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Old 12-26-2018, 01:55 PM   #1
rustynail
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lots of electrical problems

We full time going on 3 years. All of a sudden we have electrical issues. Started two weeks ago when microwave would go off and on. Then all GFI outlets were off and on. Now when micro goes off so does fireplace and 4 outlets. Two of these are on GFI outlet with bathroom. Nothing special triggers this it just happens. Sometimes when micro is on and we try to use it we press start and it shuts down. No idea where to start looking on this one. Can it somehow be tied to inverter issue even tho we are on site power?? Any help appreciated
 
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Old 12-26-2018, 02:05 PM   #2
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Do you have a EMS (Electrical Management System)? Do you know if the power being supplied to your RV is good? I'd start there and work backwards.
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Old 12-26-2018, 02:11 PM   #3
rustynail
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we do have portable EMS and tests out ok
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Old 12-26-2018, 02:16 PM   #4
PNW Fireguy
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With all the AC power removed from the coach verify that the particular circuit breaker feeding those loads is fully seated. If they are not fully seated it is a good idea not to this under power.
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Old 12-26-2018, 08:21 PM   #5
Montana Man
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I've seen bad gfi outlets cause problems. Breakers can cause goofy problems.
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Old 12-26-2018, 09:40 PM   #6
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I've seen bad gfi outlets cause problems. Breakers can cause goofy problems.
Yep, I have had them go bad in the stick home. This assumes all your device failures were on a GFI circuit.
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Old 12-27-2018, 05:44 PM   #7
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I would disconnect from ALL power, both A/C and D/C. Remove the breaker panel cover and check ALL the lugs (connection points) for all the cables that are attached in the box. They are known for not being tight from the factory and can also loosen up in travel down the road.
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Old 12-27-2018, 06:59 PM   #8
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Since it all started at once I think you have one problem. Find the place, in the breaker panel probably, that all the wires are together and you will find the problem. It would be very unusual to have all these problems at once with multiple causes.
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Old 12-27-2018, 10:07 PM   #9
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Agree. I would start in the breaker box . If you fix one problem then it will most likely fix all the problems.
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Old 12-28-2018, 05:11 AM   #10
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Make sure the shore power plug into the coach is tight and free of corrosion.
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Old 12-28-2018, 06:14 AM   #11
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GFI tripping

We had a bad GFI on our 3400RL from the factory. It would trip with only . a phone charger plugged in to it, or we could run the coffee maker and it was ok, or it would trip with nothing at all plugged in anywhere down line from it. I told the tech(?) at CW about it while I had it in for some minor warranty work. He said he plugged his drill in and couldn't make it trip so there's nothing wrong with it. Then they wanted to charge me an hours labor for that nonsense. I went home, bought a new GFI outlet at Menard's, installed it, and haven't tripped it since. That was seven years ago!!!!
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Old 12-28-2018, 07:05 AM   #12
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This problem could be anyplace all the wires come together including the out side plugin and even before that. Have you moved since this started? If you have that will eliminate that.
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Old 01-02-2019, 02:05 PM   #13
JamesD
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My A/C Heat pump caused all sorts of electrical issues right before it seized up.
Definitely see if you are still having issues without the A/C Heat pump on.
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Old 01-02-2019, 03:35 PM   #14
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Weird power

Check your electric panel. Mine came from factory with loose connections. I found this after my A/C failed and while checking voltages. They were all over the place. Electrical connections were getting hot from poor connections and screwing everything up.
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Old 01-02-2019, 04:18 PM   #15
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I've seen bad gfi outlets cause problems. Breakers can cause goofy problems.
I think he is right.
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Old 01-02-2019, 04:18 PM   #16
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Dirty open?
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Old 01-02-2019, 05:00 PM   #17
Randy E
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Electrical Problems

We Bought a new 2017 3791RD last year. e had all sorts of electrical issues for a full year. Some of them were just as you described. Mine was found by accident, when someone wiggled the shore power plug at the rear of the coach, as they walked past. Instant failure of half of my coach. We unplugged the shore power, disconnected the battery by flipping the switch, then took the 4 screws out of the plug socket on the rear of the Monty.(be sure to test for power back feeding from the inverter) What we found was 1 wire was never clamped into the plug at the factory. We had arcing in the plug that left burn marks inside the plug. Once we saw it, our dealer instantly ordered us a new plug, along with 2 new shore power cords just in case it was damaged. Our Portable EMS never picked up a fault due to it never shorted out. It just kept shutting off 1 leg of our power. In our case, the power would always come back on within an hour or so, possibly due to us just walking around and the coach shaking a little. I attached a photo of what we found. This is exactly as it was when we pulled out the plug. Notice the RED wire in the BLACK hole, and the Black wire in the Red hole. I know they are both HOT. But how hard is it to match the colors when installing the plug? Also, look closely, you can see the clamp screw is all the way out. It was never touched on the assembly line floor.
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Old 01-02-2019, 05:50 PM   #18
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If none of the above solve your problem look for plastic wire junctions. They will be on the floor under the stove or drawers. I had 2 behind the fireplace in my 2016 3611RL. They use them to join the wires that come from the distribution panel in the slides. They put the wires in the base then press the top on and it pierces the wire to make the connection. I had a similar problem with my microwave. Would stop working sometimes for a short while. sometimes extended period. Sometimes the clock would be lit but when you pushed start it would lose power. Floor vibration loosens the connectors. I solved it by using junction boxes and wire nuts.
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Old 01-02-2019, 07:38 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy E View Post
We Bought a new 2017 3791RD last year. e had all sorts of electrical issues for a full year. Some of them were just as you described. Mine was found by accident, when someone wiggled the shore power plug at the rear of the coach, as they walked past. Instant failure of half of my coach. We unplugged the shore power, disconnected the battery by flipping the switch, then took the 4 screws out of the plug socket on the rear of the Monty.(be sure to test for power back feeding from the inverter) What we found was 1 wire was never clamped into the plug at the factory. We had arcing in the plug that left burn marks inside the plug. Once we saw it, our dealer instantly ordered us a new plug, along with 2 new shore power cords just in case it was damaged. Our Portable EMS never picked up a fault due to it never shorted out. It just kept shutting off 1 leg of our power. In our case, the power would always come back on within an hour or so, possibly due to us just walking around and the coach shaking a little. I attached a photo of what we found. This is exactly as it was when we pulled out the plug. Notice the RED wire in the BLACK hole, and the Black wire in the Red hole. I know they are both HOT. But how hard is it to match the colors when installing the plug? Also, look closely, you can see the clamp screw is all the way out. It was never touched on the assembly line floor.

The reason your portable EMS never saw the problem is because it only looks at the source for issues. They NEVER see issues on the load side. That is the one problem with portable EMS units, and the advantage of having a hardwired unit, as they will see everything, including problems with the shore cord and all those connections, including the shore cord connector on the rig and those of the cable at both ends. The red and black positions do not matter, and it would be better leaving them backwards so the two hot legs do not have to be twisted to make them connected to the same color positions. No need to add stress to the wire or insulation.
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Old 01-03-2019, 05:38 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by rustynail View Post
We full time going on 3 years. All of a sudden we have electrical issues. Started two weeks ago when microwave would go off and on. Then all GFI outlets were off and on. Now when micro goes off so does fireplace and 4 outlets. Two of these are on GFI outlet with bathroom. Nothing special triggers this it just happens. Sometimes when micro is on and we try to use it we press start and it shuts down. No idea where to start looking on this one. Can it somehow be tied to inverter issue even tho we are on site power?? Any help appreciated
This is Mike Sokol from the No~Shock~Zone and RVelectricity.com. This certainly sounds like an intermittent electrical connection or short in the wiring somewhere. I'm just beginning to teach RV technician classes on electrical troubleshooting, and writing a maintenance schedule that I believe all RVs should adhere to. I think that every RV should have its electrical panel opened up once a year (with the power off, of course) and all circuit breaker and bus screws should be tested for tightness. There's a special square screwdriver bit designed for this job. In many of the RVs I've worked on recently, these screws are loose simply from road vibration, and should be checked and tightened on a regular schedule.

Secondly, I've seen a lot of electrical wiring in RVs run though holes in the metal frame without any sort of insulation grommet. Thousands of miles of bouncing down the road can wear through the insulation enough that the copper wire can begin making contact with the frame. And that's certainly enough to cause what appears to be random tripping, even from something like the vibration of you walking across the floor.

Lastly, the cheap GFCIs that are often installed by RV manufacturers can fail either from voltage spikes (surges) on the incoming power, or simply age. And often that one GFCI powers the kitchen, bathroom and outside outlets. So when it trips the power goes off in a lot of places at once. Of course there can be real reasons for GFCI tripping, so you certainly don't want to bypass it or replace it with a non-GFCI outlet, but it's a pretty good troubleshooting technique to replace a suspect unit with a new one. But don't get the cheapest one in the big box store or you'll have the same problem.

The good news is that I'm now beginning to teach classes for RV technicians on troubleshooting techniques that I've been doing for 50 years, and my consumer seminars in 2018 were a big hit. So I'll be coming to a number of trade shows and rallies in 2019 to present 60 to 90 minute seminars on RV electricity basics for RV owners.
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