ElkRidge - Converter - electrical issues

We own a 2011 Elkridge, model 27RLSS fifth wheel. We were camping this past week with friends in a campground in Bar Harbor Maine. We did not receive a power surge that we were aware of (could have happened when we were not in the unit), but we lost our entire electrical functions in our unit. We called our dealer, and he had us check many things (actually he stayed on the phone with us for 2 hours) but alfter checking the converter, and not getting it to work at all, we decided to cut our vacation short and return to our dealer. We had to have the converted, microwave, TV, and coffee pot replaced as they were all destroyed. OK so now my question is has anyone had issues with the converter causing this kind of major damage. How can we insure this doesn't happen again? The park insists they checked the power connection in the campground and it was fine. Friends we were camping with did not have any problems, just us. So if the converted was defective, even a power surge cable would not help, as it wasn't a surge to our knowledge. Help.. not feeling like I can trust our unit anymore. We travel to two furry friends and I would hate to have this happen when we were going and have the a/c go out on a very hot day. Any ideas?????
Thanks.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: ATF: ElkRidge - Converter - electrical issues

Hi Bill and Pam,

Sorry about the damage. One thing to consider is that if you have comprehensive coverage on your RV insurance policy, it may cover damage to the appliances.

If you were plugged into shore power and lost all AC power AND internal lights and other 12V function, that's not likely caused by the power converter. Its function is to convert 110V shore power to 12V to charge the battery and help run 12V light fixtures, refrigerator circuit board, furnace, and a few other things. The power converter is on a separate circuit breaker in the AC breaker panel.

A power surge or improper wiring of the campground pedestal is the most likely cause. A pedestal wiring problem could put 220V through your AC electrical system, frying everything in it's path, including the converter.

The way to prevent future occurrences is to use an Electrical Management System/Surge Protector. There are 2 commonly used: one from Progressive and the other sold by Camping World and other outlets.

If you read the specs, you'll see they offer protection against surges, low voltage, high voltage, and pedestal wiring problems.

Some people prefer the portables. Others prefer hard-wired models.
 
Re: ATF: ElkRidge - Converter - electrical issues

Hi
Thanks for posting so quick... I think your right that is was just our post that was the issues, as our friends did not have any problems, and their rigs are a lot older than ours... guess age doesn't matter. I have contacted our insurance company, so we will see where that goes. I do know this is going to be a very expensive trip if the insurance doesn't cover any of our expenses. The campground has all ready said it isn't their problem...but I'm not surprised at that response. Hummm think they will tell the next people at that site, don't think so!!!:( I was looking to see if anyone else had this problem, if so them mayby our converted was not working as it should. It did blow the converted, so I guess it didn't do its job either. We were running on battery power but were unaware of that for a few hours, but once our lights went dim, I discovered TV and microwave was also not working. We also had to replace the battery as it will no longer hold a charge. Very expensive few days, and I thought camping was suppose to be fun!!!!
 
Re: ATF: ElkRidge - Converter - electrical issues

PS... noticed that your map doesn't have Maine colored in... come on up the lobster is cheep right now :) and the people are friendly
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
We had a similar experience, when an electrician mis-wired our new 30amp plug, back when we had the NorthTrail. Luckily, DH caught it pretty quickly, but it damaged the micro, fridge, and converter. We had to replace them all. This is BEFORE we had the EMS. We will never plug into anything without it again!!

So sorry this happened. Check this http://www.myrv.us/electric/link for more info.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
BillandPam, I cannot overemphasize the need for some sort of surge protection. I cannot tell you how many posts I have read that are similar to yours.
There are fuses on your converter. Check them if your battery is not charging.
If the converter is working you should see something like 14+ volts at the battery if it is charging.
Oh, and it is common for the CG to say "no problem on our equipment".

Peace
Dave
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
FWIW, the converter is served by the 120V distribution, not vice versa. It is plugged into an outlet that is controlled by your breaker panel. Since your microwave and TV got fried (and they don't run off 12V), you had a power surge.
 
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