Power going out

[Kaidocl]

Got back to my 36fl today and tv wasn't working neither was the microwave, so I checked GFCI and brakers all good check voltage on some of the working outlets, and I'm getting 123v few minutes ago fridge gave me a error of low ac , carbon monoxide detector going off too saying not power supply. Anyone here know what to look for ? Maybe inverter going out?

[Highcountrybarry]

More questions than answers right now. Are you plugged into shore power? 30 amp or 50 amp? Where are the 110v outlets that do work? Are all of the non functioning outlets in a slide out?


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[Jim & Mary]

Probably not the inverter, as it does not power the microwave. You need to find out all the circuits that are not operative. Make sure that there is power on both halves of the power panel. The service (from the shore power cord) is two equal 120 Volt 50 amp service ending at the 2 pole 50 Amp breaker in the power panel. Multiple voltage loss indicates something wrong with one of these legs. A multimeter should show what's missing.

[Kaidocl]

Yes plugged in to 50amp shore some of my outlets still work but I already consumed all my battery power so I'm in the dark , to me that means nothing going to converter to charge battery's right? I wouldn't know how to check the legs on the 50 amp service. I'm only a low voltage guy wouldn't even know what to set my meter to

[Ford truck guy]

It does sound like a problem at the pedestal ...

[Kaidocl]

So what you guys are saying is that if only 1 legs on the pedestal is working I could still be getting power on some of my 110 outlets but maybe not on the one that converts 110 to 12v to turn on lights right?

[Highcountrybarry]

That is exactly right. Your 50 amp is comprised of two different legs of 110 and a neutral which is also a combined ground. Some would say 108 or 115 or Even 120. That all is dependent on your utility and distance from a transformer, not a big deal here. I would start at the box. Each leg in the socket should give you 110v. Red lead on your meter to one square hole and black lead to the round hole. If that is good then I would more to where you can first access the other end of your power cord. (Plug it back in) In my rig, I installed a surge protector/line conditioner so that’s where I would go. It also has a remote module that shows me voltage on each leg and any errors it encounters, you may want to consider one. You may go straight to your panel. Again you need the red on a hot and black lead on a ground or neutral. Let us know what you find to here and we can probably go further if necessary.


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[Highcountrybarry]

And yes, you are not getting power to charge the batteries for sure.


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[Kaidocl]

Well here is some news after my list of " what could it be" and discarding certain things looking at youtube videos how to test pedestal I remembered that my power cable has extra 30ft added to it from a problem in a different park. So I took my plug to next spot over and WALLA problem solved!

[Highcountrybarry]

Best possible scenario! Excellent. Now you can sleep well.


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[travelin' texans]

Didn't read whether you have have a surge protector/EMS or not? If not you should get one, too much electronic equipment to be without one, expensive , but so are tv's, fridge, microwaves & converters.

[Ford truck guy]

Originally Posted by Kaidocl

Well here is some news after my list of " what could it be" and discarding certain things looking at youtube videos how to test pedestal I remembered that my power cable has extra 30ft added to it from a problem in a different park. So I took my plug to next spot over and WALLA problem solved!

That is awesome ! Glad for a no cost resolution to a pian in the neck issue.

[Jim & Mary]

Just a little bit more information, the hardwire EMS a lot of us on here use, the progressive industries HW series:

Progressive Industries, Inc. | Rv Surge Protection

The display will give the voltage and current readings of each of the 120 volt legs coming into the coach so you know in an instant whether or not you have a problem.

[Kaidocl]

I will be purchasing a surge protector in the next few weeks , quick question , if interior lights dim notoriously when flicking all lights on could that be caused by old and bad battery's?

[Jim & Mary]

Could be a possibility. One item that is fairly easy to check and costs nothing but time has been reported by several people on here. Locate the 12V buss bar connection points in the battery compartment and carefully check the tightness of all the 12V connection points. Some have found very loose bolted connections or loose wire crimps. Fixing those loose connections will help flickering lights. But don't discount battery problems or loose battery cables. If your batteries are more than 3 years old, you run the possibility of low current capacity. Especially if you're still using the batteries that were furnished at sale.

[hoosierguy]

Are your lights still halogen? In our 2cd year of owning our 2012 36RL (built in Sept. 2011), we still had all halogen lights. While on a trip out west, I began to notice the
lights flickering any time the converter came on. They flickered at a very rapid, pulsating rate which I eventually connected to the sound of converter fan running. That fall, during our annual Redwood warranty inspection, I asked Redwood at the factory service center about the issue. They agreed with me that it was the converter and replaced it under warranty. That solved the problem of flickering lights in our coach.

[Kaidocl]

My lights are led but it's always kind of dim inside but at night I can really tell the dim when turning other lights on, and some days the will dim by them self's with out me turning anything on. I haven't done a amperage pull on ac' s but I feel that some days the run less strong. On the lights the will come back on bright after random times so does the AC. Not sure if this helps but when I unhook from shore and travel for few hrs then reconnect to shore my fuse box has a loud zooming noise that goes away after 20 seconds this has been happening since we bought the RW 3 yrs ago.

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by Kaidocl

My lights are led but it's always kind of dim inside but at night I can really tell the dim when turning other lights on, and some days the will dim by them self's with out me turning anything on. I haven't done a amperage pull on ac' s but I feel that some days the run less strong. On the lights the will come back on bright after random times so does the AC. Not sure if this helps but when I unhook from shore and travel for few hrs then reconnect to shore my fuse box has a loud zooming noise that goes away after 20 seconds this has been happening since we bought the RW 3 yrs ago.

The type of condition you are describing leads me to think that you have some loose wire connections somewhere in the system. Loose connections can lead to slightly higher resistance. When a higher current load occurs, there is a higher than normal voltage drop across the connection which subtracts from the supply voltage. This will result in a lower voltage being applied to your light causing the dimming affect.

So, my recommendation is when you are ready to check, is to look for loose connections. They may be found anywhere in the system from your 50 amp cable from the pedestal post on the AC line voltage side through the DC voltage side to the batteries. My first guess would be that you have loose connections on the DC voltage side. I found many loose connections in the DC voltage system when I first checked my trailer about 5 years ago.

1. How old are your batteries? You may want to have them load tested to determine their condition. I generally do that once per year.
2. Check the battery posts and clean them with a wire brush then re-connect the post clamps very tight.
3. Check the tightness of the negative (black) battery lead termination at the trailer frame in the back of the battery compartment.
4. Check to make sure negative clamp where it is mounted to the trailer frame is not rusty. If so remove the clamp and use a wire brush to get the connection down to bare metal.
5. Check all of the buss bar connections on the 12 VDC positive side connections to ensure tightness.
6. Check any wire nut connections on the 12 VDC system to make sure they stay tight.
7. Check connections on the back side of your fuse panel. While you are in there, check all of the AC voltage circuit breaker connections for tightness.
8. Check wire nut connections at the lamp fixtures.
9. Check connections at the converter. I know...........it is hard to access. I had to have mine replaced in our second year of ownership due to the converter developing a pulsating output that caused the halogen lamps to flicker.
10. If after doing all of the DC voltage side, you still have the dimming light problem, then you have to repeat the process for the AC voltage side connections. Warning.........disconnect from the pedestal post supply before working on the AC voltage side connections.

Hope this helps.

[mhs4771]

We had a similar issue on our '12 RL while on an extended trip. Started looking and wiggling wires and found the connection in the Battery Cutoff Switch we about ready to fall off. Once tighten no more issues.

[spindrift]

Hey Guy...one of the best troubleshooting procedures I've seen in a long time. 👍