Forum Discussion

Happycamper30's avatar
Apr 26, 2020

Electrical issues

I have 2008 Cruiser 5th wheel when I turn on the electric after 10 minutes the left side of the camper which has the tv,refrigerator,microwave power goes out, minutes later it comes back on replaced gfi no blown fuses in the camper or by the pole and then right side power goes out then comes back on then overnight then stays on and it’s like we are not overloading anything reset gfi same thing in bathroom,sometimes the gfi won’t reset. Any suggestions? Thank you.
.

18 Replies

  • enblethen wrote:
    120 volt breakers, if working properly, will not reset by themselves.


    True, but Happycamper30's posts seem to conflict with each other. The original post seemed to indicate that everything magically starts working again, but his second post says
    Happycamper30 wrote:
    When I went to outside box it did trip the breaker so I reset it then everything came on electrical will stay on for hours then trip again,then stay on for 24 hrs


    Could be describing two different issues or a combination of issues or some other confusion...
  • 120 volt breakers, if working properly, will not reset by themselves.
  • Please give us a few more details.
    • Is this RV new to you? Has it worked as expected since you bought it?
    • Where is it hooked up? (campground, your house, storage yard, etc...)
    • What type of electrical service does the coach have (50A or 30A)?
    • How is it hooked up? (For instance if 50A is it connected to a 50A to 30A adapter, then connected to a 30A to 15A adapter, then plugged into a 15A outlet or is it plugged into a dedicated RV outlet, etc...)
    • Have you tried it in more than one location/outlet?
    • If its plugged into anything other than a dedicated RV outlet, is the outlet its plugged into a GFCI protected outlet?


    Answers to these questions will help to provide troubleshooting tips.
    There are multiple possibilities here.

    Another question that might seem oddball, what type of refrigerator do you have? For a 2008, unless it's been retrofitted, I would expect it to be an RV gas/electric but if you have a residential refrigerator (compressor, doesn't operate on propane) there will be an inverter that can provide electricity from battery power for the refrigerator and possibly a few other outlets when the main power is removed.

    As enblethen indicated, the GFCI in the bathroom won't reset if it doesn't have power. So, that's a symptom rather than a cause.

    I would start by isolating the problem to the coach or the power source. If you have 50A service in the coach, the problems you described in your original post could caused by the power source or problems in the coach. If you have 30A service, the problems you describe would almost have to be in the coach. Either way, I would still verify the source is stable and correctly configured.

    There are a couple of ways to do that, but if you don't have much experience, the easiest is to get a surge suppressor with indicators. Surge protectors are always a good idea anyway. You can get one with just indicator lights or one that actually measures the voltage. The indicator lights will show you it's correctly connected and it has voltage, but not necessarily the correct voltage. In this case, just verifying if there is voltage on each leg and the source is correctly wired while you are experiencing the issues inside the coach would be very helpful in troubleshooting.
  • When I went to outside box it did trip the breaker so I reset it then everything came on electrical will stay on for hours then trip again,then stay on for 24 hrs, l will check gfi outlet to see if the wires are loose,
    Thanks for your response and time hope all are being safe.
    Thank you again,
    Ron.
  • GFI not resetting indicates no 120 volts to it.
    Is your rig equipped with an inverter? If so, does it feed items that are effected?
    Previous post about checking connections. I would disconnect shore power cord and check connections in the 120 volt power distribution center.
    Pick up one of the small plug in electrical testers. It will or can help to determine an open circuit, not the location but which wire and determine what is effected.
  • Open every duplex outlet and inspect how the wire is connected to the the actual outlet. "Back stabs" (where the wire is pushed into a hold in the back) are notorious for poor/intermittent connection.

    There is a slot where you place a small screw driver that will release the spring holing the wire. Trim, bend the wire into a proper hook and attach it to the screw terminal on the side.
  • Suggest you make sure the connections in the breaker box have the screws tight to the ground and the breakers themselves.