Loss of Power to everything. 50amp

[Jroy]

I went out yesterday to run some errands only to come home and find that there was no power coming into my 2023 Heartland Trail Runner. I checked with some of the neighbors to see if they had power to campers, and they did. So I contacted site maintenance for the resort I am at, they came out and checked the shore power pedestal to make sure it was receiving power. After checking all fuses and breakers, and a lot of sweating and head scratching (it was 99 degrees out and even hotter in the camper). I ended up just going to a local store to get a heavy duty extension cord and portable AC, because it was getting dark and no mobile repairmen were available.

This morning, got up early to beat the heat (supposed to be 101 today) and started trouble shooting again. I disconnected the shore power cable and inspected both ends, since I could see better. The end that plugs into receptacle on the camper showed a little bit of burn/melting. I tested the cable with a multimeter and it was fully operational. I checked the receptacle for shore power, showed a little burn/melting around one of the prongs. I disconnected the receptacle from the outside of the camper to inspect further and the red wire was totally disconnected and the black wire was extremely loose. I’m glad that the manufacturer got the ground wire installed otherwise I’m sure the entire thing would have burned down. I reconnected the wires and made sure the white and ground was secure, and replaced the outlet. Hooked everything back up and back in business.
I’m not sure who quality control is for electrical at the manufacturer but they need to get their eyes checked and do better. This entire situation makes me wonder what other shortcuts were done and issues I will be running into.

 

[RoadJunkie]

Happy that you were able to discover the issue and restore power to your rig. As far as wondering what else may be waiting, you don't know what you don't know, so never worry twice.

 

[taskswap]

There is no quality control at the manufacturer. It's basically farmed out to dealers and consumers through the purchase-inspection and warranty claims processes. I'm not sure if yours is still under warranty but it might be worth a claim. It'll probably go nowhere but maybe they'll replace the shore power cable - it's expensive and worth a try...

 

[rhodies1]

I agree with tasks. I wouldn’t use this bird with the burned terminals. It could get hot and cause a fire. It shows signs of heat and fatigue. Your call but if it were mine. It’s a no go.

 

[wdk450]

2 Points:

First of all, if you have AC electrical loads switched ON when you connect up to electrical power at an RV space, there is ALWAYS going to be an electrical arc on the last component switching the electrical power ON (or OFF) when the circuit is completed/opened. Your RV battery charger is usually always ON. Other things like water heaters, refrigerators, Air Conditioning (?) may also be on. The more stuff On, the more initial current drawn, THE BIGGER THE INITIAL CONNECTION ARC, THE BIGGER THE INITIAL CONNECTION ARC DAMAGE TO CONNECTING POINTS (Connectors, relays). This contacts damage is cumulative. What you can do is minimize the initial currents load, and SELECT WHERE THIS ARC WILL OCCUR (WHAT COMPONENT IS CONNTECTED/TURNED ON LAST/FIRST). My personal policy is to turn off the power with the inside breaker panel FIRST of the electrical disconnect procedure when leaving an RV space. This causes the electrical arc to be on the power source component I deem easiest to replace (the dual mains circuit breaker, of which i keep a spare on hand. I then turn off the space pedestal breaker and disconnect the power cord from the pedestal. When I arrive at a new RV space, my inside mains breakers are already off. I connect the shore power cord to the pedestal, turn on the pedestal breaker. go inside and turn ON the dual mains breaker. This method also prevents large arcs on the transfer switch power relay contacts and maybe the power protection box power relay contacts, which are both in the hard to access crawl space.

Second, when arriving at a new space and hooking up AC shore power (first step after parking. leveling, chocking), I get out my Caig Cramolyn DeOxIT contact cleaner/restorer spray and spray and exercise (about 5 insertions/removals to mechanically wipe the contact surfaces) then turn on the pedestal breaker, and the inside breakers.