Overnight in Eastport, Maine. Full hookups (50 amp). About 11:00 PM last night, startled out of bed by LOUD crackling noise and 1 LOUD pop. Sounded like it came from the middle of the coach. This morning, heard the same thing without the pop. Sounded like it came from the rear of the coach. Sounded like electrical arcing.
Inspection found no obvious signs of electrical problems. No tripped breakers, all circuits functional (inverter, furnace, refrigerator, microwave, lighting, electrical outlets, et al). Inspected wiring around batteries, in utility compartment, behind 11v electrical panel and no loose connections or any evidence of arcing and no electrical smell.
Disconnected from 110v to make sure all systems still functional.
Any ideas?
Two most likely places for 120 VAC "arcing" are ATS and main 120 VAC breaker box. So, start there.
With shore power disconnected, generator and inverter OFF, check all connections in both.
Brett,
Thanks for the prompt reply.
Inspected the ATS and found no obvious signs of arcing (I did not pull the cover off). No electrical smell and no burnt wiring visible. Inspected the main 120 VAC breaker box and found the same.
You really need to pull the covers off and check that all screws are tight and none of the wires show signs of overheating/burned insulation.
This is really an ANNUAL CHECK. Should not take an hour total and is good "piece of mind" insurance.
Again, absolutely could be something else, but this is where to start. Main reason-- arcing "downstream" of the breaker box should trip the breaker. So you would know instantly what circuit had a short.
Guess it could also be a 12 VDC issue, but only between batteries and inverter, as other 12 VDC circuits should be breaker/fuse protected.
All electricity goes through the inverter. I would start there. Mine smoked.
Very helpful.
I will perform the inspection before I leave today and report my findings.
Removed panel from ATS and inspected all connections. Could not tighten any connections. Removed cover from Outback inverter. I was able to tighten a few connections by 1/4 turn but saw no evidence of arcing. Removed main 120 VAC cover and could tighten a few connections by no more than 1/4 turn. No evidence of arcing. Removed 120 VAC sub panel. Again found a few connections that I could tighten by no more than 1/4 turn. No evidence of arcing.
At this point, I think that I will travel for a few hours with the inverter off as an extra precaution. Any other ideas?
I am going out on a limb in another direction. Maybe the coach was settling. I have heard plenty of weird noises while parked. Just a guess.
Air bags and mounts can be cranky
Chris
Yes, lots of noise as the coach settles, moves in the wind, flexes. Especially true if you have a slide. They may sound quite different and be mistaken for other sources.
Pierce
Here is another speculation, could this have been your built in surge protector tripping out due to incoming voltage problem and the transfer switch swapping your system over to the inverter? This sound could come from the center of the coach but wouldn't explain what you seemed to hear at the rear.
Mike
Thanks for the speculation. Definitely not the coach settling. Doesn't seem like the surge protector tripping but admit that I don't know what it would sound like. I will update if changes are noticed.
Thanks to all for your help!
Could this have been a " critter" chewing on an exposed electrical line in a basement or otherwise and the earlier noise and the pop was related to the critter being electrocuted... ? Just thinking outside the box...