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Old 02-12-2023, 02:40 PM   #1
Fatman9693
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No power at all.

I'm sure many people have come here with similar problems but I've searched through several and have not found a solution to my problem.

To start I have a used 2011 montana 3625re that cam with its fair share of problems, all of which I've been living with till I have the time or money to fix. Until last night when I woke up in the dark and mild cold with absolutely no power.

I have endeavored to resolve this without having to ask for help until now. No fuses are blown and no flipping of any breaker has issued even a mere spark of life back in to my girl. I should be drawing shore from my parents house as I had been for several months.

At the start of winter we changed the breaker and outlet I'm hooked to from 15 amp to 30 amp. The only change be that my converter stayed on constantly even when I took the battery out to be replaced.

Any help with this will be greatly appreciated, especially because I am full-timing now
 
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Old 02-12-2023, 02:50 PM   #2
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I hate to ask the obvious. Do you have power to the camper? I know it’s plugged in but is there power to the camper?
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Old 02-12-2023, 02:59 PM   #3
Fatman9693
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One broken multi-meter can attest to power to the breaker though it didn't reach deep enough in the socket to read
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Old 02-12-2023, 03:15 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatman9693 View Post
One broken multi-meter can attest to power to the breaker though it didn't reach deep enough in the socket to read
This doesn't really make sense to me. Broken multi-meter confirms power at the breaker?

So, first of all, then, you need the proper working equipment. You need a functioning multi-meter. I have to assume you know how to use it. You need to be able to check for power from the breaker in the house to the outlet your trailer is plugged in to. You need to be able to check the trailer plug for power or continuity to your breaker box in the trailer. Check power at the breaker. Somewhere in that chain you will discover a break in power so you will know where to dig in...assuming there is no power at all coming into the trailer.

Have you confirmed no power at all to the trailer? Anything plugged into the 120 outlets that would tell you that? Or is it just a bad converter so no 12v to anything like furnace and lights, or batteries which might now be dead or damaged? Without better, more complete information it's anyone's guess.
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Old 02-12-2023, 03:23 PM   #5
Fatman9693
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The multi-meter blew when I improperly tested the breaker, it definitely had power there. And definitely nothing working in or on the rv. It will be tomorrow before I can replace the meter, if they will let me exchange it when it was definitely my fault it broke.
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Old 02-12-2023, 04:10 PM   #6
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As the others have said, an operable VOM is needed here. Check for 120V at the source outlet you are plugged into. Then work your way down the line checking each connection. You wrote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatman9693 View Post
........ we changed the breaker and outlet I'm hooked to from 15 amp to 30 amp....
which I take it means you are using a 15 amp plug at the house with a pigtail connector to take it to a 30 amp plug. But your RV should have a 50 amp receptacle on the rear. Is there another adapter to connect the 30 amp plug to 50 amp?
I bet one of the 15 to 30 or 30 to ? adapters has failed and are not passing the shore power to the trailer.

You haven't mentioned the 12V side of power? Are the 12V lights still working? What about other 12V systems such as the refer, water heater, furnace, etc.
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Old 02-12-2023, 04:20 PM   #7
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I had it hooked up with a 50a to 30a adapter to a 30a plug we added. Now I've moved it to a 15a with an adapter from 50 to 15. I have some power now, enough to run the furnace, but I'd I turn a 12v light on and its dim. They did not work at all this morning.

Guess that means the 30-50 adapter has gone bad or somewhere between the plug and breaker. Either way it reasonably livable, and hopefully I can get the plug/adapter situated before I try to have proper company again.
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Old 02-12-2023, 04:42 PM   #8
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It sure sounds like your 30 amp plug was the problem as I assume you are using the same 30 to 50 adapter in conjunction with the now 15 amp power source.

The next question is how is the 12V system? What voltage are you getting out of the converter (should be around 13.6 volts). What is the voltage at the battery?

On 15 amps, a low battery will really stress the converter usage of 120V. Add in the furnace fan drawing a bunch of 12V and you may be at the max a 15 amp 120V circuit can support. Once aging, a VOM is the tool to provide answers.
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Old 02-12-2023, 05:07 PM   #9
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I have a 50 to 15 direct adapter so my 50 to 30 is on my counter at the moment, I'll be trying to replace my vom tomorrow to test the battery
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Old 02-12-2023, 06:16 PM   #10
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Those dogbone adapters can also go bad. I'd also focus on that to make sure there is good contact through the adapter for power.
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Old 02-12-2023, 06:56 PM   #11
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I'll check it when I can but I'm inclined to believe it's the outlet that I installed, even having checked everything multiple time when I installed it, it is the most likely fail point
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Old 02-12-2023, 08:04 PM   #12
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Hopefully the 30 amp outlet was installed with one hotleg, one neutral, and one ground. The 30 amp outlets sometimes get installed with two hotlegs and one ground, which will do serious damage to the trailer. Also, if the replacement battery was accidentally installed backwards, you would have blown the reverse polarity fuse, which would keep the converter from sending power to the battery.
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Old 02-12-2023, 08:47 PM   #13
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Hope this helps
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