eletrical out on a few things.

poffrr · 04-12-2018, 11:43 AM

Finally got my TM out for the week. On day two my 120 hot water heater, 120 on frig., and my over head fan stopped working. Got frig. On propane. Problem with propane water heater. Will at that later. Fuses look ok. Any others ever had same issue? And maybe a quick place to look?

HoMiPa · 04-12-2018, 12:32 PM

There are a lot of very indepth posts here on various electrical issues, from some very knowledgeable TM owners. Electrical issues need very specific info to trouble shoot - there are no blanket fixes or answers. I would use the search function to narrow down the issue, point you in the right direction, and then probe the minds here. :-)

**Bill** · 04-12-2018, 01:35 PM

Holly is right. The issues are very specific, and need a lot of info before they can be addressed. The water heater and refrig both work on 120 VAC, so it is tempting to send you off to look at the 120 volt breakers (not fuses). But the best clue may be that the overhead fan stopped working at the same time. This fan operates on 12 volts DC. And both the refrig and the water heater have controllers that require a small amount of 12 VDC to power them. So it possible that your AC power is OK, but your DC power has a problem.

So what other info would be helpful? Start here.

Plug something (maybe something like a lamp) into one of the AC outlets in the TM. Does it turn on?

Turn on one of the ceiling-mounted lights in the front shell. Does it light?

Get back to us.

Bill

BrucePerens · 04-12-2018, 02:47 PM

Let's start by assuming the fan might not be related to the other problems. Look for some simple goofs:

1. Turn all of the breakers all of the way off, and then on again. Sometimes you can't see when they are triggered.

2. One common goof of new RV owners is to put the electrical power on when there is no water in the water heater. If the 120 volt heater in the water heater tank goes on dry, it will short out in seconds and may or may not flip the circuit breaker. The switch for it is sort of hidden on the outside of the water heater under a duct, and some new owners don't even know it's there. The short can create "hot skin" which is a safety topic you should read about.

Also check the things Bill wrote about.

I find that I often can not see that a fuse is blown. I remove one at a time and check it with a continuity checker.

poffrr · 04-12-2018, 08:16 PM

Yea my 12 volt lights are not working in front. Checked all my 12 volt battery showing over 13 volts. I did have the top 20 circuit breaker that kicked off. Just turned it back on.
With no resolve at the time. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help so far.

poffrr · 04-12-2018, 08:34 PM

Opps my mistake I do have 12 volt lights in front working. I didn't have rocker switch on in the vent light on door side.

BrucePerens · 04-12-2018, 10:56 PM

Is everything working now?

poffrr · 04-13-2018, 08:14 AM

No Bruce still having same issues. It could be far worse. Got hot showers on site. Air conditioner working. Were down in Phoenix. 100 plus a couple of days. I'm hoping that frig will still work on 12 volts on trip back to Oregon this weekend. Then to repair shop to have it looked at.

BrucePerens · 04-13-2018, 09:18 PM

Before you go to the repair shop, you should check every fuse. As I wrote previously, I can't always see if they are broken, but the auto parts store has a tester with a light that lights up if they are OK, and it should only cost a few bucks.
Pull the AC power plug before you get your hands in there, for safety. Sometimes fuses go without a persistent issue, you just have to change the fuse. So, this is something you should be self-sufficient about when camping.

tentcamper · 04-14-2018, 02:07 PM

The fridge has a 120V plug in the back. Try unplugging the fridge and and plug something else in the plug. I believe that the fridge outlet box is also the source for the 120V hot water heater.

If you don't power at the fridge outlet box. I would be checking the circuit breaker or maybe the 120V outlet box inside the camper next to the fridge. The one next to the fridge might be the source to the fridge. You might have power at the outlet box inside next to the fridge, but the output wires going to the fridge may be loss or disconnected.

I would check with a voltmeter that you do have power coming out of the breaker. I have had 3 times in my life that a breaker has tripped and after it is reset the breaker would not pass power through it.

Also, one of the breakers may be a gfi breaker with a test and reset button. You might want to check that it is reset.