What the **** happened?

While replacing the cooling unit on my less than 2 year old Norcold 1210, I was starting the Genny when I must have hit the slide out button. Now I have no battery power to the coach. I have battery to start the Genny and then when the transfer switch kicks over I am fine with power (kinda) when under Genny power if I run the slides in, I get a huge voltage drop and the lights go out and then back on. What happened and what do I need to replace now?

Thanks in advance. Between the reefer going out, the vent for the crapper clogged and this power thing, I have to be through three bad things, I hope. Standing by.

Bruce

I'm a little confused here but if you are getting a huge voltage drop, you didn't specify 12 or 120 volt, one place I would visit is the inside of the transfer switch, the battery and the neutral buss bar.
It's kinda sounding like a loose wire in that when you call for some voltage your not getting it.
Check all of the wires in the transfer switch and make sure all neutral wires are tight at the batteries and neutral buss.

Be sure the generator is off, shore power unplugged and battery disconnected before entering the transfer switch.

Peace
Dave

pharmafrog said:

While replacing the cooling unit on my less than 2 year old Norcold 1210, I was starting the Genny when I must have hit the slide out button. Now I have no battery power to the coach. I have battery to start the Genny and then when the transfer switch kicks over I am fine with power (kinda) when under Genny power if I run the slides in, I get a huge voltage drop and the lights go out and then back on. What happened and what do I need to replace now?

Thanks in advance. Between the reefer going out, the vent for the crapper clogged and this power thing, I have to be through three bad things, I hope. Standing by.

Bruce

Click to expand...

Bruce,
Do you have lights when the generator is nor running and there is no shore power plugged in?

You've tripped the 12V DC mini-circuit breaker that sits in-between batteries and power converter/fuse box. The row of breakers is under a red-rubber boot near the battery. One of them has a teeny-tiny reset button.

With the breaker tripped, the interior 12V DC lighting is powered from the Power Converter, which with the generator running is getting its power from the genny, through the transfer switch and the main circuit breaker panel.

But the slides are powered from the same buss bar near the battery as the breaker that's tripped. So if you're on generator power, and the breaker is tripped, the slides are getting power from the battery, and the lights are getting power from the generator/power converter. In other words, in this circumstance, the slides shouldn't be causing the lights to dim.

Try resetting the breaker pictured below and see what happens.

Also, when you pulled the fridge, what did you do with the 12V DC wiring?

I will follow see what I can find given the above advice. I will try to give a little more detail. I hit the slide out button, while starting the genny. Something happened, I cannot remember if I heard a click or not, but the slide stopped moving out which surprised me and I stopped trying to start the Gen at that time. I tried running anything on battery and nothing worked, lights, landing gear, slides, nothing. I then started the Gen (it was getting power to the starter) and when it started, I heard the transfer switch kick over. It seemed to be running everything fine, sometimes kicking the transfer with two AC units on, but that has happened before when they are working hard. I then tried to bring in the slides and when I did the lights went out when depressing the button, then returned when I let go. I tried it again and the same thing happened, a huge power loss on everything else when I tried to run the slide in. I am not at the coach right now, but will be in the morning.

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sjandbj said:

Bruce,
Do you have lights when the generator is nor running and there is no shore power plugged in?

Click to expand...

No nothing at all, no lights, no battery light when I push the test switch, no landing gear. NADA.

pharmafrog said:

I tried running anything on battery and nothing worked, lights, landing gear, slides, nothing. I then started the Gen (it was getting power to the starter)


No nothing at all, no lights, no battery light when I push the test switch, no landing gear. NADA.

Click to expand...

Ok, that sounds like the battery cutoff is OFF. The landing gear and slides get power from the row of mini-circuit breakers. The power wire to the generator starter is probably connected before the cutoff switch.

danemayer said:

Also, when you pulled the fridge, what did you do with the 12V DC wiring?

Click to expand...

I unplugged it from the control unit and it is just sitting there in the cavity.

danemayer said:

Ok, that sounds like the battery cutoff is OFF. The landing gear and slides get power from the row of mini-circuit breakers. The power wire to the generator starter is probably connected before the cutoff switch.

Click to expand...

I agree with Dan. Some how you tripped the breaker or burnt out something on the 12 volt side. If none of that is the cause you'll have to inspect your batteries and load test them.

pharmafrog said:

I unplugged it from the control unit and it is just sitting there in the cavity.

Click to expand...

I don't have a Norcold, so I don't know how the 12V side is wired, but "unplugged" implies a plug and receptacle. I would have expected wires joined with a wire nut.

What I'm trying to get at is whether there's an exposed 12V wire that might be moving around when the slide moves.

They are connected via Spade connectors to the back of the Reefer Control

Dan,

Ha! you nailed it. I had been switching it back and forth while working on the electrical that I lost track of the position of on and off. Simple, I'm dumb and now it is all ok. Thanks for the common sense.