Real odd electrical issue

[Peter]

first post for me here.

2008 cougar 289 bhs 5th.

we came home from a short camping trip yesterday, we plugged trailer into our house and everything in the trailer worked fine, today went out to get something and seen that nothing electrical was working except for the microwave (seems to work as normal) but there is nothing else that works, checked the breakers and they all seemed ok, there is power from house to trailer, and hear some kind of noise coming from the inverter? above the fridge.

anybody run across this issue before?

thanks
Peter

[pjhansman]

If your 120 volt circuits are working and not the 12 volt circuits, it could mean your converter has died.....

[Peter]

Originally Posted by pjhansman

If your 120 volt circuits are working and not the 12 volt circuits, it could mean your converter has died.....

The tv does not work either. If the batteries were weak or dead would that have any bearing when hooked up to shore power?

[hankaye]

Peter, Howdy;

Is the tv being used with just the antenna?? If so, the
antenna needs 12vdc to operate. Now if it just won't turn on
then that would be 120vac.

hankaye

[Peter]

Would battery condition have anything to do with the electrical system when connected to shore power? I would not like to get into a situation where I buy batteries and find that the converter is shot, or visa versa, is there any simple way to test the converter for condition?

thanks
Peter

[Festus2]

If you have a user's manual for the converter which is probably a WFCO, look to see if there is a trouble-shooting guide. We have an '08 Cougar and the converter is a WFCO Model WF-8966AN-P

There are some instructions with a diagram for checking 12VDC output on the converter which, of course, requires a multi-meter. If you don't feel comfortable working with electrical circuits or have some basic knowledge about them, then you might want to leave the checking/testing to someone who does.

If you don't have the user's manual, try doing a Google search to see if there is one available to download online.

[Loom24]

I'm having the exact problem. I'm stumped. The only thing that works is the microwave. No ac, receptacles, lights. I'm thinking it may be the converter.

[Jim & DJ]

Just a shot in the dark but is the House circut breaker on?

[Peter]

was out playing around with converter, what I did find is that the 40 amp fuses(reverse polarity) are very warm but not blown yet, the fan on the converter will come on for a few seconds then nothing, but the converter feels quite warm. what I don't understand is why the microwave is the only thing working and not the stereo or tv which both need 115 v to run.
time to get tools out remove the converter main board and see what I can see

it is a wfco wf-8955an-p amazon canada has replacement for about $250.00 canadian.

[Ken / Claudia]

If it was me, I would look at and test the batteries, make they are good and connected tight before anything else. Maybe they have nothing to do with the problem but, do not cost a penny to check. I would also kill all power turn off the breakers check every GFI and reset them and than back on and plug back into shore power. Again no cost.

[Bob Landry]

The first problem is that many people do not know what operates on 12VDC and what operates on 120VAC. The A/C and microwave are both AC. Wall outlets are also AC. Ceiling lights, TV antenna are DC. Furnace and refrigerator run on 120VAC, but require 12VDC for the controls. The only device that does not need 12V for anything is the microwave.

You do not need a battery to run on shore power. Disconnect the battery. Reset the breaker that goes to the converter.(Mine was marked GEN, so there's not much telling which one is which, so reset, not just look at, all of the breakers. You can measure the 120V going to the converter. If you have that and the lights don't work, and you have checked all of the fuses, then the converter is bad.

There is no electronics on the AC power side of the converter. it's 120V in and 120V on the output side of each circuit breaker.

[hankaye]

Peter, Howdy;

Just re-read the posting and realized that you are in BC. How humid does
it get there? As your RV is (stated), a 2008, when you check out the Wifco
unit look at the ends of the cables going in and out of the 40 amp circuitbreakers
to see if they are corroded. That may explain why they feel warm. If they are
then trim off the corroded section and re-connect.

hankaye

[Bob Landry]

Humidity has nothing to do with electrical power. If the cord or connectors feel warm/hot, he has a burned or corroded connection somewhere, he is using too long an extension cord, or a cord that has wire hat is too small to handle the load put on it.

[hankaye]

Bob Landry,

Humid conditions and proximity to salt air is a major cause for corrosion,
One of the primary concerns of the Navy and why they have such a stringent
Corrosion Control program for their Flight Electronics (Avionics), and why the
ships Damage Control personnel do extensive work to prevent corrosion from
causing problems.
My question was merely to allow the OP to consider another avenue to
explore.

hankaye

PS. Corrosion Control is something I did for 13 years in the Navy.

[Bob Landry]

Originally Posted by hankaye

Bob Landry,

Humid conditions and proximity to salt air is a major cause for corrosion,
One of the primary concerns of the Navy and why they have such a stringent
Corrosion Control program for their Flight Electronics (Avionics), and why the
ships Damage Control personnel do extensive work to prevent corrosion from
causing problems.
My question was merely to allow the OP to consider another avenue to
explore.

hankaye

PS. Corrosion Control is something I did for 13 years in the Navy.

I can appreciate that, and as a Navy Electronics Tech for nine years, I can certainly appreciate the use of any corrosion prevention techniques. My point was that wiring and terminal corrosion is not something that happens in a matter of a few days and that the capability of delivering usable power is not going to fluctuate on a daily basis with the constant changing relative humidity. There are tens of thousands of travel trailers in close proximity to a salt water environment and that do not suffer from exposure and corrosion issues and with the exception of shore power inlets and power cords, the electrical systems in travel trailers are actually very well protected.

[Peter]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

If it was me, I would look at and test the batteries, make they are good and connected tight before anything else. Maybe they have nothing to do with the problem but, do not cost a penny to check. I would also kill all power turn off the breakers check every GFI and reset them and than back on and plug back into shore power. Again no cost.

thanks, this is what I plan on doing as soon as I get back home

Cheers
Peter

[Festus2]

Hank & Bob -
Although Peter's address is listed as British Columbia, the "Cariboo Country" designation means that he is located inland and no where near the coast so I doubt whether his unit is exposed to a lot of moisture and certainly not the "salt air" of the coastal areas of our province.

[Peter]

Well I think that my converter is shot. Was doing some research on line and it seems that the best bet is to upgrade to the Progressive Dynamics PD4655 rather than the O E equipment, but talk about sticker shock ! got 3 prices right here in my city it ranges from $365.00 to $505.00 I see same thing on U S side for $175.00 (Florida) $205.00 (California) but I have to factor in shipping and the dollar difference, not sure if there is an import duty on it, it is made in the U S so duty may not be payable.

Cheers

Peter

[bsmith0404]

Sounds like you've figured it out, but I'm going to throw a reminder out for everyone since we've had members with similar problems in the past. When you hook up to shore power at an rv park, you are either on 30 or 50 amp. When you hook up at home, most typically connect to a 15 amp outlet without thinking about it. Not to mention they have other items plugged into that circuit, (which isn't supposed to change the output to each plug) then they run an extension cord not rated heavy enough to transfer that much power causing a drop. When it's all said and done, they end up with enough power at the rv to run a coffee pot and wonder why the AC doesn't work.

[Shoey]

Is it a 30A or 50A feed. If it is 50A, you may have lost one leg of the power.