systems?

[Donskiman]

No electrical problems right now. However, I've seen lots of these type of questions and got to wondering where everything is located and what's at every location. Anyone know?
We have a 2017 Allegro Open Road 36LA.
There is a panel in our bedroom with circuit breakers and resettable fuses. What's at this location?
Outside in the first bay on the driver's side is a fuse panel. What's at this location?
Under the dash on the driver's side is a fuse panel. What's at this location?
Are fuse panels or breakers also located in other locations? Where and what do they do?
Where are the resettable GFI outlets?

Does anyone else find this a bit confusing? IMO it's poor design and engineering to have this stuff scattered all over the coach. My 3000 sq/ft house has everything in one location except for the GFI outlets which are clearly marked. Looking all over the place for what may be wrong isn't an issue. Yes, in an RV we're dealing with 2 different systems, 12V & 110V, but a few extra feet of wiring could have the panels all located in the same area.

However, just knowing what's at each area would be a big help when something goes wrong. Most of us are not electrical engineers.

[Alpine36]

What you describe is typical of most RV manufacturers.
I'm not familiar with your particular coach, but one simple piece of advice I can give you is to purchase a decent label maker and mark everything you identify. (Costco sells one cheap)
Kudos to you for being proactive, and best of luck figuring things out.
You may not be an electrical engineer, but neither were the folks who assembled your rig.

[rffowler55]

I agree completely, it would be so much easier if all of the fuses, relays, circuit breakers, etc. were in one location for every coach. I am still finding fuses I did not know existed years after my purchase and ones that are not referenced in any of the operating manuals or other documentation provided with the coach.

[Donskiman]

What I want to do is have a master list I can refer to that will tell me where to look when there's a problem. I was hoping someone else had done this, but it looks like I'll have to do it myself. Tiffin could have made it easy by providing such a list at the time they built the coach instead of scattering this stuff all over the place for the owner's to try to locate when problems almost inevitably arise. Oh well...

[High Road Travelers]

My rig is fairly similar to yours and I agree that the breakers and fuses are all over the place. In my bedroom the breakers are completely inaccessible if the bedroom slide is in; so if the slide doesn't work you can't get to the breakers. Bedroom breakers are for the AC circuits and a DC Fuse panel.
In my front basement compartment on driver side there is a panel for DC circuits. Circuits include slides, hydraulic pump, awning, water pump, power seats and some other things.
I don't know what fuses are under the dash.
I've attached a couple pics of mine in the bedroom. You can probably call Tiffin and get a list.

[DRM901]

Our 2014 Allegro Bus 37AP has a laminated card that lists what each fuse controls - in the back closet, in the basement, & front DS compartment. Even the chassis fuses are labeled. Sorry to hear Tiffin isn't doing that anymore. However, house circuits aren't labeled or are labeled pathetically, so I wouldn't beat up on the RV industry too much.

[OldWEB]

So far, and I just read 'your' manual and in it I found...

The circuit breakers (Figure 9-11) are located in the external storage compartment just forward of the entrance door.
When the circuit breakers are shut down or electrically tripped, they must be manually reset. These breakers protect the slide-outs, the AC ignition, the electric step,
the 30-amp ignition system, and the 12 VDC disconnect system.

and...
The converter/inverter is conveniently located in one of the compartments located beaneath(sic) the motorhome.... The 12 VDC wiring for the converter/inverter comes from the circuit breaker located underneath the step cover next to the house batteries.... The 120 VAC wiring for the converter/inverter comes from a circuit breaker in the circuit breaker box.

and...
The motorhome batteries which constitute the 12 VDC system are contained inside the motorhome entrance step well (Figure 9-4).

and...
For the Allegro, the 120 VAC and 12 VDC breaker boxes (Figure 9-1) are typically located beneath the refrigerator or in the bedroom [if inside the vehicle] or in the storage box [if outside the vehicle]. Please note that the 12 VDC fuses and breakers are located in a separate compartment adjoining the 120 VAC breakers. Fusing is provided for the following 12 VDC circuits: All interior/decorative/overhead lighting, water heater, TV switching box, slideouts, power roof vents, monitor panel, and 12 VDC disconnect panel.

and...
Some of the electrical circuitry within the motorhome is protected by various fusing systems. Some of these fuse blocks are immediately accessible from the driver’s side underneath the dashboard.
The electrical circuits protected by the under-dash fuse block include: headlights, panel light for dashboard, tail lights, optional jacks, turn signals, cruise control, engine computer, accessory fuses, heater and dash air conditioning. Additionally, there is another chassis fuse panel which works in conjunction with the chassis fuse panel and provides comparable protection for the above-listed circuits.
Located beneath the access panel on the dashboard are two additional fuse panels; these panels protect the following electrical systems: mirrors, optional satellite jacks, camera, optional power windows, dash trim, lighter, map light, optional power seats, and radio.

That took me less than 5 minutes to find. Why can a person not read????

[Donskiman]

Thanks. Some of that information is not accurate. For example, There is no external storage compartment forward of the entrance door. I have found numerous places in the owner's manual where Tiffin cut and pasted from a different manual or otherwise did not update the manual for my 2017.

I will compile my own list.

As mentioned above, the panel in the bedroom is not accessible if the slide is in and can't be moved. Our bedroom slide was inoperable for a couple months earlier this year while waiting for parts that were on backorder.

Originally Posted by OldWEB

So far, and I just read 'your' manual and in it I found...

The circuit breakers (Figure 9-11) are located in the external storage compartment just forward of the entrance door.
When the circuit breakers are shut down or electrically tripped, they must be manually reset. These breakers protect the slide-outs, the AC ignition, the electric step,
the 30-amp ignition system, and the 12 VDC disconnect system.

and...
The converter/inverter is conveniently located in one of the compartments located beaneath(sic) the motorhome.... The 12 VDC wiring for the converter/inverter comes from the circuit breaker located underneath the step cover next to the house batteries.... The 120 VAC wiring for the converter/inverter comes from a circuit breaker in the circuit breaker box.

and...
The motorhome batteries which constitute the 12 VDC system are contained inside the motorhome entrance step well (Figure 9-4).

and...
For the Allegro, the 120 VAC and 12 VDC breaker boxes (Figure 9-1) are typically located beneath the refrigerator or in the bedroom [if inside the vehicle] or in the storage box [if outside the vehicle]. Please note that the 12 VDC fuses and breakers are located in a separate compartment adjoining the 120 VAC breakers. Fusing is provided for the following 12 VDC circuits: All interior/decorative/overhead lighting, water heater, TV switching box, slideouts, power roof vents, monitor panel, and 12 VDC disconnect panel.

and...
Some of the electrical circuitry within the motorhome is protected by various fusing systems. Some of these fuse blocks are immediately accessible from the driver’s side underneath the dashboard.
The electrical circuits protected by the under-dash fuse block include: headlights, panel light for dashboard, tail lights, optional jacks, turn signals, cruise control, engine computer, accessory fuses, heater and dash air conditioning. Additionally, there is another chassis fuse panel which works in conjunction with the chassis fuse panel and provides comparable protection for the above-listed circuits.
Located beneath the access panel on the dashboard are two additional fuse panels; these panels protect the following electrical systems: mirrors, optional satellite jacks, camera, optional power windows, dash trim, lighter, map light, optional power seats, and radio.

That took me less than 5 minutes to find. Why can a person not read????

[TiffinUser]

I have a similar frustration with my Allegro Red. The fuse boxes in rear outside and driver outside are Freightliner installed and there is diagram inside the cover of those boxes. The circuit breakers in the rear of the cabin (bathroom in my coach) are Tiffin installed, as is the panel next to it (G6A panel). The g6a panel is related to the networking interface of the Spyder. The indicator lights along the right side show which spyder devices are turned on. The buttons on the bottom appear to be circuit resets but I’ve never needed to fiddle with one so do not know this for a fact. Similar resets can be found in a different circuit box in the outside driver compartment. Also there is another panel of resets in my coach next to the house battery & inverter disconnect switches. Finally, there are several inline fuses on various cables, including on battery cables.

My inverter, Magnum MS-2000 has a 30a circuit breaker (reset) mounted on the side of the unit. It was not easy to find and if you lose power to house receptacles, this is one thing to check, along with the several gfci buttons on various receptacles.

There are still some mysteries with all this I have not resolved but knowing that Freightliner is responsible for chassis electrical and Tiffin for the house electrical has made it easier for me to understand the workings of various systems.

[jeskibuff]

Originally Posted by Donskiman

Does anyone else find this a bit confusing? IMO it's poor design and engineering to have this stuff scattered all over the coach.

I think it'd be a different story if a manufacturer put together EVERYTHING, but that's not the way it works in the real world.

The RV manufacturer lets companies like Freightliner, Ford, Volvo and Spartan build the chassis then they put a "house" on top of it. There are likely good reasons why things are arranged the way they are. For instance, if they put all the 120V breakers in a bay compartment near where the 12V breakers are (where my house batteries are located), if you blew a breaker and it's pouring rain outside would you rather go outside to reset it or simply walk to the back of the coach to fix it? Now I would think that Freightliner could have put the 12V breakers near the chassis batteries & PDM but there are probably many decisions going into the location of these elements. Weight balance is another issue, so it makes sense to have house batteries on one side of the coach and chassis batteries on the other side. Having the Spyder system and 120V breakers in the back closet may take up a bit of closet space but where else to put it for easy access and to prevent sacrificing bay storage?

I think what's needed is more detailed information on where to find things, especially things like in-line fuses.

[Michel Paul]

If you can read the electrical schematics that come in your owners manual, you will be able to identify everything, eventually....
Took a few hours to check and mark everything, and I called Tiffin support twice with questions.
A very good way to learn how your rig works and to check everything. Get a good clamp multimeter that measures AC and DC current. About 50$, best investment you will ever make.

[Brian O]

We have a 2012 RED we purchased used 3 years ago. IMH Opinion Tiffin's electrical support people are very knowledgeable and helpful. (They have been head and shoulders above the support folks with the other brands we have owned). They seem to know their products and how to start trouble shooting problems. If you have a question do not be afraid to call them.

As others have said learn the basics of Tiffin's electrical diagrams.

One other thing I have found: is NOT to buy cheap off-brand parts, such a fuses. LittelFuse and Eaton Bussman fuses are more expensive than the off-brand stuff on E-bay where you get 500 fuses for $5 or $10. I spent hours chasing issues ultimately related to "flaky" fuses when we first got our Tiffin. (Good thing my labor rate was zero and had absolutely nothing else to do)!

[THenne1713]

Reminds me of the post where owner found (after 5-10-yrs owning) EMERG START on side of BASE of driver's seat; another 10yrs, found a GFCI receptacle on Bed Base; realizing SOME CANNOT KNEEL/ CRAWL, it can be amazing what you find when deep cleaning, including REMOVING ALL DRAWERS, LIFT ALL BEDDING AND VISUAL INSPECTION???

[THenne1713]

So LIT GREEN Means #5 FUSE Blown to bedroom lights?