HELP AC Outlets blowing devices!

[SDrummer]

Hello all,

I am currently living in a River Canyon 34RLQS0 5th Wheel that is hooked up to electrical power. I am having a odd issue with the electrical in the trailer. Some of the GFI outlets are blowing electrical devices when they are plugged in. Yesterday we plugged a toaster into the kitchen and it started smoking without even turning the device on. I also plugged my laptop AC adapter into the GFI outlet in the bedroom and it worked for about 2 minutes before blowing. The AC adapter does not give out any voltage and I verified this at my work.

The trailer has has issues in the past as it has blown the bedroom TV and kitchen Microwave as well.

I have measured the voltage on the plugs and they range from 110v-117v.

Today I tested all of the outlets with a GFI tester and they all read good indicating there are no line, neutral, or ground wires crossed.

The bizzare thing is that the plugs seem like they decide which devices they want to fry. I am currently running my heater and charging my phone on the same plug that blew my laptop AC adapter yesterday.

Any help is appreciated as I worried about plugging anything into the walls fearing it will blow the device.

Thanks

[SDrummer]

I just tried plugging my microwave into the kitchen GFI outlet, and now the GFI outlet is tripping as soon as its plugged in.

[SDrummer]

Hey guys,

Sorry it to so long to get back to you guys, I appreciate all the replies.

So the trailer IS connected with a 4 lug plug like you guys suggested.

If there was an open neutral wouldn't that show up on the GFI tester?

A few of you recommended a few tests to do to see if it is actually an open neutral. Now that you guys know this is a 4 prong connection, what is the best test to do to test for an open neutral?

Thanks guys appreciate all the help

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Troubleshoot. Don't guess.

Buy a 50-amp to 30-amp ADAPTER. Plug the ADAPTED shore power cord into the service.

OK?

Now go inside and load the hell out of the 30-amp 120 volt service.

If there is a flaky neutral involved this LOAD TEST will force it to show up RIGHT NOW. The other 120vac leg will not be connected so there cannot be any danger of a bad neutral causing anything more severe than the power shutting down. I assume of course that the OP's 120vac testing really revealed 120 volts and not an error within the metering device.

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT

Have someone STAND BY the outside electrical service as you are inside the rig loading down the adapted circuit. A bad neutral can easily flame, and must be opened immediately to prevent a fire.

If this test fails to reveal a bad neutral, please PM me and we'll both go to the U.S. Patent Office.

[enblethen]

Items that were effected had to have some type of load to be an open or poor neutral. If items were completely off then there would be no damage to them. As soon as something gets turned on or automatically starts then the problem would occur.

[wa8yxm]

Sounds to me more like an open neutral than a dryer/Air Compressor/Welder outlet, The reason it it only blows some stuff some times.. If it blew more stuff more often.. Then I'd go with the wrong outlet option.

See my true story above.. I should know it was true, I'm the principle detective in the story.

[mena661]

enblethen wrote:
Sounds like an open neutral or rig is connected to a 240 volt receptacle.

X2

[wa8yxm]

ScottG wrote:

SDrummer wrote:


Yeah the outlets read good at 110-117 Volts

Everyone seems to have ignored this post.
The OP's voltages are OK so no open neutral or anything else.
I suspect the rig was hit by a surge of some sort which damaged those items.
What ever the case it looks to be OK now.

Wrong.. That post makes no difference,, When I had an open neutral in the house NORMALLY the voltages were near normal... Thankfully I had two outlets one on each leg, that were more or less side by side and being a certified electronics technician and though I do not work in that field an electronics hobbiest I had multiple voltmeters.

SO i plugged one meter into each line.

And observed as a "Big ticket" item (Specifically a window air conditioner in this case) kicked in.

The safety ground (one of 'em) was taking the load under NORMAL conditions but when the A/C compressor kicked.. Voltages went wild and I mean WILD with one meter shooting way up (like 140 volts) and the other down (80). But soon as the compressor was up to speed... Voltages returned to near normal. Both legs.

And soon as the Power company technician tightened up the clamps on safety ground #2 they behaved much better, And once the power company team replaced the drop to the house with nice brand new Tri-Flex, (Thus fixing the bad neutral) they remained solid.

But normal voltages on a spot test were present throught. (Save when they cut the old drop that is)

[KD4UPL]

ScottG wrote:

SDrummer wrote:

ScottG wrote:
Is this a 50 amp rig?
Do yo have a volt meter to check the outlets with? That would be the first place to start because the only way they can damage something is to apply excessive voltage to it.

Yeah the outlets read good at 110-117 Volts

Everyone seems to have ignored this post.
The OP's voltages are OK so no open neutral or anything else.
I suspect the rig was hit by a surge of some sort which damaged those items.
What ever the case it looks to be OK now.

That doesn't mean there isn't an open or high resistance connection in the neutral. You could remove the neutral from the service and if the loads were balanced on each leg you would read the proper voltage at the outlets. If his reading of 110-117 were taken with loads fairly balanced or even no loads then the neutral problem wouldn't be apparent.
A high resistance in the neutral connection wouldn't show up when using a volt meter if there was no load.

[SCVJeff]

He also mentioned this has happened in the past..
Time for an electricitian before someone gets killed between ground and chassis contact.

[MrWizard]

How long have you been parked at home and plugged in?
If this is a new situation, . If so my guess with the info available is you plugged into a 240v DRYER OUTLET
These are three wire , two hots and a ground , No Neutral and will burn out all the electrical items in your RV

Voltage has to be measured at the OUTLET you are plugged into

[ScottG]

SDrummer wrote:

ScottG wrote:
Is this a 50 amp rig?
Do yo have a volt meter to check the outlets with? That would be the first place to start because the only way they can damage something is to apply excessive voltage to it.

Yeah the outlets read good at 110-117 Volts

Everyone seems to have ignored this post.
The OP's voltages are OK so no open neutral or anything else.
I suspect the rig was hit by a surge of some sort which damaged those items.
What ever the case it looks to be OK now.

[Bob_Landry]

We do not know if he trailer is on 30 or 50A service. Since it's a 5th wheel, I think we can assume it's on 50A, and that's only if assuming it's a newer trailer, and we don't even know that. Where is it plugged in? Is he using a surge guard of sometimes?
Given the ease with which an electrical fire can be started, I would have had it checked by a competent electrician when it happened the first time. Electrical outlets do not just "decide" to blow an appliance then mysteriously start working again. Something about the original post just doesn't sound right, and I'm sensing a troll.

[Bobbo]

Another vote for open neutral/loose neutral connection on 50 amp system.

[wa8yxm]

I too agree it sounds like an open neutral.. As for the single 50 amp breaker...

They make a breaker that has a single lever, but is in fact a double breaker,, I know I had the 150 amp version of it in my house. Like all breakers it comes in assorted sizes (Ever see an 800 amp breaker,,, I have.. It too was a single lever 240 volt dual breaker).

To diagnose .. One assumes you have two AC/s.. TURN OFF everythign, in fact turn off the circuit breakers that feed televisions and other electronic devices including your converter.

Leave on only the following

General outlets with nothing plugged into them (NOTE there is another way to do this) you need two such circuits, one on each side of the neutral. and at least ONE of the two air conditioners.

now plug volt meters into both outlets, ANALOG meters work best for this.

Turn on the AC and watch the meters

One drops a volt or 3, other either goes with it or stays static, GOOD

One goes down other goes UP seriously (like more than 10 volts) open neutral.

How do I know this: Happened on the sticks and bricks and that is EXACTLY how I diagnosed it.

[enblethen]

Sounds like an open neutral or rig is connected to a 240 volt receptacle.