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kcarpenter View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Mar 2019
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Posts: 3 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: power outage
    Posted: 25 Mar 2019 at 6:23pm
Hi all, First time to the forum!  My family and I are naive (specifically the electrical aspects) owners of a 2017 182G. Over the last couple of years I have yet to truly get the battery and generator usage optimized or better said, understood.  I must warn you as well the electrical verbiage is a foreign language to me so consider this when responding but our current issue is that having just gotten it back from the shop due to a leak in the roof I am finding that even when plugged into the house (120V- I believe) that nothing is powered in the camper.  The battery I know is shot as I've had problems over charging and/or undercharging from the house when it sits for a duration.  I would assume however that with the fuse out of the battery that I should at least get some function while plugged into 120V shore power?  Correct?  This is probably the first of several questions in this specific arena that I'll query you with so I'm grateful for any response!  Regards.
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Mar 2019 at 7:28pm
Check to see if your main breaker, the one with the number 30 has tripped.  It is in the WFCO electric panel that has both your 12 vdc and 120 vac.  Try switching it off and on as sometimes when it trips it looks like it's still in the on position.  

Once you do that plug in your shore power and check your plugs to see if you have ac power to them.  If you don't, go to your RV repair service place.  It may be something as simple as the plug breakers have also tripped, or it could be something more complicated, but it's safer to let someone who knows the system check it out.

If your battery is not properly charging, then you may have a bad converter board.  There is an easy way to test it, but given your stated lack of knowledge of electrical stuff, that too should be checked by your service shop.  It takes about 10 minutes to change the converter board, so it won't be outrageously expensive to have them fix it.  

While you have your trailer in the shop, ask them to go through the basic operation of the ac and dc systems with you so you'll get a better idea of how things work.  With your stated level of knowledge, it'd probably be better if you don't try to do much with the electric system yourself.  Once you have a basic understanding, then simple repairs can be done safely.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 5:56am
Most things in the trailer are 12V so if your battery fuse is out then probably none of that stuff will work. 
That leave the 120Vac stuff: outlets, microwave, TV. roof a/c. First be sure you have power to the trailer by checking the outlet on the house you're plugging into is working. Then connect to the trailer and as lostagain says check the breakers. 

I suggest flipping each one off and then firmly on again to be sure they haven't tripped, its often hard to tell when looking at them. Do the lights on your microwave display come on? Then check the outlets too. Those are on gfci circuits like the bathroom ones in your house so be sure to reset them. Try turning on the air conditioner. 

if none of that works then lostagain is right, take the trailer to an RV shop and let them troubleshoot it for you.

Good luck!
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 7:19am
One little catch in tripping the breakers.  Leave the water heater breaker off.  If the switch on the water heater is on and you turn the breaker on, then you've energized the heating element.  That's fine as long as you have hot water in the tank, but if, for any reason, you don't your heating element will burn up in less than a minute.  There are several threads on this issue that you can look up later, bur for now, just to be on the safe side, leave that breaker off.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
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kcarpenter View Drop Down
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Posts: 3 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 8:25am
Morning, Thanks all!  You're right in the end I suspect I should just concede and take it back in.  In so doing however, I'm trying to pick up some actionable knowledge along the way.  I have tried to switch the breakers off and on without success.  I have also reset the GFCI panel without a change.  My wife and I have noticed over the years that no matter what we do that the radio is perpetually on, however now it is completely blank. Likewise, AC and Microwave don't work on shore power which does have juice as I've recently plugged it into table saws etc...Interestingly, I can hear the typical beep when I plug it into shore power and then nothing happens thereafter.  After a brief phone exchange with the service department, there is suspicion that it may be the converter as was suggested.  Obviously, I need to resolve the battery situation as well.  Thank you for your thoughts!  

Can any of you make the connection between another problem we experienced at the end of last year and the above issues. We bought two Honda EU2000i generators and admittedly I was using the home shore power adaptor which was compatible with the 20amp outlet on the generator and things seemed to work fine as far as running the AC.  Then, I actually got the appropriate 30amp adaptor to connect to the generators and soon thereafter I would crank everything up and quickly the generator would shut down with the overload light blinking.  Of note, was not simultaneously running the microwave and also tried to go back to the 20amp outlet with the same result.  So not sure if this problem is intrinsic to the generator(s) or some power issue from the camper.
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 9:16am
Good grief, with all the electric problems you're having, it sounds like your system is infested with poltergeists.  

In all seriousness, with all the electrical problems you are experiencing and your limited experience with working on electric systems, the dealer is your best bet.  But before you go, make a comprehensive list of everything that doesn't seem to be working correctly and the things you have done, such as what you describe with your generator, and give it to the service shop.  Not only will it aid them in diagnosing the problems but it will help ensure that they check all the things that are wrong.  And, as I stated above, ask them to walk you through the entire electric system explaining how each element works.  Offer to pay the shop rate for the electric tour so they won't feel rushed or put upon.  They are certainly entitled to be compensated for the time they spend with you and it will be a very good investment for your enjoyment of the Pod.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 9:55am
Do things work when plugged into your house outlet? Do you have a multimeter? If so, please check the voltage of the outlet you are using at the house.
Another thing, check the two 40A fuses in the center of the panel to see if they are blown. If so, then it means the battery polarity was reversed at some point. Check to make sure the battery cables are connected to the correct terminals after making sure the battery is good by taking it to an auto shop (AutoZone, O'Reilly's, Walmart, etc.) and having it tested and replaced if needed. If the fuses are blown, the converter can't work. If they are good and the batteries are not charging, that is an indicator of a bad converter.
Last, if none of this helps, take it to somewhere that can check it for you.
StephenH
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TheBum View Drop Down
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 10:24am
Originally posted by lostagain

One little catch in tripping the breakers.  Leave the water heater breaker off.  If the switch on the water heater is on and you turn the breaker on, then you've energized the heating element.  That's fine as long as you have hot water in the tank, but if, for any reason, you don't your heating element will burn up in less than a minute.  There are several threads on this issue that you can look up later, bur for now, just to be on the safe side, leave that breaker off.


This assumes that you have the switch under the water heater cover outside switched on.
Alan
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 10:33am
Wow, lots going on here. So, one thing at a time. First, take your converter out of the ac circuit by switching it’s breaker off. Make sure you’re still getting power out of the circuit you’re connecting to your household 120Vac. Then connect that to the camper using your 20a adapter. Do you now have power to your microwave? If not the you might still have a converter problem but it’s not causing your 120Vac camper circuits not to work.




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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 10:47am
The statement that " I am finding that even when plugged into the house (120V- I believe) that nothing is powered in the camper." makes me think that the outlet into which the RPod is plugged is not providing power. In that case, the first step would be to check the circuit breakers to see if the one that controls that outlet is tripped. The second is to see if a GCFI in the circuit is tripped. In my case, there is an outlet in one of the bathrooms that controls not just the bathroom, but also the outlet on the front porch that I used to plug the RPod into before I installed the 30A RV outlet. That is why I suggested checking that first.
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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