Electric problem please help urgent.

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 01:26 PM

So i live in my jayflight, its been raining pretty hard for the past few day idk if thats caused this issue or not. So this morning i got up was making breakfast turned off my fan/ac unit went to the fridge and noticed the light didnt come on, also the "on" display light wont come on. I went to see if the fan/ac would come back on and it wouldnt. Also for some reason my fridge wont switch to propane im assuming because some elecrical part if failing to let it. So now my fridge and everything that has to do with the thermostat ac/fan/heat, and the 3 main room ceiling lights wont work( the ones that even work on the battery without amps hooked up) but every other power works. I checked my fuses and breakers and everything seems to be in order. Any help would be awesome i would like to save my food.

Knauby · 10-25-2015, 01:32 PM

Did you check the breaker at your power source and not just the trailer? Did power cord come out? Just throwing out some quick thoughts.

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 01:35 PM

Yes i did all the usual quick checks. Like said all my other power sources work. Just not the things i listed.

SmokerBill · 10-25-2015, 01:41 PM

Sounds like you lost your 12 volt dc system. I'd say your battery is dead and the converter quit producing 12 volts.

If you have a voltage meter, check for DC voltage at the battery, the with trailer plugged in to A/C power. Should read around 13.5 VDC if the converter is working. If it quit working, the battery would have drained, and any DC systems wouldn't work, including the thermostat (uses DC for control voltage), the refrigerator, and lights.

Go out and by a couple of pounds of dry ice and put it in your freezer and fridge for the time being. That should save your food.

bankr63 · 10-25-2015, 01:42 PM

So your pure AC stuff is working, but the 12V stuff is not? Fridge still needs 12V to work on propane. I would check that your inverter is okay, or if the main DC fuse is gone (not the breakers). There is another fuse at the battery, but that shouldn't matter if the inverter is supplying power from AC mains and those appear to be working.

Note, considering the rain, there may be a problem in the 12V system that blew the fuse in the first place. It's always a good idea to understand why it blew before just replacing it. Is any of your 12V power system waterlogged? Battery case filled with water?

tawoo · 10-25-2015, 01:43 PM

Check your ground. That was my problem. The connection where your battery is bolted to the frame is where mine was corroded and the connectors were not tight.

RodgerS · 10-25-2015, 01:45 PM

It would be really helpful to have some schematics that tell you what is on which circuit.

Don't know how you checked you fuses/breakers, but sounds like it could be a loose wire or ground issue if not the fuse. Just don't assume anything and start with your power sources, then work downstream.

Doesn't sound like you had a short that blew a fuse, but that something was loose or corroded, as in electrical inconsistency.

If you are in NorCal, would be willing to help troubleshoot.

Some of what you wrote is confusing as I think you are using your words loosely, like every other power works...without amps hooked up...not sure what that means.

Regardless, every year it is a good idea to be sure all your electrical connections are clean, tight, and dry.

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 01:56 PM

What i mean by other power works is that every other electrical thing besides my ac unit fridge and the 3 ceiling lights. My battery guage says its full power but would it say that because im hooked up? I live in east texas. How do i troubleshoot the battery unit and ground i dont know too much about what to look for. I checked my fuses in the breaker box.

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RodgerS

It would be really helpful to have some schematics that tell you what is on which circuit.

Don't know how you checked you fuses/breakers, but sounds like it could be a loose wire or ground issue if not the fuse. Just don't assume anything and start with your power sources, then work downstream.

Doesn't sound like you had a short that blew a fuse, but that something was loose or corroded, as in electrical inconsistency.

If you are in NorCal, would be willing to help troubleshoot.

Some of what you wrote is confusing as I think you are using your words loosely, like every other power works...without amps hooked up...not sure what that means.

Regardless, every year it is a good idea to be sure all your electrical connections are clean, tight, and dry.

Hopefully my last post gave a little bit of feedback to your info. Do you know any links for troubleshooting guidance to check the ground and battery out? Im not to familiar in that area

RVhiker · 10-25-2015, 02:10 PM

If you are hooked up and the battery gauge shows full power, then you have DC power from your converter, at least. You just have a blown DC fuse, most likely

The A/C, fridge, and ceiling lights all need 12 volt DC to run (the fridge and A/C just use 12 volts for their controls). So I'm guessing you have a 12 volt fuse (not an AC breaker) that has blown for some reason; that 12 volt fuse protects a circuit that has your ceiling lights, fridge, and A/C controls. Have you checked your DC fuses - probably they are located near your converter; they are small plastic things that have numbers like 15 or 20 or 30 embossed into the end of them. You could remove each fuse, one at a time, and see if the metal has broken or melted on the side of the fuse. If you have a DC voltmeter, you could use it to test that you have 12 volts on each side of each DC fuse. If you have to replace a fuse, be sure to replace it with one of the same amp value (15 or 20 or 30). Hopefully whatever made your fuse blow was an intermittent problem, but try to figure out why the fuse blew in the first place.

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVhiker

If you are hooked up and the battery gauge shows full power, then you have DC power from your converter, at least. You just have a blown DC fuse, most likely

The A/C, fridge, and ceiling lights all need 12 volt DC to run (the fridge and A/C just use 12 volts for their controls). So I'm guessing you have a 12 volt fuse (not an AC breaker) that has blown for some reason; that 12 volt fuse protects a circuit that has your ceiling lights, fridge, and A/C controls. Have you checked your DC fuses - probably they are located near your converter; they are small plastic things that have numbers like 15 or 20 or 30 embossed into the end of them. You could remove each fuse, one at a time, and see if the metal has broken or melted on the side of the fuse. If you have a DC voltmeter, you could use it to test that you have 12 volts on each side of each DC fuse. If you have to replace a fuse, be sure to replace it with one of the same amp value (15 or 20 or 30). Hopefully whatever made your fuse blow was an intermittent problem, but try to figure out why the fuse blew in the first place.

That was it i had two 15 amp fuses blown. How do i figure out what caused that?

Cdunham30 · 10-25-2015, 02:26 PM

Thank you everyone

RodgerS · 10-25-2015, 02:27 PM

If you are lucky, you might stumble onto it. But beyond what is posted, you begin to have to call on more than a "try this and that" approach OR hoping questions can be easily and simply answered.

Which by that I mean you may have to pay someone to do it for you now that has the skills, and then engage in a course of study and hands on and tools for the future.

Best of luck. There is a reason technicians can make money doing this.

bankr63 · 10-25-2015, 04:33 PM

A fuse blows because too much current runs through the circuit. This could be simple overload condition (like a new addition to an already loaded circuit) but if nothing has changed, it was probably caused by a short of hot to ground or neutral. Consider the rain you mentioned, I would be most suspect of water in your wiring. Considering that 3 of the items you mention are roof/ceiling mounted, I would first suspect something near the roof. So that is where I would start, but it is rarely easy to track these things down.

My first inclination would be to inspect very carefully for any leaks around the A/C unit (once the rain stops). It is the biggest hole in your TT/RV roof. Pop the inside cover of the A/C and see if there is any sign of water making its way in. Also, pop the covers on the ceiling lights, take the bulbs out and make sure they are dry. The first indication of a leak in a friend's pup was actually water accumulating on the lens in the fixture.

While doing all of this, be very aware of your conductive situation (wear rubber soled shoes, and stay away from touching metal). Although 12V is not AS dangerous as 120, it can still give you a heck of a jolt if there is a short.

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