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miwei's avatar
miwei
Explorer
Jan 03, 2017

no power inside 94 mallard

(my apologies in advance I simply can't just 'cut to the chase' it doesn't make sense to me lol so I'll channel my hubs then ask the way I feel comfortable)
Having recently purchased our first travel trailer a 1994 fleetwood mallard 29' it's on a permanent campsite under a 40' shed.
Hub's version: I left two lights, and shutdown power supply. today I plugged in the power and flipped the breakers one for the shed & patio, the other for the TT. lights outside work inside nothing. no idea where the fuse box power converter is located.

My meandering version:
the issue is this: I've tried to gather schematics to better help hubs but I can't find any. it seems he decided to leave the two lights above the sofa on, so that when he came back he would have two lights on when he turned the power on (i think he blew a fuse or tripped a breaker).
I'm thinking he's either blown a fuse or tripped the gfic-he finally located in the bathroom-he said it wasn't pushed out. he's not the most patient man when it comes to things like making certain to keep shoreline circuit breakers off before plugging in the power cord and flipping said circuit breakers several times, hoping against hope that it actually works to turn inside lights on.

if it's not a blown fuse or circuit breaker what might be the cause?

I'm learning that he didn't put a pressure regulator on the outside faucet either last week before hooking up the white hose to the TT water intake (he bought one today and has it attached to the intake piece on the TT, shouldn't it be at the faucet end?), causing the cap to blow off the kitchen faucet, and a leak at the toilet.
if anyone has advice or a website where I might find a manual for the mallard i'd greatly appreciate it. thanks Mi

18 Replies

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  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Jan 03, 2017
    The converter can be located in different places. It is commonly mounted in the hall way down close to the floor.
    Another common place is along the side of the bed.
    It should have 120 circuit breakers on one side. They should be all turned off applying light pressure toward off. Then turn main breaker on if equipped, then branch breakers one at a time.
    Next to the 120 volt circuit breakers there maybe a small plate that covers 12 volt power distribution center. The converter in your age of rig is behind the circuit breakers.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    You more than likely have a disconnect or load center near the powerpole that provides 120V electricity for an RV,i.e. something of a steel box where you plug your shore power cord into. Test the outlets on that to see if you have power there. If so, plug in the RV cord and you should have both 120V inside and 12v to charge a battery or the lights. If not, you may have a hidden GFCI receptacle that has tripped. IT can be close to a sink in bathroom or kitchen or even outside on the RV's exterior. Most of the time, a travel trailer has one or maybe two 120V circuits that provide all the power to the outlets. If a GFCI is tripped, you won't have any power at the receptacles. If the GFCI is not able to be reset or tested, there is no power to it. Go back a step and check for power upstream of the GFCI, at the breaker in the trailer or at the place where you connect the shore cord.
    Your issue is probably something easy, look for the most common place first.
  • miwei's avatar
    miwei
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    rekoj71 wrote:
    As for the regulator, if it's at the faucet end it helps protect the hose from bursting too, and not just the trailer.

    thanks, I'll pass this along to him.
  • miwei's avatar
    miwei
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    krobbe wrote:
    The lights are most likely 12Volt DC. (The GFCI outlets are 120VAC) If shore power is good, Check bulbs, battery and fuse for that DC circuit. Also, make sure the 120v to 12V converter/charger is working. There is a breaker for that.
    You won't find any manuals/schematics for the trailer. The only manuals provided with a new trailer is for the appliances.

    thank you I'll pass this on to him.
  • miwei's avatar
    miwei
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    handye9 wrote:
    Does the trailer have a battery on board?

    If it does, that would be the most likely suspect.
    Assuming there is a battery involved: Then have the battery load tested. (If you're new at this, label the battery cables to be sure they go back in the right place, and note the + positive / - negative positions on the battery)
    While the battery is out, turn on shore power and check lighting.
    Note: There are a few older converters that require a battery being installed, in order to power the lights. If your's is one of them, you'll need to wait until you have a known good battery.

    thank you for your reply.

    no battery, someone stole the one the previous owner had installed.

    what size battery would he need to buy?

    now he's saying it may be the power supply that connects the Trailer to the pwerpole is this something that he could swap out himself? or does a professional need to do it?
  • rekoj71's avatar
    rekoj71
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    As for the regulator, if it's at the faucet end it helps protect the hose from bursting too, and not just the trailer.
  • handye9's avatar
    handye9
    Explorer II
    Jan 03, 2017
    Does the trailer have a battery on board?

    If it does, that would be the most likely suspect.

    Assuming there is a battery involved:

    When hub turned off shore power and left some interior lights on, those lights drained (possibly shorted) the battery.

    A dead or shorted battery will draw more power than your converter is capable of supplying. There's nothing left to power any lights. All breakers and fuses could be good, with lights not working. If battery is still good, the converter will take a very long time to recharge it.

    Steps I would take:

    Turn off shore power, remove the battery, and put it on a charger for 24 - 48 hours. Then have the battery load tested. (If you're new at this, label the battery cables to be sure they go back in the right place, and note the + positive / - negative positions on the battery)

    While the battery is out, turn on shore power and check lighting.

    Note: There are a few older converters that require a battery being installed, in order to power the lights. If your's is one of them, you'll need to wait until you have a known good battery.


    Your converter will look something like this.
  • krobbe's avatar
    krobbe
    Explorer
    Jan 03, 2017
    The lights are most likely 12Volt DC. (The GFCI outlets are 120VAC) If shore power is good, Check bulbs, battery and fuse for that DC circuit. Also, make sure the 120v to 12V converter/charger is working. There is a breaker for that.
    You won't find any manuals/schematics for the trailer. The only manuals provided with a new trailer is for the appliances.

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