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Old 08-08-2019, 08:53 AM   #21
Chuck v
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Bill,


When you did your walk through of the coach at the prior owners place, you mentioned that it was plugged into an RV service (possibly 50 amp 230 volts...) and since then you never got the shore power to work at your shed using the 15 or 20 amp 115 volt outlet. Let's begin with the assumption that the shore power cord set for the coach is properly wired and in good condition, since it worked at the PO berth. What adapter(s) are you using for the 230 to 115 connection? Commercially available ones from Camping World and others are wired correctly to convert from 50 amp 230 to 30 amp 115, and then a commercially available adapter plug can transition from the 30 amp RV connector to a more common 115 volt outlet plug with U ground pin. If any of these adapters were not commercial gear and made by you or the PO, I would suspect that is the most likely issue causing cross wiring, outlet GFI smoking, breaker tripping, etc. Pictures of course will help...


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Old 08-08-2019, 09:06 AM   #22
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Bill,


When you did your walk through of the coach at the prior owners place, you mentioned that it was plugged into an RV service (possibly 50 amp 230 volts...) and since then you never got the shore power to work at your shed using the 12 amp 115 volt outlet. Let's begin with the assumption that the shore power cord set for the coach is properly wired and in good condition, since it worked at the PO berth. What adapter(s) are you using for the 230 to 115 connection? Commercially available ones from Camping World and others are wired correctly to convert from 50 amp 230 to 30 amp 115, and then a commercially available adapter plug can transition from the 30 amp RV connector to a more common 115 volt outlet plug with U ground pin. If any of these adapters were not commercial gear and made by you or the PO, I would suspect that is the most likely issue causing cross wiring, outlet GFI smoking, breaker tripping, etc. Pictures of course will help...


Chuck
I concur on that. Makes the most sense. Simple answer.
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Old 08-08-2019, 11:50 AM   #23
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I know what you are gonna say, why is the RV chord taped? I don’t know!
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Old 08-08-2019, 12:45 PM   #24
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So that adapter is new? First time you used it?
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Old 08-08-2019, 12:51 PM   #25
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So that adapter is new? First time you used it?
Not new. Don't know how old it is. I used it for the first time in April. Then smoke. I assume it was from the GFCI, but maybe it was from the adapter?
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Old 08-08-2019, 01:14 PM   #26
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There must be some missing images here.



The four pin 230 volt plug with the tape is presumed to be on the end of the shore power cord from your coach. Maybe the second picture shows the coach end of the heavy shore power cord. Does this end disconnect from the RV or is the cord permanently attached? (In the case of my coach, the coach end is permanently attached and the cord is reeled up by a power retraction device.) Was the tape on the plug end present when the prior owner had it connected at his place? Perhaps the cord was modified to compensate for a mis-wired outlet at his shop...


The 115 volt plug adapter shown in the third and fourth images clearly adapts the NEMA style plug to a socket accepting the 30 amp "y" style connector of a dog bone adapter. Is the second picture the other end of this dog bone -- could be the case if the main shore power cord is fixed to the coach at the bay end...


From what we know at this point, I am pretty sure your issues are crossed wires and most likely in the taped area. If your shore power cord is removable (disconnects from the coach end) then just replace it with a known good one...yes it is expensive but cheaper than a fire.


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Old 08-08-2019, 01:52 PM   #27
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I would take that tape off and see what's going on there.

Look at the other end where it connects to the coach. See if the cord is wired correctly.
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Old 08-08-2019, 01:59 PM   #28
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The second photo is the female end of the adapter.

The shore power chord is permanently fixed to the coach.

Good news though. I know on Sunday I charged the batts and all was well. However, I left the inverter on until you all told me to turn it off.

So today I charged the house batts. Now the microwave and fridge works. I’ll know in the next few days if my house batts got ruined when they were drained or if they are fine.

Question: where are my breakers? I know where my fuses are but I don’t know where the breakers are. There has to be breakers, right? I want to turn off things before trying to plug in the coach again.

Thank you again for all this great instruction. I feel like I understand the coach a lot more.
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Old 08-08-2019, 02:12 PM   #29
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The second photo is the female end of the adapter.

The shore power chord is permanently fixed to the coach.

Good news though. I know on Sunday I charged the batts and all was well. However, I left the inverter on until you all told me to turn it off.

So today I charged the house batts. Now the microwave and fridge works. I’ll know in the next few days if my house batts got ruined when they were drained or if they are fine.

Question: where are my breakers? I know where my fuses are but I don’t know where the breakers are. There has to be breakers, right? I want to turn off things before trying to plug in the coach again.

Thank you again for all this great instruction. I feel like I understand the coach a lot more.
Breakers, on my coach they are at the base of the bed in back. A door flips down.

On yours, I'll take a wild guess that they are in the basement compartment on the drivers side furthest forward.
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Old 08-08-2019, 02:19 PM   #30
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Breakers, on my coach they are at the base of the bed in back. A door flips down.

On yours, I'll take a wild guess that they are in the basement compartment on the drivers side furthest forward.

I checked in that basement compartment and that's where my fuses are. I'll check the master to see if I missed something in there.
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Old 08-08-2019, 02:32 PM   #31
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Bill,


All of my AC breakers in my 2007 Tour Master were side by side in two groups accessed behind plastic panels near the floor and just below the refrigerator -- one panel for those loads that are driven by the shore poser/generator, and a second panel for the designated loads that could be driven by the inverter as well. In later models of Tour Master coaches the breakers were in a cabinet that also had system monitoring and the inverter control panel... each of these locations also included fuses for DC items inside the living area like the lighting fixtures. These breaker panels are about foot wide and several inches tall, so they should be easy to find in your coach where ever they are located.



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Old 08-08-2019, 04:07 PM   #32
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Bill,


All of my AC breakers in my 2007 Tour Master were side by side in two groups accessed behind plastic panels near the floor and just below the refrigerator -- one panel for those loads that are driven by the shore poser/generator, and a second panel for the designated loads that could be driven by the inverter as well. In later models of Tour Master coaches the breakers were in a cabinet that also had system monitoring and the inverter control panel... each of these locations also included fuses for DC items inside the living area like the lighting fixtures. These breaker panels are about foot wide and several inches tall, so they should be easy to find in your coach where ever they are located.



Chuck

I found the breakers. They are located at the foot of the bed near the floor in the master.

Next issue to tackle is why the radio doesn't work. Is that critical? No, but it would be nice to have as I go down the road. I move my RV to it's permanent base next weekend, the 17th. Then, I'll get an electric/water hookup installed. After Labor Day weekend, I will move from humid SC to cool TN near the Smokeys.
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Old 08-08-2019, 04:42 PM   #33
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Bill,


Are your breakers in two panels? If so the one that has the refrigerator breaker probably is the panel that comes through the inverter. Other breakers in that panel most likely will also have 115 volt AC power from the inverter when the generator and shore power are not available (for the limited time that the inverter supply batteries hold out...)


As far as the radio goes, my coach had a dash switch that allowed it to play with the ignition off, so perhaps that switch has changes position recently -- see this thread:
http://www.gsowners.com/forums/showt...t=radio+switch


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Old 08-08-2019, 08:03 PM   #34
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Bill,


Are your breakers in two panels? If so the one that has the refrigerator breaker probably is the panel that comes through the inverter. Other breakers in that panel most likely will also have 115 volt AC power from the inverter when the generator and shore power are not available (for the limited time that the inverter supply batteries hold out...)


As far as the radio goes, my coach had a dash switch that allowed it to play with the ignition off, so perhaps that switch has changes position recently -- see this thread:
http://www.gsowners.com/forums/showt...t=radio+switch


Chuck
Yes, there are 2 panels!

There is not a switch with a music icon on it. I have a 3 way toggle switch that controls the radio/tv/off. I will start with a fuse tomorrow. If that doesn't work, then I'll replace the radio. If that doesn't work, then I know its the 3 way toggle switch.
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Old 08-08-2019, 08:11 PM   #35
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So, I observed another thing tonight. I didn't really fix anything I just put a bandaid over it. At 430 today batts were at 14.1 volts, everything worked as it should. We went to VBS tonight and came home at 8. I tried to start the gen and nothing. Started the coach then the gen fired up. Tested the house batts and they were at 10.1 volts. Fridge and microwave didn't work again. After running the gen for a minute or two, fridge and mircrowave worked fine.

I think there are 2 things at play here. One, the house batts aren't deep cycle. The previous owner changed them about a year ago and he didn't change them with deep cycle batts. Two, when they got severely drained I may have irreparably damaged them. The inverter was off when I stepped out this evening. It is still off now.

Is it normal for the fridge to drain the batts that quickly, especially with them being starting batts and not deep cycle? Or is that just wishful thinking and what probably happened is that they are not holding a charge? Is there electrolyte in them that I should be checking? I don't see where there caps?

Thanks again!
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Old 08-08-2019, 09:40 PM   #36
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Bill,


Your house batteries are most likely quite damaged from repeated discharge to completely dead state. They should at least get an equalizing charge before loading them heavily...or at least days of float charging on shore power. If these batteries are sealed units without the caps needed to top off the electrolyte then you have no way to verify the level of the liquid or use a hygrometer to ascertain level of charge. If there is room in your slide out battery tray, you should consider using four each 6 volt golf cart batteries in series/parallel configuration in place of the present two 12 volt automotive batteries.


Can you show a wide shot of the shore power adapter (dog bone) that has the 4 pin 240 volt socket on one end and the 3 pin 120 volt 30 amp style plug on the other -- please take off the small adapter plug that is on this end that provides the U-ground 15 amp plug that mates into a normal house receptacle. I ask because I want to verify that this is a factory molded power adapter and does not have individual wires that a prior owner could have incorrectly wired. There must be some reason that the coach's long shore power cable has been cut off, reconnected and then taped over as your one picture shows...


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Old 08-09-2019, 05:38 AM   #37
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Refrigerators use a lot of battery life. They are hogs. You really don't want to run it much off batteries. Use shore power whenever possible otherwise you are just using up your batteries. Batteries have a lifespan determined by how many times you discharge them and recharge them.

I would quit monkeying around with everything until you fix the shore power issue.
That taped on end to the cord is an issue. If someone were to replace an end they normally would buy a new one and not splice on an old one. It's a cobble job at best.
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Old 08-09-2019, 08:10 AM   #38
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Refrigerators use a lot of battery life. They are hogs. You really don't want to run it much off batteries. Use shore power whenever possible otherwise you are just using up your batteries. Batteries have a lifespan determined by how many times you discharge them and recharge them.

I would quit monkeying around with everything until you fix the shore power issue.
That taped on end to the cord is an issue. If someone were to replace an end they normally would buy a new one and not splice on an old one. It's a cobble job at best.
Ok, I think that is good advice.

Can anyone recommend a new shore power chord? I looked on camping world and amazon but just want to get thoughts from others.

Thank you!
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Old 08-09-2019, 08:20 AM   #39
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Ok, I think that is good advice.

Can anyone recommend a new shore power chord? I looked on camping world and amazon but just want to get thoughts from others.

Thank you!
Take the tape off and see what went on there. It's part of getting this right. If it isn't cross wired then there is another problem.

This is the cord you want;


https://www.amazon.com/Conntek-14302...gateway&sr=8-8

This is the adapter you need to plug it into you 15 amp plug;
https://www.amazon.com/Proline-Power...ustomerReviews
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Old 08-09-2019, 08:59 AM   #40
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I agree with Restorium and suggest this order of steps:


  • remove tape and seeif the wires are crossed under there -- if so replace the long cord with a new one.
  • if no wires crossed, try using a factory adapter cord as suggested to get from the 50 amp connector to teh 115 volt house plug. I really wanted to see the back side and cord used inn the adapter you have now because if it is a field wired connector that is the most likely place for a crossed wiring error and may have prompted the hacking of the main cord.
  • clearly from your descriptions in this thread you seem to be a bit overwhelmed by these electrical issues and you might be well served to have a professional sort this out for you.
Let us know how you proceed with this, and post lots of pictures as that might help us see something you are overlooking...


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