Total loss of power

[2happycampers]

We were planning a trip in the next couple of weeks to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We set up our 05 Fleetwood Colonial  today to restock, etc., in preparation.   We plugged our power cord into the house (normal house current and we have done before with no problems).  Had to use the power cord extension and the adaptor for the outlet and since it was 93 degrees today, we decided to put the air on.   Started the A/C and it tried to start and then stopped.  We found that where the two cords connected, one pole on the camper power cord had arced.    After we plugged back into the house without the extension cord and with the a/c unplugged, still nothing in camper electrically is working.  Battery power only.  Circuit breakers on converter did not trip and it does not appear as if the GFCI did either.  racking our brains to figure out if it is a power cord problem, converter problem or GFCI problem.  HELP!!!  We would hate to have to take to dealer and "wonder" if we will get it back in time for our anniversary trip.  

Thank you for any input.

Hopefully we will be 2happycampers for our anniversary!

[AustinBoston]

We found that where the two cords connected, one pole on the camper power cord had arced.

To start, that cord really should be checked by someone qualified to check it's condition.  There may be damage you can't see.

After we plugged back into the house without the extension cord and with the a/c unplugged, still nothing in camper electrically is working.

Start at the house, and make sure the breaker in the house is not tripped.  Plug a lamp or something you know is working into that outlet and make sure it has power.

Austin

[lam1317]

i did the same thing with my 1995 starcraft pluged the camper to house current
and blew out the a/c. the extension card was not heavy enough. i will have
a 30 amp plug installed near my garage so when i do this again i can pug the camper cord right in.but i think if you had like a 25 foot 20 amp extension card pluged into a 15 0r 20 amp plug it would work. i can tell you now your a/c is cooked.

[wavery]

i did the same thing with my 1995 starcraft pluged the camper to house current
and blew out the a/c. the extension card was not heavy enough. i will have
a 30 amp plug installed near my garage so when i do this again i can pug the camper cord right in.but i think if you had like a 25 foot 20 amp extension card pluged into a 15 0r 20 amp plug it would work. i can tell you now your a/c is cooked.

You obviously suffered a low voltage condition while using your extension cords (not a good idea ). That would cause a strain on the AC and a lot of heat build up in the extension cords (especially at the connectors).

More than likely, you may have blown a circuit breaker in the house. If all the breakers look OK, I would find the one that services that outlet and have it checked or replaced. It should have blown.

You won't know if your AC is damaged until you can get power to it (obviously). However, I wouldn't be concerned about it until then. Shorting out the power cord shouldn't damage the AC. However, the low voltage (if it was on for more than an hour) could have damaged the compressor.

AB is right. That cord really should be checked out and replaced, if necessary.

"i can tell you now your a/c is cooked." may be a bit of a strong statement.


BTW.....when you plug your camper into your house, it is a good idea to run a ground wire from the frame of the camper to a cold water pipe on the house. If you don't, you could get electrocuted in your trailer. It's also a good idea to do that at CGs as well. It's good protection in the event of a short like that.

[AustinBoston]

BTW.....when you plug your camper into your house, it is a good idea to run a ground wire from the frame of the camper to a cold water pipe on the house. If you don't, you could get electrocuted in your trailer. It's also a good idea to do that at CGs as well. It's good protection in the event of a short like that.

While it is a good idea, more and more, it won't work.  More and more houses are built with non-metallic water lines, and I'd say about 50% of the campgrounds I've been to in the last 5 years were doing the same.  "Grounding" the pop-up to a plastic cold water pipe is like bringing a canoe paddle in your car in case you run out of gas.

Austin

[wavery]

While it is a good idea, more and more, it won't work.  More and more houses are built with non-metallic water lines, and I'd say about 50% of the campgrounds I've been to in the last 5 years were doing the same.  "Grounding" the pop-up to a plastic cold water pipe is like bringing a canoe paddle in your car in case you run out of gas.

Austin

Good point :p . I guess I should have said, "Galvanized or metal cold water pipe".

I have a galvanized water pipe right next to our PU. I hook a batter jumper cable to it and to the frame of the PU if I wll be working in it. Especially with the AC on or if I am using tools. I just don't trust that crummy converter.

[AustinBoston]

Good point :p . I guess I should have said, "Galvanized or metal cold water pipe".

I have a galvanized water pipe right next to our PU. I hook a batter jumper cable to it and to the frame of the PU if I wll be working in it. Especially with the AC on or if I am using tools. I just don't trust that crummy converter.

The pop-up frame should be grounded through the power post directly to the frame (RVIA standard), then to the converter.  Of course, this assumes that:

• The post wiring is OK
• The pop-up was made after the RVIA standards were adopted.
• The connection has not corroded excessively
• The power cable is in good condition
• The power cable's ground pin hasn't been removed

IMHO, the best way to go is to use an adapter between the pop-up and the post that has a GFCI built into it.  But this is a "do as I say, not as I do," because I have never been willing to spring for one myself.

Austin

[wavery]

The pop-up frame should be grounded through the power post directly to the frame (RVIA standard), then to the converter.  Of course, this assumes that:

• The post wiring is OK
• The pop-up was made after the RVIA standards were adopted.
• The connection has not corroded excessively
• The power cable is in good condition
• The power cable's ground pin hasn't been removed

IMHO, the best way to go is to use an adapter between the pop-up and the post that has a GFCI built into it.  But this is a "do as I say, not as I do," because I have never been willing to spring for one myself.

Austin

Again....my biggest issue is with the converter on these campers. They are very cheaply made and if not wired properly you could get zapped ......If touching something metal and 110v...which is unlikely unless you are working with tools.

It has also been my experience that a high percentage of outlets are not wired correctly. A few years ago, I had a tenant receive a bad shock while vacuuming her floor. I tested the outlet that she was using and found that it was improperly wired. I have 40 apts with approximately 1000 electrical outlets in the building. I hired an electrical contractor to come out and test all of the outlets. We found several hundred were wired incorrectly (I don't remember the exact #).

I immediately sent an alert to our head management office. They manage 130 apt buildings (some over 250 units) and mini-malls around West Los Angeles. They ended up having every single outlet checked (over a million) and around 20% of the outlets were wired wrong. It may be helpful to note that we used several different contractors and had the same results with all of them.

[AustinBoston]

It has also been my experience that a high percentage of outlets are not wired correctly.

Thus the GFCI recommendation.  If all the power coming out of the pole doesn't go back in, then the whole pop-up gets completely disconnected.

They ended up having every single outlet checked (over a million) and around 20% of the outlets were wired wrong. It may be helpful to note that we used several different contractors and had the same results with all of them.

That's a pretty poor average, probably near 3-5 outlets per unit!  It's probably the result of a lack of accountability at one level or another.  I hope they have learned to check every outlet in new buildings, and drag the contractor back to fix every one of them.

I would not be surprised if 10% or more of campground power poles are wired wrong.  I would not be too surprised if there were whole campgrounds that were 100% wrong.

I have done quite a bit of home wiring for a do-it-yourselfer (completely re-wired our first home), and have had two goals:  The first is that my work be good enough to last at least 100 years (the stuff I was replacing was at least 80 years old), and the second is that it be obvious that the work was not done by a contractor, because no contractor could afford to take the time to do it that carefully.

I test every outlet, and I then load test every outlet.  I've never heard of an electrician doing a load test on house wiring, but there is no better way to detect a compromised connection in advance of a problem.

The house my wife and I own now was built by a do-it-yourselfer about 20 years ago.  My wife has heard me say repeatedly "This guy was a great carpenter, but he never should have touched the wiring."  Your post has reminded me that he may not have.

Austin

[zamboni]

They ended up having every single outlet checked (over a million) and around 20% of the outlets were wired wrong.

Wow - that is much higher than I would have ever guessed!  I bought a polarity (and GFCI tripper) tester at Home Depot, and tested every outlet in my house and tripped every GFI "labelled" outlet before I signed the inspection papers while the house was being built.

I might have to start bringing it with me to campgrounds!

[Old Goat]

I carry a Hubbell circuit tester in my camper tool box. When plugged into a 110v outlet it will instantly tell if that outlet or the circuit which feeds it is miswired or has a bad ground....