Holiday Rambler Endeavor 2002

[sklonsdale]

Microwave and portable ice maker plug into separate 110v outlets. Both items quit working at the same time while driving. Tested the two outlets for voltage and shows 149v. Coffee pot and toaster still work, but not the microwave or ice maker. How can I fix this problem???

[wolfe10]

Assume you are on a 50 amp shore power connection?

If so, DISCONNECT IMMEDIATELY.

You have an open neutral!

[sklonsdale]

Thanks Brett, I'll see if I can find the open neutral, and yes it is 50 amp shore power. Looked at it today and the inverter will not do anything, no buzzing, no blinking lights, nothing. All house batteries average 1.0, where as the chassis batteries are at 12.5.

[wolfe10]

An open neutral with 50 amp means line voltage can "wander" all over the place, from extremely low to extremely high. Either can do a LOT of damage to electrical equipment on your coach.

Is this where you store it or is it at a CG. If CG, ask to move to another site.

As always, a digital voltmeter is YOUR FRIEND!

[sklonsdale]

We were lucky to get home/parked outside. Can be connected to 50 amp service and did for a short time and now nothing?? Opened up a plug-in, was not expecting what RV plug-ins would be like, not sure how to check?? Also not sure where to look for open neutrals?

[wildebill308]

This is why I always recommend a good surge protector. Hear is a link to a post I made about what happened to me.

http://community.fmca.com/topic/8614-surge-protector-saved-me-one-more-time/

Hope you get your problem sorted out.

Bill

[wolfe10]

An open neutral can be either on the CG/shore end or in your shore power cord, wires to ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch), wires from ATS to main breaker box or in the main breaker box.

The neutral on a 50 amp male end is the center straight. The wire will be white.

If this just happened at one CG, quite likely it is not your coach. But, if this is at home, you need to check the outlet:

With a voltmeter (assuming you are safe working around 240 VAC):

Either outer straight to either center round or center straight= 120 VAC

Center round to center straight= 0 VAC

Outer straight to outer straight= 240 VAC

If the outlet checks out, unplug, generator off, inverter off, check the above mentioned connections.

Not safe working around 240 VAC have someone who is check it out.

DO NOT PLUG IN UNTIL THIS IS SOLVED OR YOU WILL BE SPENDING BIG BUCKS.

[sklonsdale]

The problem actually happened on the road as we turned into a rest area and noticed that the hot water heater was still turned on 120V. We turned off the water heater but the damage was done. Microwave (on plugin in cupboard) and portable ice maker plugged in on same wall in kitchen area so we unplugged them and used the same plugin on the wall below microwave for the coffee maker and toaster that still worked. Both plugins were showing 150V on the meter. Hope this information helps. Really appreciate your help.

Steven

[wolfe10]

SO, you are talking about while in generator power, not shore power.

Still could be a bad neutral in wiring from generator to ATS, ATS, wiring to main breaker box or main breaker box OR

It could be an issue with the generator.

No question, 150 VAC will mess up a lot of appliances.

What generator do you have? Many have a failsafe that turns them off if voltage is out of spec.

[sklonsdale]

Not sure what you mean about generator. I purchased the RV 2 years ago but have never used the generator. It is an Onan 7.5QD diesel. I know the generator should be started a few times every year but never have. I have a 50 amp service at home and leave it plugged in 24/7 thinking that would keep everything similar to parking at RV camp grounds and ready to go. As you can tell I have a lot to learn!! It also has a 60 Watt solar panel. I live in Iowa so it can get below zero for several days in a row, wish I had garage for it. So back to the open neutral. Could the ATS still be faulty?

Steven

[wolfe10]

Steven,

You posted, "The problem actually happened on the road as we turned into a rest area and noticed that the hot water heater was still turned on 120V."

An open neutral only occurs on 120 VAC power. If you were in a rest area or on the road and the generator was not running, an open neutral could do no damage.

The only other source of 120 VAC is your inverter. But, it would be VERY strange "inverter out" wiring for the water heater to be wired on an inverter-powered circuit.

Please tell us what motorhome you have as well-- that may help.

And, if easier to talk on the phone about this, send me a PM and I will be happy to give you a call.

[tbutler]

We were lucky to get home/parked outside. Can be connected to 50 amp service and did for a short time and now nothing?? Opened up a plug-in, was not expecting what RV plug-ins would be like, not sure how to check?? Also not sure where to look for open neutrals?

Here is a link to a web site that should be very helpful for your understanding of the basics of wiring for RV outlets. There are lots of diagrams and good explanations of what to look for and how to conduct tests and what readings you should expect. Every RV'er should have this site bookmarked for ready reference!

One of the things you might check is the main cut-off switch for the house batteries. In our coach it is located near the battery compartment in a separate compartment just behind the battery compartment. Ours melted down this spring and everything was going goofy before it completely failed. The cause of failure was a washer left off the replacement switch when the original was replaced about 5 years ago. One side of the post for the battery feed to the switch had the cable against plastic instead of a conducting surface (the washer). As a result, the cable connection was getting hot to the point that the plastic switch finally melted.

If the house batteries are registering 1V, then many things that work on DC in the coach will be inoperable even when plugged in to a good 50A shore power outlet. If the switch is good then verify that the batteries are in good condition. If the batteries are capable of taking a charge, charge them up and try the inverter again. I've had the house batteries go dead and it really does render the rest of the coach electric DOA.

[sklonsdale]

The description of my RV is Holiday Rambler Endeavor 2002, Cummins diesel, 38'. On this trip I started taking the shore power cord out and plugged in (not checking to see if the switch was on or off) and then plugged in the other end into the RV. Sometimes I had to wiggle that end a bit to make sure it was making good contact. So far everything I did seemed to be wrong?? Would it be okay for me to plug into 120V only to check for the open neutral? I have a battery charger, should I charge up the house batteries?

Steven

[wolfe10]

Steven,

You may have just identified the source of your open neutral: Sometimes I had to wiggle that end a bit to make sure it was making good contact.

So, no, I would not plug in until you identify the cause of the poor connection and correct it. Obviously, if the poor contact happens to be the neutral, THAT is the most likely source of your problem.

And to keep from arcing your male contacts, always turn off the CG breaker before plugging in. And, turn it off before disconnecting.

[five]

I had a similar issue with a 5th wheel with 50 amp power. We were inside the RV and a TV started to smoke. I immediately went outside and turned off the power at the post and unplugged my cord. Long story short, one of the lines to the pin at the end of the plug had come loose and come in contact with another. It's been a couple of years so I don't recall which line did what. But inside the RV one circuit was doubling the volts to about 180, while the other line was putting out half the normal amount...around 60. I reattached the wires to the correct pins, and all was well.

[wolfe10]

I had a similar issue with a 5th wheel with 50 amp power. We were inside the RV and a TV started to smoke. I immediately went outside and turned off the power at the post and unplugged my cord. Long story short, one of the lines to the pin at the end of the plug had come loose and come in contact with another. It's been a couple of years so I don't recall which line did what. But inside the RV one circuit was doubling the volts to about 180, while the other line was putting out half the normal amount...around 60. I reattached the wires to the correct pins, and all was well.

Almost by definition, with those readings, it was a broken neutral. Without a neutral and two hots voltage can range WAY high and WAY low.

[sklonsdale]

Still working on electrical, having some warm weather. I have worked on the shore power female end and the male end of the connection in the RV. One problem was the screws in the male end needed additional tightening to properly engage and twist lock properly.

I also found the receptacle in the bedroom did not have the center copper grounding, was totally not there?? When testing I noticed it indicated open ground. I have ordered two new plug-ins.

The other plug-in the bedroom using shore power only plugged into 120 v extension cord is correct (also the other plug-in with the two grounds twisted together are good).

I took out the house batteries and recharged them in the garage during the cooler weather. Put them back in the RV yesterday. Checked the EMS panel inside and looked good for 30 seconds and then went blank?? May have inverter problem (60 watt solar panel/Freedom 458 1500 watt inverter/charger)? I also took off the cover on the inverter/charger and the cooling fan blade had come loose. May be why it doesn't work.

Also still do not have any power coming to the bathroom GFCI, which also shuts off plug-ins in the kitchen?? Will be checking today to see if a breaker or fuse has blown? Have narrowed it down from the inverter out to the GFCI? Need to find where, must be somewhere before the one in the bath room? Went back out and checked the inverter AC going in was 119.8v and the AC going out was zero, now I know why there is no power in the rest of the RV.

Trying to find someone in the area that I could take it to was not possible.