Bad Voltage

Leno

Active Member
We have a 2010 Big Horn. About a month ago our micro/conv oven burnt out. We weren't in a place where we could get service, so waited til we got to Florida. Last night I went to turn on my bedroom tv and it wouldn't start. Both had burning smells when they stopped working. We had a service tech come out to look today. He said we aren't getting enough voltage to the receptacles. We are hooked up to 50amp and the pedestal outside is 124v. The circuit breaker for the micro shows 118v and the receptacle only shows 83. The tv receptacle shows 73. He noticed our refrig was very loud and went out to test that receptacle and it was only 66. We have switched over to propane until we can have this issue fixed. The problem is he is not a licensed electrician so cannot fix our problem. We need to find someplace to bring it it immediately. We are afraid to use anything for fear of losing it.
I called Lazy Days in Tampa but they don't have an opening until the 27th of the month. We have Good Sam Extended Warranty but they really didn't know where we could bring it either. Any suggestions on good service places in our area would sure be appreciated.. We are currently in Largo, Fl..
 

donr827

Well-known member
The cg manager might be able to recommend a mobile service tech in the area. If you get it fixed please post back with what caused the problem.
Don
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
We had a breaker go bad and it caused the issues you have. I checked voltage on both sides of the breaker and found the voltage drop @ that point.
......sorry can't with a dealer near you. Most RV parks have a local mobile repair guy near by,with his card in the park office.
 

brianharrison

Well-known member
Can't help you directly - certainly something is wrong.

Interestingly there is a RV Tech School in Largo - may not have a service dept but could direct you to a great service company run by a previous grad? --> RV Training School in Largo FL. 727-536-4694 or after 3:30 p.m. weekdays or weekends 727-418-2392.

Hope this helps.

Brian

EDIT -> Off the RV Training School Website --> Wynn RV Mobile Service - Lutz, FL - Servicing the Tampa Bay area - 813-347-7899. Low prices. RVTC certified technician.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
RV repair is always a waiting game and you always have to bring in the trailer to the repair shop.
Most warranty repairs will not pay for on site service and mobile repair service is questionable.I feel sorry for
you with low voltage issues but if the correct contacts are made you may get service.I am getting so totally turned off RV repair
that I may give up this lifestyle.
 

Rickhansen

Well-known member
I can recommend a guy I ran across from the Ocala, Fl area. This info was from about 3 years ago, hopefully it is still valid. I'm guessing he is about an hour and a half from you, so you could be looking at a bit of a trip charge.

Deans' Mobile RV Repair, (352) 207-1891.

He did good electrical work on my Dad's Motorhome, at very reasonable prices.

Hope this helps.
 

Jimmy

Well-known member
Sounds like you are loosing your Neutral wire, you need to unplug from the power outside and then remove your Panel cover inside, then make sure all connections are tight especially the big lugs where the end of your power cord comes in and check all the other connections to include the screw on each breaker and all your neutrals and grounds. You will be surprised what may be loose. You can't hurt anything by doing this and it is pretty simple. If this does not fix the problem, then check(after you unplug from the power outside) and tighten the connections on the back of your power cord receiver on the side of your RV.
 

hoefler

Well-known member
Sounds like you are loosing your Neutral wire, you need to unplug from the power outside and then remove your Panel cover inside, then make sure all connections are tight especially the big lugs where the end of your power cord comes in and check all the other connections to include the screw on each breaker and all your neutrals and grounds. You will be surprised what may be loose. You can't hurt anything by doing this and it is pretty simple. If this does not fix the problem, then check(after you unplug from the power outside) and tighten the connections on the back of your power cord receiver on the side of your RV.

Also check your transfer switch if you have a generator.
 

Leno

Active Member
The tech that was here today did check all that out on the panel. As for the power cord, will look at that in the morning. Not sure I will be able to see anything in that box that it is stored in though (power)
No generator.
 

olcoon

Well-known member
There are about 5 Heartland dealers near you, you might try this link, hopefully it will take you to Heartland's service/dealer page. Last Dec. we were at Leesburg & were having elec. problems, we were still under warranty so I called Heartland & they sent me here, and they got us up & going. I was very satisfied with them. I don't know if he's still there or not, but the tech that worked on ours seemed to be a whiz at elec. problems & said that he loved them because they were a challenge! Bad for you is that they are in Fruitland park which is about 2 hrs. North of you. One thing you might try when talking to whoever, is to tell them that you are on the road, and really need to get it fixed ASAP. Hope this helps!
 

Leno

Active Member
Thanks. Will be on the phone first thing in am. I have been writing numbers down because I know my computer will be dead by morning and I don't want to chance plugging it in.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
RV repair is always a waiting game and you always have to bring in the trailer to the repair shop.
Most warranty repairs will not pay for on site service and mobile repair service is questionable.I feel sorry for
you with low voltage issues but if the correct contacts are made you may get service.I am getting so totally turned off RV repair
that I may give up this lifestyle.

My experience has been that Heartland Service WILL pay for a mobile tech to do warranty repairs, but won't pay his travel charge.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Arlene and Kevin,

I know you don't have a generator - but do you have the Gen Prep option? If you do, then you will have a Transfer Switch. I had a loose neutral in the Transfer Switch on my last RV and my power was intermittent. Didn't burn anything out though.

If you have a Power Cord Reel, you can have the underbelly pulled down under the Power Cord Reel area. There should be a junction box above the underbelly/below the floor, where the Power Cord Reel ties into a large conductor 50 amp line that feeds your AC breaker panel.

If you're at a CG now, consider using an standard 3 wire 110 volt extension cord, plugged into the 20 amp outlet in the power pedestal to feed your refer. The refer is plugged into an AC receptacle behind the lower refer vent panel on the outside of the RV. Unplug the refer from the receptacle and plug it into the extension cord. Do the same thing by running an extension cord by the slide seal into the living room to power a lamp and the laptop. Just a couple tips to limp you along - though you've probably already thought about all that.

Jim
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
We hand a bad GFCI outlet in the bathroom that was messing with the microwave. It was letting part power flow but not to the microwave. It took the RV repair guy 3 hours to find it. Replacement of outlet fixed the problem. BTW everything else checked out ok. That GFCI circuit can play havoc with things.
 

Leno

Active Member
I will pass all this info on to the guy coming out today. I can't find a dealership that can get us in. I even called one two hours away. They are so booked up, this time of year.
Jim I now have my computer plugged into the outside pedestal. I will be sure to have him check transfer switch..
Thanks everyone. I will post our findings.
 

Leno

Active Member
Ok, the guy came out that does work here in this park. He pretty much checked out everything. He also reset the main breaker. When he checked the voltage with his meter, all was well! Only thing he couldn't get at was under the power cord reel as suggested. We can't understand why yesterday the voltage to the outlets was so low and today normal. We will buy ourselves a good meter so we can keep checking.
We have the Progressive power monitor, so it is not a problem coming from outside. Is it just coincidence that the microwave died last month and the bedroom tv the other night? Shouldn't be, since they are just over two years old. If that were the case then the guy that came yesterday had a bad monitor and it gave all those low readings.
Could resetting the main breaker fixed the problem?
We are happy to have everything back working but very concerned that there is a problem still looming.
Now the problem will be trying to get Good Sam's to cover the micro since I don't have an answer as to what happened. Anyone have any input on that.
 

KWire

Member
Leno,

When you say he "checked out everything", did he tighten all the wires in the breaker box and control panel? I have had times when there was a loose wire and just doing something in the box, like resetting the main breaker would jiggle the loose wires so they made contact, even good contact for a little while.

So, if he didn't tighten everything, you might want to unhook from power and shut off the battery and make sure everything is tight.

Keith
 

hoefler

Well-known member
Also, RV type outlets are notorious for having bad connections, since many of them are push in and hope it makes good contact. Check them outlets.
 
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