Starcraft power converter

[wdk_nc]

We went camping this weekend in our 99 Starcraft Venture. We left camp with the AC on and came back a few hours later and had no power. I unplugged the AC, checked fuses and the breaker but still no power. I took the faceplate off of the transformer and saw a burnt wire. Not sure which one yet. The plastic behind the breaker was also brown.

What could cause such a problem? I'm I destined to replace the whole unit? Are there any other tests I should do?

Thanks for any advise on how to start debugging this.

David

[kwatson51]

We went camping this weekend in our 99 Starcraft Venture. We left camp with the AC on and came back a few hours later and had no power. I unplugged the AC, checked fuses and the breaker but still no power. I took the faceplate off of the transformer and saw a burnt wire. Not sure which one yet. The plastic behind the breaker was also brown.

What could cause such a problem? I'm I destined to replace the whole unit? Are there any other tests I should do?

Thanks for any advise on how to start debugging this.

David

Hi David,
Can't address the AC issue -- we don't have AC.
However, if anything like that happens to ours, I will replace the converter.
I suspect it would be cheaper than trying to fix the OEM converter. In fact, I plan to replace mine anyway maybe later this year or next. From what I've read, the OEM units aren't famous for being 'old dependables'.
Check out the ad at the top of the page or http://www.bestconverter.com/view_category.asp?cat=63/
Thats the one I'll get.

Re the AC, I would plug it into shore power at home and see if it runs ok.
I'm sure there are people with more expertise in this area, so wait for a few more replies.
Best wishes!

[mike4947]

Well first of all you've learned the hard way not to leave the AC on when leaving the trailer. What most likely happened is one of two things. Either the main hot wire from the shore power was loose. The high draw of the AC 15+ amps caused the wire to overheat and short out.
The other possiblilty is the park had low voltage. As voltage drops amperage draw increases watts = amps X volts. If it got low enough you might be buying a new air conditioner as well as repairing/replacing the converter.
 
It doesn't take to long to cool the trailer down and a lot less chance of experiencing either of the above problems.

[wdk_nc]

Thanks for the info. I will test the AC. Then I will probably try to rewire the input line into the converter to ensure a good connection to see if the converter is still working. I hope so since the circuit breaker did not trip. I hope it was only the wire that burned.
Thanks for the reference to the online store. The local supply place said the converters go for $200-300 without labor.

David