Hooked up to 220v on accident

Hurricaner wrote:
There is no need to replace breakers, they could care less if they see 240 or 120. You say you replaced the power distribution panel which again there was no need to do. Some power distribution panels contain the converter but many do not. Did you actually replace the converter or just the distribution center?

Sam

Yes sam I started there... I am not extremely familiar with RV wiring, this was a huge lesson all in all- Afterwards we tested and one of the breakers was definitely fried... but 2 of the Originals were in working condition, by the end of it I was wondering if the panel itself ever needed replacement; I am assuming you are right and it did not.

So in that statement I also spent a lot more money than I should have had to spend to fix this problem... If i was more knowledgable in the first place on how RV's wiring worked and just replaced the converter, then diagnosed- I could have likely saved $300+

I wish you chimed in earlier! haha,

Ohwell- All is well that ends well, right?

... except in my wallet

Wayne Ballou wrote:
Alright guys! Thanks for the help! I know a lot of you have been RV'ing for years and never had this happen, but it is a fairly common thing from all the RV shops I spoke to, so don't hate too hard on those who have this issue... Life happens, we learn from mistakes.

I got it all sorted out and luckily not very much was blown down the line, in the last steps of diagnostics are going now.

I replaced the electrical panel, the breakers and the converter (it was a stand alone converter box)

All my AC & DC is working now
-Radio works
-Air Conditioner works
-Water pump works
-Water Heater works
-Outlets work

still waiting to see if the fridge will get cold over the coming hours.

All in all i spent around $650 for parts from our local RV shop, I could have probably found them cheaper, but we have a friend waiting to move into this thing so I just paid for what they had.

It was a very expensive mistake and a good lesson learned.

Moral of the story for the others that run into this problem:

-Like mentioned above, get a volt meter and always double check your receptacle before plugging in, this was my personal fault but I could see how this could happen on accident

-If you connect to 220 on accident it's not the end of the world, it wasn't even hard to fix, but it took some patience to go through and follow where the leads went, what was fried and what wasn't

-If your converter is blown, your DC side won't work (obviously), Almost all appliances use both 110v and 12v DC to run, so get the converter fixed first so that you can tell what really isn't working. Don't go buying parts for the fridge, microwave, etc etc until you have your AC/DC panel working properly, there is a chance your appliances aren't working because they use both systems for power.

-In certain models, the converter box is located away from the breaker the panel /DC fuse hub. I found my converter under the kitchen sink.

-Everyone you ask for help from is gonna spend at least 30 minutes explaining to you why the plugs are different and that is where most peoples knowledge on the issue ends. As well as giving you 'your an idiot' attitude. hahaha shake it off, because it's all good and if you understand electrical flow, it isn't too hard to fix.

-After connecting your new panel / converter / breakers, check them with the volt meter to ensure proper voltage is there.

I will give one more update when I confirm that everything is working properly again.

Thank you soooo kindly for the extra knowledge everyone! I really appreciate it.

Good for you!

Alright guys! Thanks for the help! I know a lot of you have been RV'ing for years and never had this happen, but it is a fairly common thing from all the RV shops I spoke to, so don't hate too hard on those who have this issue... Life happens, we learn from mistakes.

I got it all sorted out and luckily not very much was blown down the line, in the last steps of diagnostics are going now.

I replaced the electrical panel, the breakers and the converter (it was a stand alone converter box)

All my AC & DC is working now
-Radio works
-Air Conditioner works
-Water pump works
-Water Heater works
-Outlets work

still waiting to see if the fridge will get cold over the coming hours.

All in all i spent around $650 for parts from our local RV shop, I could have probably found them cheaper, but we have a friend waiting to move into this thing so I just paid for what they had.

It was a very expensive mistake and a good lesson learned.

Moral of the story for the others that run into this problem:

-Like mentioned above, get a volt meter and always double check your receptacle before plugging in, this was my personal fault but I could see how this could happen on accident

-If you connect to 220 on accident it's not the end of the world, it wasn't even hard to fix, but it took some patience to go through and follow where the leads went, what was fried and what wasn't

-If your converter is blown, your DC side won't work (obviously), Almost all appliances use both 110v and 12v DC to run, so get the converter fixed first so that you can tell what really isn't working. Don't go buying parts for the fridge, microwave, etc etc until you have your AC/DC panel working properly, there is a chance your appliances aren't working because they use both systems for power.

-In certain models, the converter box is located away from the breaker the panel /DC fuse hub. I found my converter under the kitchen sink.

-Everyone you ask for help from is gonna spend at least 30 minutes explaining to you why the plugs are different and that is where most peoples knowledge on the issue ends. As well as giving you 'your an idiot' attitude. hahaha shake it off, because it's all good and if you understand electrical flow, it isn't too hard to fix.

-After connecting your new panel / converter / breakers, check them with the volt meter to ensure proper voltage is there.

I will give one more update when I confirm that everything is working properly again.

Thank you soooo kindly for the extra knowledge everyone! I really appreciate it.

My buddy did the same thing. We opened up the converter and there was a ceramic fuse inside that was blown. We replaced that and the convertor started working again.

Maybe you could get that lucky also!

Craig

There is no need to replace breakers, they could care less if they see 240 or 120. You say you replaced the power distribution panel which again there was no need to do. Some power distribution panels contain the converter but many do not. Did you actually replace the converter or just the distribution center?

Sam

aruba5er wrote:
I always say " put a piece of wire in a guys hands and right away they think they are electricians" Your ac may not work because the transformer 120/12 volts in the AC my be shot. The AC runs on 120 volts but the thermostat is 12 volt DC so there is a relay in there somewhere. I can hear mine clicking the the AC. Or there may not be a transformer but just a relay. I don't know but the thermo controls it so it just might be a relay only I doubt if the ac is shot. Too d**m bad people can't read. It says right on the outlet the voltage and amperage

Normally the house 12 volt system provides the DC for the thermostat control.

I always say " put a piece of wire in a guys hands and right away they think they are electricians" Your ac may not work because the transformer 120/12 volts in the AC my be shot. The AC runs on 120 volts but the thermostat is 12 volt DC so there is a relay in there somewhere. I can hear mine clicking the the AC. Or there may not be a transformer but just a relay. I don't know but the thermo controls it so it just might be a relay only I doubt if the ac is shot. Too d**m bad people can't read. It says right on the outlet the voltage and amperage

Wayne Ballou wrote:
this may be another amateur question, but will the DC side work if the battery is dead or disconnected?
Does it have to have a complete circuit or can it function off of power from the AC side alone?

Dead but good battery is fine. RV will run fine and charge the battery in due time.

RV will run fine with no battery when all systems are good. The converter will supply a steady ~13.6 volts DC to run all the DC components.

Twomed wrote:
Who needs one of those darn surge guard thingys anyway??? :( :(

YEP, I've RVed for 80 years without one and never had a problem.
bumpy

Who needs one of those darn surge guard thingys anyway??? :( :(