Transfer switch failed - company stands behind product!

[jimzdat]

Had quite the eye-opening scare over the weekend - have family that is using the 5er for temporary living quarters until they get another house; trailer is on the other end of our yard near the garage.

Got a call from my nephew, says they smelled something burning, found smoke coming out of the "black box" near the water pipes

I go down to check it out, see that the magic blue smoke is coming out of the transfer switch - immediately open disconnect (conveniently near trailer). Pop cover from transfer switch, see lots of melted plastic and bare wires that used to have insulation on them. Surprisingly, everything in the trailer was still working fine.

Did some temporary splicing to bypass transfer switch - don't need generator right now anyway - living quarters back in operation.

Given the issues some have had with Keystone, I figure I'll take my chances and call IOTA Engineering (transfer switch manufacturer) directly. Knowing there was a recall regarding these units, I figure maybe I can get them to replace it - hopefully don't have to take it to the dealer (2 hours away).

Call IOTA; get transfered to a guy in warranty dept. Tell him the problem and ask what can be done. He asks when unit was purchased - tell him Sept '10. His answer? Still under warranty, don't make that model anymore - made upgrades. Your new unit will be at your door in a couple days - thanks for calling!

Got all prepared for a battle to get resolution, and the company had it taken care of in less than 5 minutes - had to find some other way to kill the rest of my lunch break!

Hopefully will have the new unit installed this weekend - hopefully their improvements make for a more durable unit!

[jq1031]

Happy ending to a possible disaster. My former motor home a 2006 diesel model, had the same situation, only we were away at the time & the smoke & soot to the interior along with the melted wires, melter fresh water tank ended with a $22,000 insurance claim & the coach being down for 6 months. Consider yourself lucky.

[jimzdat]

Oh, by all means I do - it very easily could have been catastrophic, and we are well aware of it. Just glad that we actually had someone down there that was alert.

Since it overheated the wires, I'm going to replace the affected sections - about 6 feet between the shorepower connector and the switch, and another couple feet from the switch to the surge protector. Fortunately, I don't need to go to the dealer to have electrical done, so that saves me a trip

[geo]

Jimzdat - Extremely happy that you caught the Transfer Switch meltdown before any serious damage or worst! I would guess that Iota Engineering wants the melted unit back to check also.

There was a thread several months ago that mentioned that the torque on the lug bolts of the transfer switch should be checked once a year. Funny, on that thread there was mention of transfer switch and water pipes also. On the Escapees RV forum recently, there was another thread on this same subject. However, on the Escapees RV forum, a member stressed the importance of not only checking the torque of the lug bolts on the transfer switch but also checking the torque on the lug bolts of the load center (circuit breaker box). He stated that he personally investigated 15 "singed" pieces of equipment, 14 were transfer switchs, and all but one had failure caused by loose lugs. This information can be viewed at http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=91974 without needing to join.

The process of checking the torque on these items can be hazardous, so if you aren't sure what you are doing, get a professional to do it!

Again, very glad nothing horribly serious happened!

Ron

[jimzdat]

Surprisingly, IOTA doesn't want it - I was told to just throw it out; kinda shocked me, as I figured they would want it as well.

I saw the notice about torquing, and actually had it on my "to-do" list - obviously, it's going to be a lot damn higher on the list of regular maintenance.

I work in the electric power industry (power plant geek), so I am able to do the work safely - not a huge concern for me, but a valid caution for those that aren't familiar with what is involved.

We use thermography all the time for troubleshooting - here's a representative example of what can happen with a loose lug in a breaker panel

For really impressive, you should see the thermal images from out outgoing switchgear - runs at 345,000 volts.

[jimzdat]

OK, the plot thickens even more - get home today to a box sitting on the porch; open it up and got a new transfer switch, but not an IOTA - they had one of these drop shipped instead.

http://www.energybay.org/esco-transf...tch-lpt-50-brd

Anyone have any experience with these "Lyght" brand switches?

[geo]

Jimzdat -

No, but if you get on Iota's website, you cannot find RV transfer switches, only industrial. Think the "new model" might be a spin off subsidiary?

Ron

[jimzdat]

Possibly, but not sure - layout is totally different, box is all metal now instead of plastic, inner terminal strip is industrial style terminals mounted to DIN rail.

Manufacturer is labeled as "Esco" - thinking it may be a totally different company and maybe they are just partners?

I noticed the same thing about IOTAs site - not a single RV item at all anymore - that may be pretty telling itself.......

I'm just glad it was taken care of quickly and professionally - didn't have to pull hair out.

[geo]

Jimzdat - Please see the Recall Keystone issued on 1/31/2012 that is posted under the Recalls thread. No wonder we couldn't find the ITS-50R on Iota's website. It's being recalled and replaced!

Ron