SOLVED: Electrical issues

Nitehawk79

Member
I have a 2014 4100 and I Just had four outlets stop working. The four outlets are as follows: the stereo under the sink, the one under the stereo, the one on the inside of the island by the sink, and the strange one on the couch slide. The GFI in the bathroom is fine and no tripped breakers. Is there a common J-box if so where is it located? I do have power in the outlet for the TV. Oh to make this odder the unit has not moved and the night before the stereo was working as well as the outlet below it.

Scott


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jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

Scott,

I can't tell you where to start looking but you may want to continue checking all the AC receptacles in the living room and kitchen to map out all that are NOT working. This might be the best clue for another CY owner to tell you how they may be related and where to start.

If you're into it and are comfortable in doing so, you can start looking at the splices in the junction boxes mounted to the frame under the slides. Do this with the power to the coach OFF, remove the blank plate and pull the splices outward to see if any of the conductors fall out of the wire nuts. I had this happen once. It was under the door side slide of a Landmark. This was the starting point of this circuit and affected receptacles in that slide, the back wall and the off-door side slide.

My theory on what happened was when the wires were stripped of insulation to make the splice, 1 wire was stripped too deeply and scored the copper conductor. After a couple thousand miles of travel, the conductor snapped at the score mark causing an intermittent discontinuity. I found it pretty easily.

If you end up waiting until Monday, call Heartland Customer Service to find out if all your dead receptacles are on the same circuit and if yes, how the circuit runs so you can narrow down where to start on this.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

Scott:
I know you are waiting for someone with the same Cyclone to help you out - the best I can offer is to ask if these all seem to be on the same slide? Slides usually have a cable flex device and a junction box underneath them. This might be a good excuse to open up the circuit breaker panel (with all AC power sources disconnected from the trailer) and tighten every screw clamping a black wire on a circuit breaker, along with tightening all screws on the white wire (neutral) buss. Many times these are not tightened enough during manufacture, and vibrate loose with travel.
If all else fails, you can get a "Fox and Hound" type electrical tracer at a home improvement store or a tool store. The "Fox" transmits a small radio tracing signal and the "Hound" is a tone receiver with adjustable gain to "sniff" out the transmitter signal radiating from the wires. Where the signal dies out is the break in the circuit.

Good Luck!!!
 

bwc1950

Member
Re: Electrical issues

Before I started opening things up, I would look for another GFCI somewhere in the kitchen area (underneath the kitchen cabinets?). Also, a picture of your circuit breaker panel would be helpful.
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

My problem was in the junction box under a slide. Calls to customer support was no help as they apparently dont build from schematics. The wires behind the j box use wire nuts to provide the connections, and the wire strands were not organized but rather mangled and useless to the intended effort. I would bet a cookie that this is where your problem will be found.
 

jassson007

Founding Louisiana Chapter Leaders-Retired
Re: Electrical issues

I had a similar issue last night but nothing on the first leg was working, turned out to be a breaker on the pedestal went bad, was not hot just a discolored contact when the park owner checked it out.


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Rickhansen

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

As another option...

The receptacles on each circuit are almost always wired in series. Heartland uses receptacles that utilize "stab-in" type connections that pierce the insulation and grip the copper wire. There are no screw terminals on them. If a wire doesn't make good connection at that receptacle, everything from there downstream will have no power.

Without a good diagram you're still guessing a bit which receptacles are on that circuit and in what order, but if you remove the first on without power, or the last one with power you are likely to find the problem. Usually by removing the receptacle from the wall and moving it around a bit, or with a simple tug you are likely to find an intermittent or loose connection. You can use a meter, a small lamp, a radio, or a non contact voltage tester.

I recommend turning power off while you remove the receptacle, inspect, and turn it back on to check your progress.

As always, if you are not comfortable doing this, let someone else do it.:)
 

scottyb

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

Scott, does everything else work, AC, Microwave, Etc.? You may have lost 1 leg of service. On my 4100, the Automatic Transfer Switch fried the 2nd day I had it, sitting at my house. I suspect it was from loose wiring. You can pull the cover off of it and check to see if you have power on both legs going in and coming out of the switch. BTW, it is located behind the basement wall along with the power converter. The next issue I had was the j-box for the generator connection had loose wiring and was causing a problem.
 

Nitehawk79

Member
Re: Electrical issues

Lot of great input. I have a receptacle checker and all the other outlets and equipment works. Tree of the outlets are not on slides and are on the kitchen island. My best guess is that the J-box that is causing this issue is under the trailer beneath the udder belly material. This does not look like a job I want to tackle. If it was in an easily excess able place I could do the repairs. I did contact RV Whoesalers and they are trying to get someone to do the service work where my RV is, since my wife and I full time in it, I would have to pay the person to come here and they will pay the repairs.


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Nitehawk79

Member
Re: Electrical issues

Found out that the receptacle by the mini-fridge outside had a wire that lifted...replaced receptacle and now all receptacles are working. Called heartland (again) and was told how the power is routed from the GFI outlet.


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Mizmary

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

It's crazy how GFIs are routed sometimes - and the problem isn't just in RVs. We once lived in a house where the upstairs bathroom and half of the downstairs living room were wired to the GFI outside in the backyard - on the opposite side of the house.
 

porthole

Retired
Re: Electrical issues

It's crazy how GFIs are routed sometimes - and the problem isn't just in RVs. We once lived in a house where the upstairs bathroom and half of the downstairs living room were wired to the GFI outside in the backyard - on the opposite side of the house.


And that is why we have a national electrical code. Although DIY's don't always follow the code.
 

Mizmary

Well-known member
Re: Electrical issues

Ours was a case of the cheapest contractor. It was a NEW house in military housing. 😀 Unless I was involved with it, DIY scares me.
 

porthole

Retired
Re: Electrical issues

Ours was a case of the cheapest contractor. It was a NEW house in military housing.  Unless I was involved with it, DIY scares me.

Well in that case I have to say, my buddy, an inspector a few towns over, fails more contractors in a given week then he does homeowner DIY's.
 
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