R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Potential Electrical Safety Issue - PLEASE READ
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedPotential Electrical Safety Issue - PLEASE READ

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
BillR View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 29 Mar 2015
Location: Walkerton ON
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Potential Electrical Safety Issue - PLEASE READ
    Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 9:03pm

I would like to alert subscribers to something that happened to us recently that I think has serious implications for safety. Please read this post, particularly if you have an R-Pod with a slide-out. We have a 2013 RP-177 which we bought used last year (and we love it, BTW!). We usually boondock, but on a recent trip we rented an electrical site because I had not yet had a chance to check out the entire electrical system. We got set up and hooked up at Rideau River Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada (nice park!).

 

On the second day, I noticed that the fridge was indicating “no power” (flashing red light). I had to re-set the GFCI outlet, and all seemed fine (the GFCI outlet protects ALL the standard 115V outlets). But it tripped again in about an hour. I put the fridge on propane and figured I’d have to check it out when I got home. But I WAS able to re-set the GFCI.

 

Later, Gwen and I were sitting outside at the picnic table when I heard a strange noise from inside the trailer. It’s hard to describe: kind of a cross between a “pop” and a “thump”. About a minute later, we heard it again. This time, I went to investigate. I just stepped into the trailer when I heard it again, only this time it was accompanied by a brilliant flash from under the kitchen sink. Arc-flash!! I immediately ran outside and unplugged from the utility post.

 

When I got back in the trailer, I could smell that burnt, electrical kind of smell and there was a slight bit of blue smoke coming from the under-sink cabinet. That cabinet is kind of cheaply made, so removing a couple of screws gave me access to the entire area. I was surprised to see that, directly under the p-trap for the sink were two electrical connectors (see photo), clearly 115V. They were blackened and broken. Shocked

 

I also noticed that the plastic drain fittings were dripping, and of course they were dripping right onto the connectors! Since the plumbing is all “hand-tightened” fittings, I assumed they had loosened off a bit with hot-cold and travel vibration. It was easy to re-tighten by hand and stop the mild drippage that had been taking place. It must have been recent, because while the area was wet, it certainly wasn’t soaked and I couldn’t see any water damage other than the burnt connectors.

 

We spent the rest of the trip on 12V and propane, which was fine. Once home, I was able to affect repairs (see photo – overkill, I know. To do it again, I would just make Marrette connections and tie them out of the way). One connection is for the kitchen outlet (located in the slide-out wall) and the other is for the microwave plug-in located in the overhead cabinet. But I will add that when checking the entire electrical system, I noticed that the plug-in for the microwave was incorrectly wired (hot and neutral reversed). This was preventing the GFCI from resetting, so I knew something was wrong somewhere. I eventually corrected this at my new plug-in arrangement, since it was really hard to access the outlet. Note that, in my solution shown, those two outlets are electrically separate (I broke off the tab that connects the “black” and “white” screws on the outlet’s backside).

 

All is now back to normal and everything is working as it should, thankfully. I can’t believe that the installer would locate those connectors in such close proximity to plumbing! In retrospect, that GFCI was trying to tell me something. If yours trips, don’t ignore it! If you have a unit with a kitchen slide-out, I strongly suggest you take a look under the sink and think about waterproofing those connectors and tightening the plumbing. If we hadn’t been on site to follow up on this strange noise, we might have lost our trailer. Or worse! Please be careful!!  Ouch

"Camp, or die trying!"
2013 r-pod 177
2008 Chry T&C
3.6 litre V6 - 6-speed
BillR
Back to Top
techntrek View Drop Down
Admin Group - pHp
Admin Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Location: MD
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9059
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 10:47pm
Glad you caught that!  Sounds like you were living up to your signature...

The two things I recommend for all campers (see the link in my signature, the first item on the page that comes up) are a non-contact voltage tester and a plug-in outlet tester, based on the extensive work of Mike Sokol, discussed on that page.  Usually I just recommend plugging in the tester to one outlet to be sure the camper is plugged into a properly-wired outlet, but checking all of the outlets upon delivery would be a good idea, too.

Loose sewer plumbing is unfortunately a normal problem with the pods.  All of the connections are hand-tight and they always loosen up.  I traced out all of the sewer lines in mine several times and always found something loose.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
Back to Top
kymooses View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 01 Aug 2010
Location: Louisville, Ky
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1807
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 9:53am
This has happened to a few owners.  The placement of those is in a very unfortunate place!  But they always seem to be lined up almost directly beneath that pipe.
Back to Top
Leo B View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2012
Location: Lyndonville, VT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4507
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 10:29am
Did the previous owner move the electric or did it come that way?
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171
Back to Top
ron_whitt View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Location: Chesterville On
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 261
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 10:32am
I own a 2012 177pod when I installed the outside shower and removed the cheapo panels under the sink to make more storage, I noticed the connectors. I covered them with a plastic cover and made small notches for the wires at each end. So far seems to work..
Ron & Shirley
2020 Tacoma
2012 177 rpod
Back to Top
furpod View Drop Down
Moderator Group - pHp
Moderator Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6128
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 12:33pm
Originally posted by Leo B

Did the previous owner move the electric or did it come that way?


Came that way.. sometimes the factory puts them there, sometimes on the wall. It's where the pod wiring and slide wiring come together after the completed slide is inserted into the completed pod.
Back to Top
Leo B View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2012
Location: Lyndonville, VT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4507
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 1:49pm
Wow. Seems like a really bad place to put it
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171
Back to Top
dropkick View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 17 Jul 2015
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 2:52am
Wow, thanks for pointing these out.  I went out and found them in our 177 mounted on the vertical center divider between sink and stove/drawer stack.  I had never noticed them tucked up there before.  They’re off the floor but still susceptible to water.  I see yet another re-wire in the future.  Add to the growing list of wiring screw-ups that I’ve had to fix in this thing!

Is that outlet factory wiring, too?


Back to Top
BillR View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 29 Mar 2015
Location: Walkerton ON
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 8:36pm
No, that outlet is my handy work. Definate overkill; to do it again I would just move the connections to the sidewall and make sure they were waterproof. A simple Marretted splice would do fine and be a heck of a lot cheaper. I don't know what I was thinking...
"Camp, or die trying!"
2013 r-pod 177
2008 Chry T&C
3.6 litre V6 - 6-speed
BillR
Back to Top
dropkick View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 17 Jul 2015
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 11:52pm
Well if you ever had to remove the slide-out it'd be easy! Smile

Seeing as that should theoretically "never" happen (knock knock!), perhaps I'll just delete the connections all together and wire it straight back to the panel.  If the factory cables are left, the connection should at least be in a NMEA weathertight box, or as you did well out of the way.  I can't imagine FR not spending the 3 minutes it would take to do it right rather than have your trailer burn down or someone get shocked.  Scary.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz