Foretravel Owners' Forum

So my plugs don't work.
I know very little about electrical.
So, can someone give me a step by step from quickest most likely to be wrong to more difficult
Giving us a simplified version of the electrical system.
They work on rv's but of coarse each one is different so it would be helpful if I can go in and give them the basics not our system pointing out where each component is.
It would sure help out in the final bill as it will be $135 per hr.
I will let the use the owners manual. I wonder if there is anything in there about trouble shooting.
You views would really be appreciated.
Thanks.

Assuming you mean the 120 VAC outlets.

If so, find and reset the GFI'S.

Rick,

The outlet beside your bathroom sink is the GFCI outlet.  It has two buttons in the center of it.  One says "test" the other says "reset".  Press the reset button and all should be well. 

Richard

When my GFI in the bathroom pops, I loose the power to the main cabin plug in's. Drove me crazy till I figured out the DW's blow dryer was the culprit.

Larry

No offense intended - you asked for my view...here it is:

If you would try actually reading your Owners Manual, you wouldn't need to "wonder" about what is in there.

You may have even discovered one possible answer to your question: "Try resetting the GFI".

Paying somebody else $135/hr to do the reading for you is not, IMO, the best use of your money.

Is there  more than one gfi switch. The one in the bathroom is fine.
It was recommended that if you don't know about electrical ...stop.
I'm taking that advise.
I value my life.

Rick,

You should have two 110V breaker boxes at the foot of your bed.  Will look similar to the one in your house, with resettable breakers.  Try checking there to see if any of the breakers are tripped.  If one is tripped, reset and see what happens.

18360 wrote:
"It would sure help out in the final bill as it will be $135 per hr.
I will let the use the owners manual. I wonder if there is anything in there about trouble shooting.
You views would really be appreciated. "

And I take you at your word.

If you stop thinking about your motorhome as an extension of your house, and think of it more as a machine for living, maybe you'll have more of an appreciation for the owner's manual.

There is a certain minimum knowledge base for the successful operation of a motorhome.

    A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
    — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

Thanks I will ponder that.
Anyway.
All of my plugs don't work.
I mentioned on a previous post that when I push the inverter button on my link 2000 the ats doesn't thump.
So I will ask him to check that out first.
So other than the gfi and breakers and ats is there anything else.
I think we are making progress.
My fault for not explaining myself.

Is your salesman switch on at the front door?

You say the gfi is ok in the bathroom, so does that mean when you push test button it pops?

1st I would have to ask, Are you on shore power or the inverter and batteries. If on shore are you getting 120 volts on the display?
Next are any breakers tripped? All are located at the foot of the bed. Next check the gfi in the bathroom.  Finally I would suspect the transfer switch. 

Your inverter only comes into play when there is no 110V power source available to the coach.

If you are plugged in to shore power (or generator is running), the inverter sub-panel is powered directly off the main AC panel.

In that case, the ATS (switching relay #2 on the diagram below) is not active - it simply passes power straight through to sub-panel.

Circuits 1 & 5 on the inverter sub-panel power the duplex outlets in the coach (see diagrams below).

Hi Rick,
I'd recommend buying a simple amp/voltmeter (I like digital vs analog) and learn how to read it. (google/youtube)
You probably already know more than you think.
Using the voltmeter along with your schematics will help you learn/understand your coach.

The readings from the voltmeter will also help focus questions to the forum, fault isolation being key.

The readings from the voltmeter can also save a ton of money.

The readings from the voltmeter can also be addictive.

I had a transfer switch go bad. Seems like it was about $60 for the part and about 20 minutes of my time. Not difficult to do, just have to be careful. Don't be plugged into shore power and seems like I disconnected the batteries to be sure.

As others have mentioned, are you plugged into shore power? 

If so, do you have a surge protector in the coach (like a Progressive EMS)?  If so, are there any errors on its readout?

If so, and you unplug from shore and start the generator (and give it a minute or so), do you then have power at the plugs?

What I know about electrical is almost nothing, but one thing I do know is that if there is no power (120V) at the pedestal, or you are NOT plugged into a 120V source then none of your 120V outlets in the coach will work...unless you have an automatic switch that converts battery power (12V) to 120V.
You need to start at the beginning where the power comes from--the place you plug your coach cable into. Does it have power? No? Then have it checked.
Then, is there power in to where the coach cable is connected to the coach? No? Something broke/corroded in your 50A cable? Easy to check. Just use your battery charger and try contacting a clamp on one end and then touching the opposite end with the other clamp. Keep testing until all your connections are sparking good.
Breakers under the foot of the bed tripped? No? Back to your power supply up to the breaker point. Breaker could be bad. It has happened although not a whole lot.

My salesman switch is on.
I was plugged into 120 v at my house
Thanks the info is really helpful.
I will let you know what happens

If you are plugged in and your outlets are dead, start the generator and see if they work. I f so, then you can do some real basic troubleshooting before you spend that $135 per hour.
jor

The shop had it plugged into 50 amp, turned the main breaker off then on and the plugs worked.
I did the same thing at home, but I was plugged into just a 120 outlet.
Does that make a difference?

Plugs should still work but it will be easy to cartloads  house breaker
Don't run AC and convection oven at same time
Chris

Turn every breaker off then on

In the kitchen are you getting a voltage reading for each leg on the digital display? Up in the cabinet?
If you have only one showing you might not be powering both legs of the 50 amp, none showing would be no power.
If you are stepping down wire sizes and just using a 20 amp receptacle on the side of your house with a converter for your 50amp cord it may be a defective adapter or you may have a tripped GFCI In your house.

Rick, electricity isn't all that complicated. Yes, it can be dangerous IF you touch things you shouldn't, but most testing can be easily and safely done.

The first step is to follow the electrical path. Do you have electricity at the plug, the point at which you are plugging your coach in? That might be an outlet on the side of your garage or a campground's electric pedestal. Your meter will tell you that. No power there means no power in the coach.

Assuming that you have power coming into your coach, your next step is to figure out where you do and don't have electricity. Again, a meter is helpful, but you can accomplish the same thing with any small item that can be plugged into a standard outlet and will work only when plugged in. Check every outlet and note which ones work and which ones don't. Don't forget to check the refrigerator. If you have a residential unit, it only works on 120 volts. Make sure that your inverter and generator are OFF, then open the door. If the light comes on you have power there. If it doesn't you don't. Look for 120 volt lights, too. You may have one in the dining area, and another one over the range. Do they work? Be sure to look in the basement, too. You may have a separate converter that turns the 120 volts into 12 volts. Don't confuse that with the inverter, which turns 12 volts into 120 volts. Check the air conditioners, too. Just turning on the fan is enough.

Once you know which things work and which don't you can focus on the non-working things. What do they have in common, besides not working? Are they all on the same circuit? If so, you may have a tripped circuit breaker. Reset the breaker for that circuit and check again. You may have more than one circuit that has tripped, so be sure to check for that. This is a good time to update your manual to list everything that is on each breaker.

You may have more than one GFI outlet, so just because the one in the bathroom is on doesn't mean that there isn't another one in the basement somewhere that has tripped. You can buy a small tester that will let you know exactly which outlets are protected by the GFI. This is the one I have:  Bastex Socket Tester with GFCI check. Receptacle Tester for Standard AC... (https://www.amazon.com/Bastex-Tester-Receptacle-Indications-Electric/dp/B071FVB35Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=HQVJGR6R8L48&keywords=gfi+tester+plug&qid=1582340455&sprefix=GFI%2Caps%2C263&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSTUYyTzAxUFJPTkUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MzI5NDMzS1g1UlBJNEdFMjI4JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzODcxNjIzVVM5QUJBUFVXWERTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==)

You can get them at Wal-mart, too, or even some grocery stores. Point is, they are cheap and readily available, so you should have one in your coach all the time and another one at home. To test the GFI you just plug the tester into an outlet and push the button on the top. If it trips the GFI you know that the outlet is protected by the GFI. If it doesn't, it means that either the outlet is wired into the circuit before the GFI or it is on another circuit. BTW, this is an ideal test device to carry around and plug into outlet to see if they have power or not, since the lights will light up if power is present.

Okay, now you know how to test, so let's move on to what to do about an outlet that doesn't work.

If resetting the breaker in the panel doesn't work, and the outlet isn't protected by a GFI, you may have a bad outlet or a broken/disconnected wire. Turn off the breaker for the outlet in question and verify with your meter or tester that the outlet is dead. Take off the cover plate and look inside the box. A flashlight may be a help here. Do you see a wire that looks like it isn't attached to anything? You may have found the problem. If not, remove the outlet from the box and check the connections. There should be enough wire to pull the outlet away from the box a few inches, but not more than that, so don't get carried away. Do all of the wires appear to be firmly attached? If so, put the outlet back the way it was and go on to another outlet. Remember that wire costs money, so the outlets will be wired one after another, starting at the breaker box and ending with the one farthest away from the breaker box.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to see much more of the wires than the little bit in the outlet box. For some reason, mice seem to like the taste of the sheathing on electrical wires, and dealing with their damage is beyond what I'm going to talk about tonight.


Back to your original question, how long have you had this coach? Have the outlets ever worked? If yes, when did they stop working? What happened then? Sometimes answering those questions will lead you to the problem faster than starting at the outside connection.

Oh yes. Do the outlets work when you are disconnected from shore power but running on the generator? If that is the case, your transfer switch may be the culprit.

There is a lot of useful information here. 
I have saved it all.
But all of my plugs are working now.
Like I said, I  tried turning the breakers off and on at home but the plugs still didn't work(120 volt).
But the mechanic at the shop while plugged into 50 amp service did the same thing (turned the main breaker off and on) and someone that brought power back to all of the plugs.

Ahah!! Another testimonial to the existence of electrical gremlins!! I knew it. They do exist! And they have plagued me for years.

Something to consider - breakers get weak with age and heat.

The breakers at the foot of the bed are subject to more heat than those in a house.  We had to replace several in our 2003 at roughly 10-12 years of age because they would trip while we were going down the road.  Now, they wouldn't exactly LOOK tripped, but there would be no power on the circuit, and flipping the breaker off then back on would solve the problem (until the next drive on a rough road).  If you looked closely, you would see the tripped one was ever so slightly not engaged, but it would take a full OFF then ON to re-engage it.

They aren't that difficult to change out (just be sure you're unplugged and that the generator and inverter are off) and the breakers FT used are readily available at places like Lowes (just change like for like, brand, width, and configuration).

The following is what I replaced a weak breaker with on mine. It is the same type, size, etc., just a different mfg. There were two, so I replaced both. I do not remember which circuit.

Siemens QA115AF 15-Amp, Single Pole, 120-volt, Plug On Type, Branch Feeder Style AFCI Breaker

Siemens QA115AF 15-Amp, Single Pole, 120-volt, Plug On Type, Branch Feeder... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MANV478/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.LuuEbJ99MXHX)

That's also an Arc Fault breaker.  Typically used in homes (used to be just bedrooms, now I believe it is code for all breakers in new construction as of 2020).  They can be considered "safer" in that they will trip if an arc is detected, but they are also much pricier (up to 10x the cost of a "regular" breaker)

You do need to make sure the breaker you get fits the breaker box used by FT.  Not all are interchangeable.

They may have been installed by FT at the time of an upgrade to a stacked washer and dryer in 2003, by the original owner. In 2017 I returned to a Splendide 2100XC as wife wanted storage we had in two previous Monaco Signatures above the combo units. I just replaced like for like breakers.