electrical ?????


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Old 03-28-06, 06:29 AM
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electrical ?????

Just bought our first RV (used 2000 wildwood lite). Everything is like new but we can't figure out why our electric half on half off! Our overhead lights work, stove exhaust works. but air conditioner, bathroom fan, and micro do not. Plugged micro into house with extension cord and it worked fine. No electrical outlets seem to work. Need help! thank you
 
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Old 03-28-06, 06:32 AM
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hi
check electrical connection
your plug is design for a 30 amp service
pluging in regular outlet only have power to 1 side of electrical panel
you need plug addapter to convert from 30 amp plug to 120
 
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Old 03-28-06, 06:42 AM
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Red face

thank you for answering so quick. We are brand new to this and will probably end up here alot with questions again thanks
 
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Old 03-28-06, 07:13 PM
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I was going to wait and see how the previous post helped you out, but I realized there were some things you could check without pulling the unit to a campground or calling out an electrician.
Your stove vent, bath fan, and overhead lights are 12Vdc. Some units have a wall switch to operate the bath fan, you might also check your 12v fuses. So this problem should be separate from your a/c and micro
The A/C and Micro on many 30amp units are on the same 120 volt circut. They will often use a selector switch to change between them.. some will use a selector switch between the micro and 110volt element on the water heater. Not all 30 amp units are this way but they are out there..
Double check your circut breakers, actually turn them off and then back on, sometimes they way that the box is mounted can make a tripped breaker hard to spot. Check your GFCI's as well. try to trip them off and back on. if it has no power it wont trip and rest though.
Do you have a ground monitor? If you don't know what this is, it is a tool that plugs into an outlet and tells if it is properly wired. ( it doesnt ck voltage just polarity)They are usually on like 10 bucks or so at your local home improvement or hardware store. A store employee should be able to teach you to use it. so if you have a wiring or supply problem this simple tool will tell you. It is really a must have for RV'ers, testing your campsite for proper power can save you headache and money in the long run. Reverse polarity, open neutral, open ground are all bad news and can easily be spotted with a ground monitor.
Those are some of the first things I would check for. Mainly it sounds like the unit is not getting any 110volt power at all. The bath vent may just be a overlooked switch or fuse and throwing you off. Remember an RV has 2 separate electrical systems, one is 12 volt d/c the other is 110 volt a/c, take care not to plug your coach into a 220 volt outlet this will almost surely dammage it. I know the plug looks kinda like some 220 dryer outlets but it is not!
The first step here really is to make sure you are getting proper power. Even if you have to use a 30 amp to 15 amp ( dealers often call it a 30-15 or 30-20 adapter) adapter. double check the breakers, fuses, and GFCI's, Check the unit with a ground monitor. Make certain you are not trying to plug into 220volts. a cheap volt meeter (once again the store employee showing you how to use the ground monitor should be able to show you how to use one of these) some are as simple as plug in types.. (plug it in the wall and read the voltage),, will tell you if you have 110 volts. It can also tell you if the voltage at a campground you are at is getting too low and you should unplug till it comes back and avoid dammaging your stuff. The only drawback to a plug in type volt meeter is some dont deal well with 220volts.
If you used an adapeter to plug into an outside outlet at your home you just may have tripped a breaker or GFCI in the house. dont for get while checking the breakers that some breakers may be GFCI breakers and be tripped. check it out and see what you find.
Eric
 
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Old 03-28-06, 09:34 PM
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Went to the nearest rv dealer and bought the adapter. Everything works now. Have all the manuals for the camper but you would think something as simple as an adapter would of been in there on the troubleshooting page. Cost was just $8.00! again thank you for the help.
 
 

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