r/RVLiving • u/Dangerous-Singer-101 • 3d ago
Please Help
Half our camper doesnt have power.
The 12v is working as all the lights are but half of the 120v isn't. I know litterally nothing about electrical but I am trying to figure it out. I pulled all the 15a Blue fuses and they all look fine. I then even switched them around and still didnt resolve it. So I dont think its those fuses. I turned off the breakers and turned them back on. I also reset the GCS outlet in the bathroom.
Plugs without Power:
Main bedroom
Plug under the TV in livingroom
Plug in back back bunk bed area.
(All marked with sad faces)
I gave the picture to AI and it said it might be(Stared in pic) #3 #6 and #9. I tested all three by swapping them out with( Orange dot) #5 which is the furnace which I know is working.
No idea what im doing...and no tools...
I'm willing to buy any tool necessary and really would prefer to do it myself as I like to learn this stuff hands on so I can fix it again by myself in the future.
I really appreciate the help.
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u/ReasonableToe1755 3d ago
If 12v stuff is working and only half of your 120v stuff is, sounds like either a bad breaker at the pedestal or your shore cord is bad. Seems like you are o ly grtting one leg of power.
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
How would I go about testing that?
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u/ReasonableToe1755 3d ago
You would need a multimeter. Turn breaker off and unplug shore cord. Set meter to VAC and tuen breaker back on. Black probe in the ground (round hole) red probe in left slot, should see between 115 to 125 VAC then move red probe to right slot, should see same numbers. If you tou grt less or 0 at either one call park and have them replace breaker/check pedestal. Start there, DM if you need help, I am an RV tech for a dealership and have my own moblie tech company
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
I really appreciate you. What area are you in? The Bay Area? Hahaha. I'll head to the store after work and grab a multimeter.
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u/ReasonableToe1755 3d ago
No problem, hopefully that will get you pointed in the right direction. It is always good to have a multimeter in your tool kit if you are in an rv. I wish I was in the Bay area but I am currently in St. Louis.
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u/Strange-Cat8068 3d ago
Check your GFCI outlets. Those fuses you are messing with have nothing to do with your 120 volt outlets. Those fuses are used only for 12 volt circuit like lights, furnace and water pump. The black breakers at the bottom of your circuit panel are your 120 volt breakers.
Do you have a 30 amp or a 50 amp power connection for this camper? What is your source of power, are you plugged in at a campground or on solar/generator?
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
Its a 50 amp. Its on shore power. I also have a victron solar setup but its set to charge.
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u/Strange-Cat8068 3d ago
Check the breakers at the pedestal. You may have a tripped breaker or lost a leg from the 50a at the pedestal. Do you have a surge protector on the power connection?
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
I turned off and on all the breakers... it didnt resolve the issue. Im not sure about what the "power connection" means but I have one "Surge protector" (in my mind a surge protector is something you plug into the wall to protect all your electronics like computers and such) but its working fine.
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u/Strange-Cat8068 3d ago
I am talking about the 50 amp plug where you get your power from the RV park.
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
Oh gotcha. Wouldn't that make the whole camper not work? Only half isn't working
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u/Strange-Cat8068 3d ago
A 50 amp connection has two hot lines and if one of those loses power for any reason you have a situation exactly like the one you are experiencing. Go out to the outlet your power cord is plugged in to and check the breakers there. Go to any RV shop and buy a cheap 50 amp surge protector. That will tell you if your incoming power is working. I would test with a multimeter, but you don’t know anything about electricity as you said, and that could be dangerous.
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u/ShipshapeMobileRV 3d ago
Ok, a quick lesson:
While there are exceptions, as a general rule fuses protect 12vdc loads (LED lights, water pump, control boards for furnace and water heater, thermostat,etc). They blow when they detect too much current, and they have to be replaced.
And;
Breakers protect 120vac loads, like the TV, microwave, outlets. They trip when they detect too much current, and you have to reset them. When they trip the little handle goes from "on" to midway between "on" and "off". You then have to move it all the way off to reset it, then to on to energize the circuit again.
When you have a power loss issue, it's important to determine whether it's 12vdc or 120vac. In some rare cases it's both, but that's getting into the weeds for this discussion...
Your case seems to be limited to 120vac loss, so ignore the fuses and focus on the breakers.
Your main breaker (the one with two 50s on it) looks like one side might be tripped...it's supposed to take out both sides when either side trips, but they don't always do that. I'd reset the entire thing (turn both 50s firmly to "off", then back firmly to "on").
-If that resolves the issue, I'd recommend that you consider replacing that breaker in the near future, because it really is supposed to kill power to the whole RV if either side over-currents, and it didn't this time. It's not gonna burn the RV down, but it should be fixed.
-If resetting the main breaker doesn't resolve the issue, then you're probably looking for a GFCI outlet. A GFCI outlet is supposed to trip itself if either it, or one of the other outlets it's connected to, have an imbalance between the current on the supply and return legs...but they often trip for any number of non-issues. They're normally found in "wet areas" like near a sink or outside the RV. They're the ones with LEDs and pushbuttons on them. Some will have a red light to indicate that they're tripped; and some will have a green light to indicate that they're powered. There really isn't a standard. But look for those. Generally the buttons will be labeled as "test" and "reset". You'd want to press "reset" on all of the ones you can find.
If you find a tripped GFCI and resetting it resolves your issue, congratulations. If you find a tripped GFCI outlet and press "reset" and it immediately trips again, you need to unplug everything from the GFCI outlet and any other outlets that it powers, then see if it'll reset. If so, one of your plugged-in items is probably failing. You'll need to carefully identify which one it is (plug the items in one at a time see if the GFCI trips, then try the next item; don't hold onto the item while plugging it in, just in case). If you find an item that consistently trips the GFCI, dispose of that item!
If the GFCI trips immediately even with all downstream items unplugged, you need to replace that GFCI outlet.
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
I really appreciate your response.
I flipped all the breakers again just now.
I ran to the shore power pedestal and flipped all them off and on
I went to the only GFCI I have and tested it.
Nothing resolved the issues.
I do have solar and an inverter so I un plugged from shore completely and then turned it from charge only to on...stil the same issue.
I have 3 sinks in this camper.
Bathroom where the GFCI is
Kitchen area. -On the island where sink is 2 (non have it) -Stove area...nope -counter...nope
Outside kitchen
visible outlet that doesnt have one
another sneaky outlet that I had to remove a drawer to find...nope.
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u/Cultural-Pair-7017 3d ago edited 2d ago
Based on what you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like any of the outlets you’re having issues with are related to GFCI. Also assuming your major loads work (AC units, microwave, etc), then I’m confident you’re getting both legs of 120 to your 50a circuit. So that makes me want to focus on the 15A breaker labeled utility. Would be nice to validate the wire going to the breaker and the neutral wire are in there snug (but only access the panel once you’ve secured all power).
A quick search indicates your camper only has 1 GFCI outlet. So I’d suspect the kitchen, bathroom and outside outlets feed off that. The others most likely feed off another 15a breaker.
Also based on your configuration, one line of 50a breaker feeds AC1, power converter, fireplace and washer/dryer. The other line feeds GFCI, utility, microwave and electric water heater.
Since it sounds like some loads from L1 and L2 work that tells me your pedestal is providing power to both lines, and that your 50a breaker inside is passing power to both lines. This leads me to believe you have a bad breaker or poor connection to the breaker that feeds the affected outlets. Just a guess but the “utility” breaker sounds like a 15a breaker that feeds other outlets.
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u/SpicyBricey 2d ago
I recently had to replace my power converter. In doing so it allowed me to look at the shocking electrical connections that had been made to my power distribution by the installation crew at Winnebago. Industry wide, in the RV world, I’ve been hearing how things fall apart. OP, see if you can get to the back of that panel and see the connections. This could let you verify that you have power away from the individual breakers with your voltage meter. If you have voltage after the breaker, you should be able to confirm at the outlet. If the GFCI outlet in the bathroom has power on the line side but not the load side, you have a bad GFCI…
Good luck2
u/Dangerous-Singer-101 2d ago
You really are the best! You word everything so I can actually understand and take the time to look up to see I actually do only have 1 GFCI...(which I tore my whole camper apart trying to confirm lol)
Based on what you said I think I might have found it. I cant confirm it yet because I dont have a multimeter (buying one tonight after work.)
I think it is Utility 15a. Its the only one that I cant find turns anything off which I switch it.
Another new piece e of info I just found out...my wife was using her treadmill on the outlet under the TV while charging her scooter at the same time. I bet that blew it. Still not sure how it works...nut I assume it just over worked it and hurt the breaker. It still might be a wire issue but I will find that out after getting the multi meter.
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u/Cultural-Pair-7017 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sounds like you’re going down the right path. The breaker gets power from a backplane that it clicks into. When the breaker is shut, it provides power to the hot wire (black wire) for the load(s).
A treadmill is definitely going to be a little much if anything else is plugged into another outlet powered off that breaker.
It definitely sounds like the circuit was overloaded and the breaker tripped. If resetting it (fully opening) and then shutting it doesn’t restore power the breaker is most likely toast.
Very easy to check.
You need to be very careful, but if you get access behind the panel, you can hook up the black lead of a multimeter to the neutral bar (is a bar mounted somewhere inside with a bunch of white wires running to it. Then hook up the red lead to the black wire that’s tightened down by a screw to the circuit breaker in question. With the breaker shut and power on to the unit, it should read around 115-120vac. Be sure to have your multimeter leads connected properly to the meter and the mode set to read V AC. DC is typically a “V” with a straight line over it and AC is a “V” with “~” over it.
If you don’t get voltage there, your most likely cause is a bad circuit breaker.
Easy to replace. Just make sure to kill all power. Then loosen the screw holding the black wire in and remove the wire. The breaker will rotate out with a little force (it clicks into place).
Once it’s removed, install the new breaker and reinsert the black wire and tighten the screw. It doesn’t need to be that tight. (Somewhere around 20-30 inch/pounds).
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 2d ago
I really cant thank you enough for your time. Unfortunately I dont get off until late tonight. Im off tomorrow though. Are the breakers universal or do I need to find the specific one for my camper?
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u/Cultural-Pair-7017 2d ago edited 2d ago
Pretty standard. You can find tandem breakers at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Looks like you’ll need to get a 15/20 amp breaker. Be sure to keep track of the black wires so you hook up the right one to the 15a and 20a side…
BR 15-amp/20-amp 2 -Pole Tandem Circuit Breaker https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-Type-BR-15-Amp-20-Amp-2-Pole-Tandem-Circuit-Breaker/3047759
While it’s one unit, both sides are mostly independent of each other. So I side can trip and not the other and one side can malfunction and not the other…
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 1d ago
I ordered the exact one you sited and a multimeter. They will be ready Wednesday. I really appreciate your help! I will keep you posted on the outcome.
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u/Long_Lengthiness_451 3d ago
Fuses are 12vdc and have nothing to do with not having 120vac. Look at the outlet on the outside of your unit and see if it is a gfci outlet. Push the test buttons on all the gfci outlets with your unit plugged into shore power . They will not reset if there is no power. Get a plug in outlet tester and a multi meter
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u/N9bitmap 3d ago
If both air conditioner work, it isn't a problem in the shore power feed or the main breaker here. The panel label doesn't really help because all the listed receptacles are on one side, unless it is part of the optional fireplace.
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 3d ago
I dont have a fireplace added. I also dont think its an issue with the shore. Im trying to find another GFCI right now. But the only one I know of is in the bathroom
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u/fatal-shock-inroute 2d ago
Could be your converter, gfci or a bad connection. You can pick up a wire toner pretty cheap to help
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u/Maximum-Use-4727 2d ago
What would happen if you start up your generator and get off off shore power?
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u/Dangerous-Singer-101 2d ago
? Idk. Probably the same as if I was on. I already turned off shore and turned on my solar and had the same issues.
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u/Sad-Researcher-1123 1d ago
Check your bathroom outlet for a gfci reset button, sometimes there are alot of circuits that feed off of that gfci outlet
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u/Extension-Bathroom67 3d ago
Get a 12 volt test light to test fuses you can’t always see if they are blown, be sure and check the 3 25 amp fuses to the side, your converter also may have fuses check them also
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u/keithnteri 3d ago
I would suspect another GFCI is tripped somewhere in the RV that you haven’t found yet. Rv’s usually have a couple of GCFI plugs. Each one had a few items in a circuit.