Smoke in the RV.

[LAHalvy]

Wife was using the vacuum when it seemed to bog down. TV went out, the microwave beeped and ceiling fan stopped. System restored and then did it again so we turned off the vacuum thinking it was bad. Shortly there after we saw smoke coming out from under the steps. No it doesn't seem to be enough power in the system to run anything and the converter feels extraordinarily hot. Did not have a surge protector on the RV. Happened on the last day as we were getting ready to leave. No breakers popped. Another mystery in this RV. Maybe it is lemon time.


Lynn Halvorsen
2013 Heartland Elkridge 38TSRE
2012 Chevy 2500.

 

[danemayer]

Multiple appliances failing at the same time sounds very much like a power problem - often external.

If the campground pedestal had a problem with the neutral line, power on one leg could rise to the 200V neck of the woods. Without an EMS it could fry the vacuum, TV, and microwave, along with the Power Converter.

 

[jmgratz]

Without an EMS you are at the mercy of the power pedestal. The park may have great pedestals perfectly wired but they do not control what kind of power is sent them by the electric company. So you see it could be the park, the electric company, the weather via a lightning strike, or something going wrong in the RV itself. Most likely it was external. Hopefuly you have insurance on your RV which would cover a power surge.

 

[TxCowboy]

It's a holiday weekend. Our park lost power to the manager's office and four sites, including ours. They had to reset the main breaker for those locations.

Maybe it's just that it's hot and everybody is drawing a lot of power running their ACs and such.

Sounds like the OP had a brown out.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

If you have smoke coming from the under steps I would pull the wall in the basement, and check for loose wire at your transfer switch or anything else you can find under there. Sounds to me like the heavy draw of everything you had on, and the vacuum has caused the bad connection to get hot and smoke. I could be wrong but I would check asap.

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[wdk450]

I would be guessing bad wiring or burnt relay contacts on the transfer switch (if you have the generator prep option). If you do not have the generator prep option, I would guess loose wiring connections at the circuit breaker panel. If you have enough heated electrical insulation smoke to see/smell it, you should be finding charred wiring insulation somewhere, and your electrical system wiring is unreliable.

 

[LAHalvy]

This has been very interesting and I have been researching power surges as I am not an expert with any electrical knowledge. The issue that I am having here is that everyone is eager to blame the power surge on everything except faulty equipment from the manufacturer. To have a major blow out of appliances, it would seem by the literature that I am reading, a lightening strike or a major power interruption on the mainline would need to have happened. This occurred on a bright sunny day so lightening is out of the question and no one else in the park experienced a loss of power or a surge. I am sold that power may not be perfect but to have such an isolated situation in a large park would appear odd.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

I still believe you have loose connection at your main panel or transfer switch. Do to never being tight in the first place and a few years of getting hot and cold from use and from bouncing down the road. nothing else

 

[LAHalvy]

I hope you are right hopefully the service tech can give me an answer here soon.

 

[danemayer]

This has been very interesting and I have been researching power surges as I am not an expert with any electrical knowledge. The issue that I am having here is that everyone is eager to blame the power surge on everything except faulty equipment from the manufacturer. To have a major blow out of appliances, it would seem by the literature that I am reading, a lightening strike or a major power interruption on the mainline would need to have happened. This occurred on a bright sunny day so lightening is out of the question and no one else in the park experienced a loss of power or a surge. I am sold that power may not be perfect but to have such an isolated situation in a large park would appear odd.

It's not just about surges. There are other conditions that will cause damage. EMS devices protect against a number of common electrical issues, surges perhaps being the least common.

Take a look at the Lost Neutral Presentation in this folder. It's a bit technical, but explains how a problem with the neutral line, either in the park, or in the trailer, can cause extensive damage. If it's in the trailer, it's usually easier to find. Transients in the park are harder to find.

 

[TravelTiger]

We had our EMS trip numerous times in a park when temps were over 100. I figured it was too many ACs causing low voltage. When I talked to the campground, they were unaware of the issue. They contacted the power dept and found out there was a transformer down the road giving them issues causing the power to be erratic to the area (spikes and low voltage), and trucks were in route to work on it. EMS may have saved our bacon.


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[pegmikef]

Take a look at the Lost Neutral Presentation in this folder. It's a bit technical, but explains how a problem with the neutral line, either in the park, or in the trailer, can cause extensive damage. If it's in the trailer, it's usually easier to find. Transients in the park are harder to find.

I can tell you from my recent experience that what Dan says is right on. Mine started as a similar situation, lights dimming, power dips and spikes, but no smoke. I first suspected the pedestal. EMS said it was ok, but a park tech said that a lot of times the fifty amp breakers will get weak on one or both of poles and start acting up because they are basically used as a switch. Replaced breaker. Same problem. Suspect faulty EMS. Remove EMS, metered voltage and both 120 +/- 1 or 2 volts. Same problem and starts to worsen. Next suspect fifty amp master breaker in trailer (easy things first). Remove front breaker panel to access breaker and immediately saw the problem . . . burned neutral that was just a tad loose (enough to move a little, but not enough to pull out without unscrewing). Cleaned it up, by filing the charred insulation off and snipping the end where it was burned, cover bare wire with shrink tubing, reinstall neutral in bus bar making sure it was tight with absolutely no movement. Has been working for two weeks now and 800 plus travel miles with three different stops. I am now inspecting it before hooking up to the pedestal. No problems at all. I want to emphasize that there was no warning, no smoke, and no burning smell. This was a fire waiting to happen and I suspect it had been going on for a long time and finally deteriorated to the point that it exhibited symptoms.