Coach has no electric

[Angelflight11]

Sent: 12/24/2004

Our 79 Winnie has no electric.  When we checked everything last month and charged the coach batteries we had power then.  When we try to plug it in we have no electric power. 

There is a GFI switch in the bathroom and we can't get the reset to click back in so replaced that first.  Didn't work.  Anyone have any suggestions what to start checking next before trying to tear into wiring.  We did make sure the breakers were on.

Be aware that we just got this and it had been sitting for about 2 years if not more.
Thanks
Angel

[Daved27c]

Sent: 12/25/2004

Angel;

Your question is kinda hard to answer. You state that when you plug in that you have no power. The first question has to be where do you have no power.

The Winne has two power systems. One is the 12 volt system. This is responsible for the interior lights, water pump, and furnace.

The other system is 110 volts. The 110 volt is basically only responsible for the A/C. When you are plugged in to 110 the Winne's 12 volt systems should be powered by the power converter.

the power converter converts 110v to 12 volt and keeps the rig alive. If your rig is a 79 then (I think) the converter should also recharge your 12 volt battery. My 72 does not have this option. I think that we need a little more info before we can answer your question.

Dave

[denisondc]

Sent: 12/25/2004

    Does your Winnie have a genset?  If so, there would be a switch to connect your coach wiring to either the shore power cable, or to the genset.  This switch is essential, since having your generator running and also plugging in the shore power cable to campground power would mean your genset would be fighting the power company - and it would lose dramatically.  Hence the essential switch.  This might be an automatic switchover, operated by a relay, or it might be a manual switchover, and it might have malfunctioned and a prior owner made a fix to it that is non-standard.  Either way, if its not doing its job, you might have no power to the coach.  Also, the converter that runs from the 115volt supply  is always fused or protected by a circuit breaker.  Mine has both; a circuit breaker located in the breaker box, and a fuse buried inside the converter.  If that fuse blows out or dies of old age, I would have no 12 v lights, nor the furnace, nor the range vent motor. This has happened to me, and it took quite a while to locate the little fuse.
   My fridge runs off of 115v a.c. or propane, and the roof a.c. runs off of 115 volt a.c.  Since mine has a manual switch-over, if I have it in the wrong position, even with the individual circuit breakers properly set, I would still have no power to the coach, nor the fridge, or the roof a.c.

[Angelflight11]

Sent: 12/25/2004

There's no generator at all.   It's the 110 coming into the coach that we don't have.  After plugging in there's no power period anywhere.  We did charge the batteries for the 12 volt a month ago and that was all working but the batteries didn't keep the charge and those will both have to be replaced as well.

[denisondc]

Sent: 12/25/2004

It sounds like you are going to have to open up your input panel, where-ever it is located inside the coach, and start testing for electricity, beginning with where the shore power cord enters the coach. It would go into some kind of distribution panel - of which there are many variations.
It could be just a bad connection in the plug at the "campground end" of the shore power cord. It could be a bad connection where the shore power cord terminates in a fuse box or circuit breaker box. Be careful.

[HAL]

Sent: 12/25/2004

If yours is the same as mine, check under the refer. The power converter should be locater there. You will find the circuit brakers and fuse panel. Check the fuses. They might be correced or blown.

Hal

[Angelflight11]

Sent: 12/26/2004

We can access the converter right under one of the closets.  If the fuses are blown wouldn't that be for the 12v and not the 110 or do all have to be working to have the 110 run as well?

[HeavyHaulTrucker]

Sent: 12/26/2004

No Angelflight11, the glass fuses are for the 12v only; they need to be intact for the 12v circuits to work.

The best course of action is to use a multimeter to check for AC power right down the line from your shore-power plug (campground side) all the way through, one step at a time.

You might also check the circuit breakers on the power panel to make sure that the main breaker (if you have one) is not tripped.  And you might check to see if there is a switch that needs to be thrown in order to use shore power -- although I believe that yours has a 15-foot cord directly from the power panel.  I would trace out the AC line with a meter, though -- that is the fastest method.

John

[denisondc]

Sent: 12/30/2004

If you find circuit breakers that are the "ground fault circuit interrupter kind" bear in mind they usually don't last as long before malfunction as the normal circuit breakers.

[jkilbert]

definitely check for ac power coming into your power converter. both my 77 brave and my dad's 75 itasca have a 15' power line that you either plug into the campground or generator receptacles. we had a problem with the ac power in his and it turned out to be the common bus bar in the converter. i needed to disassemble the converter, remove the bus bar and install a new one. no problems since

[JDxeper]

My problem turned out to be I had no power to the outlet I was plugged into.  Breaker was off on the shore power outlet.LOL D:oH!

[hose-man]

    You & I must have gone to the same school for troubleshooting.     

Nice to hear that all is well w the coach.