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Old 07-04-2012, 07:58 AM   #1
Outbackmel
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Electrical issue (again)

We are not in the RV, nor will we be until 100% sure it's resolved. If there is a fire, nothing near it can be damaged.

The saga continues. We had a power surge at an RV resort in AZ in January. They stepped up financially and paid for damage to the Microwave and service call. NOW, wondering if this surge caused a bigger issue than I thought.

I am thinking the converter box is BAD and here is my reasoning...

7-10 volts is running through the RV to the ground outside even after the electrical 50 amp cord is disconnected. We know absolutely it is not the power post at our home RV base. The head supervisor of maintenance checked it out for me and showed me that there is no way it is in the post since the current comes even though the RV is 100% disconnected from that source. All jack stands were raised so the only contact with the ground surface is the 4 tires.

NOW THE BIG PROBLEM...it's not the 7 volts; it's the 131 VOLTS ... WOW..with the 50 amp cord disconnected. Testing the part on the rv where the cord normally plugs in, the readings consistently show 131 volts when the cord is out. (Battery is hooked up at that point) QUESTION: is there something in the converter box which stores energy and is passing it through to this outside plug?

As stated, we are not using the rv today. I closed it up. My concerns are what could be the culprit and 2, is it necessary to check this every darn time we hook up in the future?! Our major fear is electrocution. Think about not knowing and using your outside shower, standing in water and touch that RV...comments please....

I am NOT going to try and repair this myself, however, comments of experiences and expertise may help guide the RV tech to what may be the issue....

We feel blessed that the reason this was found is I rolled our slides in when I left a week ago and the MBR slide would not roll out. Local RV people were in the park, not skilled RV electricians, and cut the coroplast and made me a trap door ans showed me how to "start" it manually if it ever happens again.
The mechanic was on dry concrete and getting a mild shock as he put a wrench on the bolt to be turned. (slide now operating ok). I hate to think of the consequences if we had not caught this by devine intervention...best $80 I ever spent in my life.
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Old 07-04-2012, 08:11 AM   #2
hankpage
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With the shore power removed there is no way to get that kind of power to ground ..... what you are reading is milli volts DC. and the maintenance man should have known that. If the battery was not disconnected while manually cranking the slide the slide motor acted as a generator and could have been the source of the "Tingle". None of this means that there is no problem with your trailer but I don't think it is as bad as you think. Get someone qualified to check it out.
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Old 07-04-2012, 09:24 AM   #3
Outbackmel
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Sounds logical

Thanks...I will have it checked and get an education in the process.
Makes sense except for one thing, yes, the battery WAS connected and then after the tingling, the battery was disconnected and he was still feeling the tingle, no hook up, no battery, therefore raising my curosity to inquire as to what, if anything could store electrical energy and still read it on the meter when the metal side panel is clipped as the ground and the meter reads 7 volts in the ground?

Just trying to get a better feel so I make sure I do not go to the RV center and they pat me on the back as an unknowledable electrical data receiver and send me on my merry way....still in the dark...without a clue. Then 500 miles away at a resort, get shocked or my grandkids get shocked. That would not be good. Their mother would never allow them to travel with us again. Grammy and Grampy would be sad

What I know about electric is that if a plug has 3 prongs and one looks funny, you probably should use a 3 pronged funny looking cord..that's it!
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Old 07-04-2012, 09:34 AM   #4
Bruzer 71
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Put new battery's in the volt meter 131 volts can not happen


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Old 07-04-2012, 09:50 AM   #5
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You aren't by any chance in the vicinity of overhead high voltage power lines?
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Old 07-04-2012, 10:12 AM   #6
Outbackmel
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Thanks

That was someone else....I will be buying a volt meter and LEARNING HOW TO USE IT next week once I have an RV center check this thing out.

Appreciate all the info....maybe I will download "Electric For Dummies" from some source on the Internet and learn the basics as I unravel this challenge.

Or maybe I could trace it in the famous, Keystone RV diagram book which each of us received. oopppss, must be around someplace. ?

These things always happen via Murphy's Law. No one around, 1oo degrees outside, 115 inside, just arrived at the RV, no clues. If it were not for the roving RV repair wagon, I would have been on the forum trying to find the way to manually open the slide. Not a lot of hints on the enclosed underbelly I DID NOT DO THIS but, even after 6-8 hours of back breaking labor under the RV, dropping the coroplast, locating the motor, no way to know you have to turn the nut on the end of the motor and how many times up and down would I have gone before it actually engaged (which it did)?

We would gladly have paid extra for coroplast trap doors and knowledge "in the unlikely event of".

Enjoying the fireworks tonight closer to home. I am thankful the RV is on a site 1hour away versus in another state.
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Old 07-04-2012, 11:45 AM   #7
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"In the unlikely event of..."

Outbackmel -
This time you spent several hours in 100 deg temps working up a sweat. Next time (in the unlikely event of) it happens, you will be spending several hours in wet mud cranking away. Murphy's Law.
I hope you disconnected the wires coming from the battery to the slide motor before you started cranking. If you didn't, you may cause damage to the motor.
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Old 07-04-2012, 01:39 PM   #8
Outbackmel
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We are ok with the slide

The RV repair service did it, not me. They only had to turn it one twist and the motor worked and did all the work. These people used to sell Keystone RV's and now service any type of rv in our n GA mountain resort area for mostly mechanical issues. They closed their dealership 3 years ago when the recession hit and have a mobile service. Good guys with a good reputation. They had to let their service staff go so electrical is not their thing.

That's why I am taking it to a full service rv center tomorrow and have it checked electrically top to bottom.

At my age, doubt I have that many twists left in me.
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