AC power issue

[Fivesubs]

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I visited the forum. I have a 2016 Road Warrior 425. The left side of the breaker panel is not working. Garage, Bedroom, Microwave, etc. All the DC lights work, air conditioners work, kitchen island has power, tv's all work. I have confirmed power from the pedestal into the transfer switch. I am just a dumb mechanic but this is confusing the **** out of me. What could the problem be?


Thanks in advance for any help offered.

 

[hoefler]

CHeck the outlet at the pedastal and see if both legs have power, then do the same at the breaker box. You have one leg down some where, pedestal, transfer switch, breaker box, etc..

 

[danemayer]

Can you describe how you confirmed power to the transfer switch?

 

[jbeletti]

Some breaker panels are split (left side for L1 and right side for L2) but in the larger coaches, L1 and L2 are wired as every other breaker. I say this just to confirm whether you have a left-right split setup.

By chance are you connected to a 30A service using an adapter? Answers to these and questions others have asked will help us sort this with you.

 

[Fivesubs]

Some breaker panels are split (left side for L1 and right side for L2) but in the larger coaches, L1 and L2 are wired as every other breaker. I say this just to confirm whether you have a left-right split setup.

By chance are you connected to a 30A service using an adapter? Answers to these and questions others have asked will help us sort this with you.

Thanks for the help - yes, I have a left-right split. And we are hooked up with 50 amp service. From the pedestal through our surge protector to the coach. I only have 2 GFCI outlets, one in each bathroom. I have tested each and reset them. I have power in the garage now but the outlets in the bedroom are not working. All of the outlets controlled by the GFCI in the full bath have power. There is a separate breaker for the bedroom. I have cycled it several times as well. the microwave acts like it has partial power. Meaning the clock comes on and you can start it but the light inside surges. Hope this gives a little more detail.

- - - Updated - - -

Can you describe how you confirmed power to the transfer switch?

I verified 120 on both side of the 50A breaker at the pedestal. Then pulled the cover off the transfer switch and verified power on each side of the switch.

 

[Dahillbilly]

shot in the dark here, from your statements I'd look for a loose connection or a bad outlet. These are daisy chained together & a bad or loose connection would cause what you are descrbing. Good luck & let us know what you find.

 

[danemayer]

Have you tried running on generator? If you have the same symptoms and haven't done so yet, pull the breaker panel away from the wall and check L1 and L2 on the back side. Make sure all connections are tight, including the neutral wire.

The microwave symptom sounds like a possible partial loss of neutral connection. Do you have approx 120V on all working outlets, including the microwave outlet?

 

[wdk450]

I would next check for good 120 volts AC on the input wires at the bottom of the mains breaker. You can easily remove the breakers surround panel to access this.

I had the mains breaker go bad on me at its connection to the distribution buss inside the breaker panel. I got a new double 50 amp breaker at Home Depot. I noted that this main double high current breaker uses spring copper "forks" to make contact with the distribution busses. There was a noticeable small point of arc and heat deterioration on the distribution buss where 1 of the mains breakers plugged into it. I filed clean this area, made sure that the copper fork on the new breaker fit tightly, sprayed the electrical contact points involved with Caig DeOxIt contact cleaner/restorer spray (available on Amazon or E-Bay), and installed the new mains breaker to the breaker distribution busses, and attached the incoming mains 2 hot phase wires to the combination breaker.

Of course, do any repairs to the circuit breaker panel with ALL AC power sources to the trailer disconnected/de-energized.

 

[Fivesubs]

Have you tried running on generator? If you have the same symptoms and haven't done so yet, pull the breaker panel away from the wall and check L1 and L2 on the back side. Make sure all connections are tight, including the neutral wire.

The microwave symptom sounds like a possible partial loss of neutral connection. Do you have approx 120V on all working outlets, including the microwave outlet?

No I have not run the generator yet. I do have 120v at the microwave outlet. i am beginning to think that whatever happened fried the microwave.

- - - Updated - - -

I would next check for good 120 volts AC on the input wires at the bottom of the mains breaker. You can easily remove the breakers surround panel to access this.

I had the mains breaker go bad on me at its connection to the distribution buss inside the breaker panel. I got a new double 50 amp breaker at Home Depot. I noted that this main double high current breaker uses spring copper "forks" to make contact with the distribution busses. There was a noticeable small point of arc and heat deterioration on the distribution buss where 1 of the mains breakers plugged into it. I filed clean this area, made sure that the copper fork on the new breaker fit tightly, sprayed the electrical contact points involved with Caig DeOxIt contact cleaner/restorer spray (available on Amazon or E-Bay), and installed the new mains breaker to the breaker distribution busses, and attached the incoming mains 2 hot phase wires to the combination breaker.

Of course, do any repairs to the circuit breaker panel with ALL AC power sources to the trailer disconnected/de-energized.

Thanks for the input! I will check the mains later today when I get home.

 

[Fivesubs]

Good Morning ya'll

Here is the update, we have all of the power back. Turns out that you cannot trust the labels on the breakers! We disconnected out vacuum system because we don't like it or use it. So I turned the breaker off. We do not have a washer / dryer in our rig, so I turned that breaker off as well. Now, it just so happened that right after I turned those breakers off, the wind picked up and we had a storm come through North Houston. The vacuum breaker also controls the outlets on each side of the bed. The washer / dryer breaker controls the outlet on the end of the dresser. Now the microwave, I have it unplugged from its designated outlet and into a small extension cord to see if it really works or not. If it does not lose power today, then I have to troubleshoot the outlet. Yesterday we had everything powered as it should have been but the microwave magically turned itself off as my Bride was heating water for tea.

So things are looking up and life is getting back to whatever normal is these days.

thanks again for all of your input in my adventure, I appreciate this forum!

 

[centerline]

Good Morning ya'll

Here is the update, we have all of the power back. Turns out that you cannot trust the labels on the breakers! We disconnected out vacuum system because we don't like it or use it. So I turned the breaker off. We do not have a washer / dryer in our rig, so I turned that breaker off as well. Now, it just so happened that right after I turned those breakers off, the wind picked up and we had a storm come through North Houston. The vacuum breaker also controls the outlets on each side of the bed. The washer / dryer breaker controls the outlet on the end of the dresser. Now the microwave, I have it unplugged from its designated outlet and into a small extension cord to see if it really works or not. If it does not lose power today, then I have to troubleshoot the outlet. Yesterday we had everything powered as it should have been but the microwave magically turned itself off as my Bride was heating water for tea.

So things are looking up and life is getting back to whatever normal is these days.

thanks again for all of your input in my adventure, I appreciate this forum!

wouldnt it be a great thing if RV's were designed with proper electrical schematics, with wire routing.... and that they were followed when the trailer is wired up at the factory?... then one could see what all is on each circuit and what circuit breaker the components are connected to...