Missing 120 volts

[Bob_Vaughn]

We came home from our 2 week vacation and plugged our rv into the rv plug in our rv port. A few days later my wife told me that we did not have 120 volts. So I unplugged the cord and got my volt meter out and sure enough no volts.....so I went to where it is connected to the master switch and 120 volts there so some where under the concrete the power disappears. Something is amuck.....

[Dave_H_M]

:S I think that i understand that OP now has power at the pedistal but plugged the RV in and it did not have power inside.

OR when he plugged the RV in did it break the continuity and kill the power at the receptacle?

If the power holds at the pedistal (that is good) then should we not charge on and look for the problem from the pedistal to inside the RV?

[CavemanCharlie]

Bob Vaughn wrote:
We came home from our 2 week vacation and plugged our rv into the rv plug in our rv port. A few days later my wife told me that we did not have 120 volts. So I unplugged the cord and got my volt meter out and sure enough no volts.....so I went to where it is connected to the master switch and 120 volts there so some where under the concrete the power disappears. Something is amuck.....

Where is this "Master Switch"? , what does it look like, and did you check for voltage on both sides of the switch? Maybe the switch is bad. And if the switch is also a circuit breaker I've seen times when even if there turned on and not showing red in the window they can still be bad and not letting power through.

[westend]

A plug is a male connector on the end of a cord. A receptacle is what the male plug is inserted into to connect for power.

You seem to have a connectivity problem and, as others have said, all of the wire connections need to be verified tight and usable. That means the load center cover in the house needs to be removed and the wires inspected for good connection.

If you have 120v power at the pedestal and have no power in your RV when the shore power cable is connected, the problem is probably in the cord, the connections of the cord in the RV, or your main breaker in the RV's load center.

[Bob_Vaughn]

I checked all the connections and tightened all them. I went back to the plug end wires and I had 120 volts so I installed a new rv plug and nothing......it is strange that one minute I have voltage and the next minute I do not. It is driving me up the wall. I have had this electric pedestal for about 25 years and there has never been a problem. We do not have gophers here so I doubt if one of them chewed thru the wire. All though we do have mice and I wonder if one could have chewed thru the wire where it comes out of my work shop and before it goes underground. I hope not because it only sits a couple of inches above ground.....

[enblethen]

Wishbone:
Sounds like it could be an aluminum wires splice problem or those darn jab in wire connections on the back of cheap receptacles.

[Wishbone51]

I have the issue where random outlets stop working, and randomly come back on months later. Circuit breakers and GFCIs are OK.

[Peg_Leg]

Mice, Moles, Gophers, Oh my.

Get a long piece of wire and do the continuity check. Verify the problem first. Hurry up and get it done before I come dragging a cold front down with me at the end of the month.

Hopefully the conduit is large enough that pulling new wires won't be to much of a problem.

Give up on trying to find the lost 120 volts. Their gone, once they escape the confines of the copper prisons we put them in they go berserk. You've got a better chance of catching a fly with chop stick while wearing a blindfold.

[Handbasket]

I strongly suspect that you've thought of this, but just in case: Is there maybe a GFI in the circuit somewhere? That's what occasionally gets my outdoor outlet that I plug the RV in to.

Jim, "Never trust an atom. They make up everything."

[Bobbo]

enblethen wrote:
Locate the wires in your electrical panel. Disconnect them, connected them all to gether. Go to receptacle location and do continuity check.
Is there any junction boxes or splices in the run?
Is there a change in style of wiring? Romex to individual conductors?

+1
I was about to suggest this one.

[enblethen]

Locate the wires in your electrical panel. Disconnect them, connected them all to gether. Go to receptacle location and do continuity check.
Is there any junction boxes or splices in the run?
Is there a change in style of wiring? Romex to individual conductors?

[Water-Bug]

There are devices that can measure the length of a wire from one end and also check for shorts and opens. The phone company uses them all the time to locate line problems. A good licensed electrician should have access to one. Call several and tell them your problem and ask

[Old-Biscuit]

Buzzzzzzzzzzz----burrrrrrrrrrrr

That's the sound of a concrete saw......Yikes!

Unless you can pull old out and new in thru the conduit.

[Bob_Vaughn]

enblethen wrote:
As stated previously, remove the receptacle and check for power on wires.

There is no power at the bare wires I removed the receptacle and checked the wire ends...I was dreading trying to do a continuity check because the power box is so far from the receptical....

[Artum_Snowbird]

Get yourself a proper receptacle checker to determine the problem before you take it apart. You may have full power, but no return, so it just sits there, waiting for you to connect and WHAM! you get zapped.

[enblethen]

As stated previously, remove the receptacle and check for power on wires.