I have purchased a 2013 Raptor 27ft Toy Hauler. Have enjoyed it for a 6 months - no issues. I made a mistake - Not sure if I made the mistake but - the issue is that I went to a RV park - with electrical service - and I have been to one other park with electrical service and connected successfully - no problems. What occurred is this... the generator was running - providing power to the camper - I plugged in the 125v/30A power cord to the camper while the generator was running. Instantly - I heard a loud "pop" and I noticed the lights (thus the power to the camper) went off. The generator was still running - but no power. I discovered the power converter board (wfco wf-8955 rv power center converter) the bulk caps had been blown apart. the two 30 amp breakers on the panel were tripped. obviously at this point... shut everything down and go about replacing the power converter board. I have purchased a new same make/model power converter and plan to install it. However my question is ... A) what else could have been damaged? - anything? Blown fuses - I understand - but not being familiar with the electrical layout of the RV - I need to locate all other items that may have been damaged. and B) did I do wrong by hooking up with the generator running? Thanks.

No - you didn't do anything wrong. You should be able to start the generator while plugged in, and plug in while the generator is running. The transfer switch isolates the 2. Plugging in while the generator is running shouldn't do anything - it will continue to use the generator power until it's shut off and then switch to the shore power. Something didn't function properly. My rig is very old so I can't help you troubleshoot other than to say that should not have happened.EDIT: I'm assuming this was an on-board generator installed by the manufacturer and equipped with a transfer switch.

The transfer switch failed. Everything in the RV that runs on 120 volts may be suspect.The generator may be toast as well.Time to call the insurance company. This may NOT be cheap to fix.

You most certainly did do something wrong, as evidenced by the damage. (Which is not to say that there is any fault on your part.) There is supposed to be transfer switch that will not allow you to plug in while the generator is running, or rather to make sure both the generator and the shore power never meet one another. So I'm not sure what actually happened.If you plug in the generator to shore power while the former is running, you can destroy the generator. Since it appears that shore power and generator power met one another, you will need to check for damage of the generator, too. Hopefully all that damage occurred at the power converter. But then I'd also try to find out why the transfer switch did not isolate things properly.

Thanks... I will start troubleshooting and go from there. I was hoping that it would not be bad ...but ...

This is why I always unplug from shore power before I start the generator, just in case.Please, keep us updated on the progress of your repairs.

Possible electrical damage - new to RVing | Good Sam Community

AllegroD
Nomad
Feb 05, 2017
Be sure to get a PI to prevent future issues.
MrWizard
Moderator
Feb 05, 2017
Welcome news, you got lucky, or blessed,
And the park owner is a real stand up nice guy
Fredward
Explorer
Feb 05, 2017
Big Kat

I think the best way to possibly explain the reason it was wired incorrectly and not known.. or not marked correctly... is that the guy .. or whomever .. wired the pole ... did so without double checking his work or marking the proper voltage on the box ..as maybe he did want a 220v box but was not aware himself that the one he assigned to me was the 220 one and assumed it was just another 120v/30amp service. Yes.. it is/was dangerous also. No excuse for not checking and double checking. I think the owner saw the severity of the problem and I noticed he had an electrician (this afternoon) at the park checking ALL poles and connections.
Fredward
Explorer
Feb 05, 2017
The park owner is a retired fellow who turned his land into a RV park and storage area. While there is not exactly any amenities per se... it is off the beaten path and is very quiet. As to how I was unfortunate to get a electrical connection that was wired incorrectly ...well..just the way it was... but as he said .. he decided to look into the hook up and found that it was wired incorrectly - he took the best next step and called me to admit the problem. I was quite pleased he did that.. He could have just as easy corrected the wiring and never have said a word. But he took the right course and paid for the power converter and also my time. Aside from some initial concerns ... this turned out for the best - I am back in operation... and I learned some valuable lessons.. and now am armed with several ways to test future electrical connections and protection equipment.
Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Feb 05, 2017
I'm still puzzeled that they had a 220 volt recep that wasn't a standard 120/240 rv recep which would not cause a problem

Glad it worked out.
enblethen
Nomad
Feb 05, 2017
You are very lucky that the park has taken responsibility!
That is very good news!
turbojimmy
Explorer
Feb 04, 2017
That's great news! And the park owner seems like a stand-up guy. Hard to come by these days.
Fredward
Explorer
Feb 04, 2017
I have wonderful news to report.... I installed a new power converter - same model...same brand - and checking the generator - disconnected from the rest of the power grid of the camper... the generator checked out good ..! and after installing a new transfer switch assembly ..which the old one was toast... lots of arcing damage - I fired the generator up - and after the wait period of approximately 2 minutes .. the power came on...and everything was ok. The TVs are good, the microwave is good. The refrigerator is good. the heating and AC system is good.. the slide out motor is good... the awning motor is good... the only thing NOT working are two overhead lights which I have not checked out yet. I was relieved. The camper has been at the park since the problem occurred and the park owner was with me when we fired it up. I think he was rather relieved also as he said he would pay for anything that was damaged. He is a good guy. The RV park is near Lake Murray in South Carolina. He told me that if anything died over the next year ... he would still replace it. I thought that was quite generous. I did purchase a Campo Line tester for future hookups... and will plan to buy any other type of electrical protection I can. SO.. in the end .. I learned a helluva lesson and thanks for all the replies and helpful advice.
MrWizard
Moderator
Jan 30, 2017
That explains what happen
The 220 most likely shorted out the transfer switch
The tripped breakers are actually a good sign
The in rush current tripped them
There may not be as much damage as we suspect
The most expensive item will be the built in generator

Test everything thoroughly
You might want to call an RV tech and have him check things out for you
turbojimmy
Explorer
Jan 30, 2017
Fredward wrote:
Update... the transfer switch may still be suspect.... but the park owner called me ... he informed me the recepticle he assigned me was 220vac.... not 120vac. He is offering help in repairing any damages to the camper. That being said.. 220 .. should I still expect electrical damage to the 120 appliances?

That's messed up and dangerous. Did he have an explanation of why it was wired that way?

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