Sometimes it rains and sometimes you should build an ark . .

[WaltBennett]

Left home 6/20 and now in Fargo. Had the broken water heater, but replaced it while in MN without too much grief. Then the propane side quit working - tries to light, but doesn't and I've not had the time to troubleshoot much because of the rest . . While dry camping and trying to use our generator, the 110 side of things started acting seriously weird (take an hour to detail). Wasn't very hot and we've 4 golf cart batteries and 400 watts of solar, we just used DC instead.

While there our truck's alternator died. Not the end of the world yet, but getting there. Got 50 miles to the next town, a NAPA repair shop and that was fixed in three hours (two just getting a new one) and we're back on the road.

Got to Fargo and plugged into a 50 amp pedestal. PD portable says everything's good. I flipped the inside breakers on and got sparks and bad smells from the large slide - a surge protected power strip fried with nothing plugged into it! Picked up a good outlet tester and found we've a hot ground. I've disconnected our inverter from the incoming AC, making everything on the AC side back to original, and the problem is still there. I'm going to un-gang the 50 amp breaker and see which leg has it, and I'm suspecting there's a short underneath one of the slides. I looked at them some yesterday but didn't see anything obvious.

I know I've seen where some have had issues with propane lines to slides, but what about electric?

[cw3jason]

a lot of times there will be an electrical junction box under the slide. these can get water in them and short.

[WaltBennett]

Took off the bar on the two breakers and used the outlet tester on first one and then the other leg. The air conditioner side has an open neutral at the ref., and the other leg has a hot ground! Think I'd better start buying wood for the ark (after I really examine all the slide cables).

[CaptnJohn]

Good luck Walt. May it be an easy fix, but that sounds unlikely. The truck alternator I could deal with but that much coach electrical is waaaaay out of my realm.

[Mel B.]

Originally Posted by WaltBennett

Took off the bar on the two breakers and used the outlet tester on first one and then the other leg. The air conditioner side has an open neutral at the ref., and the other leg has a hot ground! Think I'd better start buying wood for the ark (after I really examine all the slide cables).

Sounds like your over do for some good luck. I hope you get soon.

[WaltBennett]

We spent a couple of days in Fargo and picked up a portable room 12k btu AC to get some cooling. Didn't spend enough time there to work more on my 'issue' until we got to Great Falls. This AM, I figured I was going to start from square one and the anaconda. Lo and behold there was the problem! I'd replaced the male connector almost three years back with a Camco one. I tightened down the strain relief as well, but the outer jacket must have shrunk about a half inch or so as it had pulled out of the clamp - I never noticed what with a PD surge protector and a 30 amp adapter on it all. That had pulled out first the neutral and then one hot after the other, and they all were just dancing around in there giving one symptom after another!

Roof AC is working now as is refer. Waiting for the hot water heater, but it's probably OK too. The microwave didn't make it though. All the entertainment stuff was on a surge protector as was our two computer places, and all the surge guys are gone. Even if the microwave is toast, I'm considering myself lucky with under $30 in surge protectors gone and maybe that.

Bottom line, if you've put one of those Camco replacement male plugs, make CERTAIN the black outer sheath stays inside the strain relief clamp since the wires inside can pull out of the screwed down pins.

[CaptnJohn]

Not a fun project. Glad you found it as that would have been the last place I would suspect.