Converter Burned up twice

[Brady]

Ok sorry work got in the way of me troubleshooting. I moved one a/c breaker so they are on opposite sides of my main. With the converter out and shore power on and my battery switch on the front a/c works perfectly, the back A/c fan comes on but no cold air. Could a bad capacitor be enough of a short to burn a converter up? (Sorry if someone mentioned this already) Originally the converter breaker and back a/c unit were on opposite sides of my main breaker.

Also I keep seeing EMS. Can someone describe what that is/does? Thanks.

[Brady]

Sorry feel like an idiot, turned the a/c knob the wrong way, it blows cold air. I have a mobile repair guy coming tomorrow since I am about as far in to this as I know how to be. Thanks for all the help. I will let ya know what is found.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Brady

Also I keep seeing EMS. Can someone describe what that is/does? Thanks.

Electrical management system. It's a box that continuously inspects and monitors the quality of your shore power: voltage, frequency, proper grounding, polarity, etc. If the shore power parameters are acceptable, it allows the power to go through to your rig, otherwise it shuts your rig offline so that your systems won't be damaged.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Brady

Ok sorry work got in the way of me troubleshooting. I moved one a/c breaker so they are on opposite sides of my main. With the converter out and shore power on and my battery switch on the front a/c works perfectly, the back A/c fan comes on but no cold air. Could a bad capacitor be enough of a short to burn a converter up? (Sorry if someone mentioned this already) Originally the converter breaker and back a/c unit were on opposite sides of my main breaker.

Also I keep seeing EMS. Can someone describe what that is/does? Thanks.

EMS is for "electrical management system". It is used in line with your incoming power to monitor your power feed for harmful anomalies. If those occur it shuts down the power (120vac) to the trailer so it can't harm the trailer, components or you. I use and like Surge Guard by Southwire but others prefer products from Progressive and Hughes. I'll link them below. Having one and using it is mandatory in my opinion and may have been helpful with your situation since they tell you what's wrong. Do not confuse them with a "surge protector" - they do far more than a surge protector. Good luck with the repair guy.

https://www.southwire.com/power-mana...-34951/p/34951

The above is the Surge Guard which also has the ability to communicate to a wireless monitor inside the RV AND the ability to monitor faults inside the trailer which the others don't.

https://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-pt50x

https://hughesautoformers.com/produc...yABEgKf7PD_BwE

[wiredgeorge]

Right now Camping World has some good prices on EMS units such as:

https://www.campingworld.com/ems-pt5...on-102485.html

[Brady]

Ok thanks. Repairman came today and tested everything. Found a small short in my front A/C but other than that nothing. Thinking it might have been the power coming in from the breaker pedestal at the campsite. Asked the campground to check it out and let me know what they find. Repairman says everything is running great right now. I guess we will see. Thanks for all the help and advice!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Brady

Ok thanks. Repairman came today and tested everything. Found a small short in my front A/C but other than that nothing. Thinking it might have been the power coming in from the breaker pedestal at the campsite. Asked the campground to check it out and let me know what they find. Repairman says everything is running great right now. I guess we will see. Thanks for all the help and advice!

Did he check and repair the 12 vdc terminal block that you said was corroded? Did he load test the batteries that are "supposed to be 2 yrs old"?

Ohms law (https://www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/bl...at-is-ohms-law) is a balenced equation therefore increasing the resistance due to corrosion will alter other elements of the equation to keep the equation "true".

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Brady

Ok thanks. Repairman came today and tested everything. Found a small short in my front A/C but other than that nothing. Thinking it might have been the power coming in from the breaker pedestal at the campsite. Asked the campground to check it out and let me know what they find. Repairman says everything is running great right now. I guess we will see. Thanks for all the help and advice!

I would highly recommend getting that EMS right away. Doesn't sound like he fixed anything so the anomaly will probably happen again.

[chuckster57]

What is a “small short”?

I would think a short is a short……

[JRTJH]

Looking at it, if he didn't find anything wrong except "a small short" (whatever that might be) and that short was not blowing any fuses in the 12 volt fuse panel in the power center, then it wasn't a short....

Now, the one thing that could easily "burn up power converters" and that you didn't say anything about him checking, is the batteries on the trailer...

ANY converter/charger is only as reliable as the components connected to it. If there is a "bad battery" either from a shorted grid plate, low acid level, corroded plates inside the battery or even corrosion on a battery terminal or in a wire going to or from the battery, then you could find that tomorrow or the next day, you've burned up another converter/charger.

I'd strongly urge taking the batteries off the trailer, taking them to auto zone or another auto parts store and asking them to load test them for you. There is usually no charge to do that (it's only a 1 minute check per battery) and then you'll know.

At this point, the ONLY thing it can be is a bad campground power issue or a shorted/damaged battery. If the campground says the campground power is good, that only leaves your 2 year old batteries as the problem with your multiple converter/charger failures.

[sourdough]

"Batteries were supposed to be new when I bought the camper 2 years ago"


The above comment was made by the OP in post #19. The key word here is "supposed". Bought a used trailer a couple of years ago and the batteries were "supposed" to be new but not verified that I can tell - and we have no idea on maintenance. If the water levels were never checked they are toast in all probability.

Add: Brady (OP) I added the above because I've been through the "supposed" dilemma. Bought a new trailer and they were "supposed" to add a brand new battery like the one that was on the trailer. They added a second battery and battery box etc. like they were "supposed" to and in a moment of trust I "assumed" they had done as I asked. In not too long I had battery issues and when I opened the battery boxes the second, added battery looked like some junker they had picked up off the discard shelf. It had destroyed the new battery. Reinforced what they say about "supposed" and "assume". Just fyi.

[popsshopga]

Converter Burned up twice - yep, happened to me twice. The first time was the day after we purchased our new 2018 Springdale. The second happened just last week. Both time the unit had to be replaced. The one last week also burned up the AC outlet on the fuse box. This "less than 10-year old trailer" has been expensive to maintain. (busted leaf spring, water leaks in slideouts, waste water valves refusing to work. factory-installed tv in bedroom was analog only)

[drrelli]

Originally Posted by popsshopga

our new 2018 Springdale…factory-installed tv in bedroom was analog only

Oh, that’s just wrong!!! That is SO IRRITATING, since they turned off analog broadcasts in 2009!!!!

[Brady]

I am going to have the batteries tested this week and going to replace the battery wires, terminal block and battery switch in a couple days. Thanks!