mypopslou Report post Posted October 6, 2014 After 3 weeks at Hershey Thousand Trails Campground, I was in the process of cleaning my RV and winterizing it as we do not plan on using it again until Spring. All of a sudden without warning I lost all Electrical Power, the refrigerator, the convection oven, entertainment system. I check the circuit breaker and every single one of them was tripped with the exception of the roof airs which I was not using at the time. In the bathroom I have a GFI plug which was also tripped and will not reset. The refrigerator switched over automatically to LP and I was able to pull my slides in via battery power. When I hit the switch for my converter to see if it would bring back power it just stated 'searching'. I have never had something like this happen before and am hoping it is just a faulty GFI and not the inverter going bad. Any suggestions, I was able to winterizing the entire coach with the exception of the washer/dryer since they only run when plugged in. I was not going to worry about it until the spring but I know there is water in the lines for the washer/dryer so to avoid complicating the matter I need to address this now. We did not have any issues during our 3 week stay, everything was working fine and we were connected to 50amp. I tried turning the power off at the pedestal and turning it back on but nothing changed. My wife was using the central vacuum system and said she twisted the hose when she pulled it out. I did not think that would matter but I pulled the plug on the unit just to see if the GFI would then reset but no luck. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarlAda Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Check voltages at inputs and outputs of ATS, converter, power panels, etc. You can narrow your search down that way. Obviously take necessary safety precautions while using a voltmeter on live circuits. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 6, 2014 ASSUME you are safe working around 240 VAC (know to turn everything including inverter off, etc). If not, have someone qualified and safe work on it. I would start by starting the generator. That will tell you if the issue is on the "coach side" of the ATS. If everything works on generator power, the coach side is OK, since from the ATS on generator and shore power use exactly the same wires. That would suggest you have an issue with the CG outlet, shore power cord, shore power inlet on the coach or ATS. If nothing works on generator, then start in the ATS and then house main 120 VAC breaker box. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Mypopslou, Your coach has a 50 amp. service connection, so I'm thinking you may have lost you ground connection somewhere between the the coach and your 50 amp connection(maybe even at the house / riser). So, Will things work if you run the Generator? If not you could have an issue with the disconnect circuit or loose connection(s) in the coach wiring between the ground and neutral connections. Always work on the connections when disconnected from shore power and the generator an inverter off. Should things work when on the generator, run a complete test of all the shore cable connections and the transfer relay circuit. You might want to check and see if all the connections in the shore cable are tight and good connectivity between the cable ends, Coach connection point for the shore cable, connections on and around the disconnect circuit, circuit breaker panels and also the J box where the generator power interfaces with the Coach wiring. Things do loosen up while going down the road. Brett, was a little faster then me !!!! Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Brett, thanks for your suggestion. I am not very well versed on working with electricity but will certainly try what you suggest. After I start the generator and assuming it is something with my shore cord, which it could be as I have had some issues trying to plug and unplug into the coach recently, I would have to try and reset the GFI with generator running before anything would switch over ...correct?? Thanks for your help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Mypopsula. Yes, if you have a GFI that does not reset when on shore power- try to reset it on generator power. Should it reset then you know all is well with the coach wiring and there is an issue in your shore power circuit. Should everything else work then the GFI could have failed, should all the other circuits be working. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted October 6, 2014 OK so I tried your suggestions and when I started the generator everything worked so I was able to winterize my washer/ dryer. I was so excited that everything worked I forgot to try and reset the GFI plug or try the inverter to see if EMS gave me anything more than 'Searching' So with everything working now I have to believe it has something to do with my shore power cord as it has been a little difficult connecting as well as disconnecting lately.I will have to take it to my local repair shop but at least I have an idea what the problem and I thank everyone for your suggestions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Good work. You have isolated the issue to shore power cord male end on to the ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and everything between. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
