Blown circuit

[Army Guy]

Help - every time I bring in my slides or let them out, I keep blowing the 20 amp fuse for the kitchen. A couple of times it has popped out my GFI in the kitchen and in the bathroom. When I reset the GFI and the fuses, everything works. Any suggestions on what to look for. Thanks

[dsprik]

Try a 30 amp fuse. No higher though. My 2007 3400RL takes the 30 amp as oem. Some Montanas come with 20 amp. Not sure why.

Also, try going to Home Depot, et al, and get a new GFI wall plate receptacle. The oem's are not the highest quality and I believe several MOCers here have changed them out with good quality GFI outlets.

[H. John Kohl]

Check under the rear outside corner of your kitchen slide. There should be a electrical "splice" box there. If you are poping 12 VDC fuses and 120 vac breakers (or GFI) there has to be a common location. Check with the battery disconned and the 120 volt disconnected. (Sorry for the safety tip.)
I do not recommend increasing fuse size this time. Look for touching wires where the black flat cable loom flexes under the slide.
Good luck and let us know what you find.
Cheers,

[bsmeaton]

Agree with John, sounds like the GFI and fuses are doing what they are supposed to do. It has to be a common location that is flexing with the slide movement.

[Ozz]

Good call John.
I'm working on a old rental house for a customer, someone installed two main panels for the old duplex, the wiring is shot in the house, old 14 gage wire the insulation is falling off of, the guy put in 20 amp breakers on all of the circuits. I have to change them out, I won't feel good even with the 15 amp breakers. Many who increase the size of over-circuit protection are playing a dangerous game.

[sreigle]

Rick, blowing a kitchen fuse while operating the slides clearly indicates a problem. The slide operation electrics are not even on the kitchen circuit. You must have a short somewhere. As others said, the movement is causing some flex. Chances are that flex has caused a wire to rub on metal until it finally wore through the shielding. Now when that bare wire touches metal it is shorting out, blowing that fuse. A place to start is where those wires go into and come out of that junction box under the slide. The problem may be elsewhere but that's where I'd look first. Then follow the wires until you find the wear spot.

[Army Guy]

Thanks all, you all are correct. I found on the kitchen slide just outside of the junction box a place where the wires have been rubbing and have worn a hole in the cover down to the wires. In fact, it looks like half the wire is cut and that is where it must of been shorting out.
Would the fix be to cut the wire, splice them back together, re-route the wires and cover again? I don't think I can just patch the hole as it will happen again if I don't re-route them.

[H. John Kohl]

Glad you found it.

If the wires are long enough (some slack) to remove the bad parts and splice then I would replace the box with a new one and re-splice inside the box. If not, then I suggest adding a second box where you can and run a jumper between each box.

Comment. You mentioned both 12 v and 120 v problems. Check both boxes, there are two. Keep the 12 and 120 wires separate and fix as needed.

If you are not comfortable with 120 V wiring then get an electrician to help.
Best of luck. If you can please take pictures so it can be a reference for others.

Good luck,
Cheers,