MPD56
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Re: Electric Trailer Brakes and Gain Caused Wear
Just my 2 cents The "trailer wiring fault" is just that. The controller knows that a trailer is connected and if it doesn't like the current it sees by monitoring it. Since you have tried it on 3 other Ford IBC controllers it might not be them. You can get this message on a ford without a trailer connected (I did on my 08)caused by road salt in the truck's trialer connector. I have a 2013 F350 now and the IBC acts different then my 08 and different then a 2015. One reason is the transmission or engine braking. Also the IBC monitors foreward momentum so it is hard by seating in the dirver's seat if the controller is working. I have a brake controller tester/simulator. My guess is your problem is caused by a electrical problem on the trailer and not a mechanical problem. Most likely a wire on the brake magnet circuit because that is what the controller monitors to give you that message.611Views0likes0CommentsRe: Charging the camper battery when driving
vladio: My last trailer had a problem similar to yours. There was a 30 amp fuse in the trailer to protect the trailer’s charge wire in case it grounded out. I hooked up a voltmeter to the 12 vdc source of my fridge and didn’t see any change with my TV plugged in or not. I followed the wire till I found the fuse.486Views0likes0CommentsRe: 120 VOLT INPUT
The electrical codes are guide lines, they’re made from electrical theory and if you don’t understand the electrical theory, then you won’t understand the code. Very simply put the length of copper wire, gauge, insulation and wiring installation method you use to calculate wires current rating. Voltage drop is giving off in the form of heat along the conductor and reduces the voltage supplied to the load at the end of the wire. The voltage drop of a wire is proportional to the current through it because the resistance of the wire in mostly constant. Ohm’s Law states that Voltage Drop = amps x resistance (V=IR). So the longer the wire, the resistance increases and so does the Voltage drop. And a motor is designed to run at a certain voltage and if the voltage is reduced by voltage drop, the motor current will increase. This will increase the voltage drop, although nonlinear, hopefully the motor protection in the AC unit protects it By theory, the code will allow you to have a no more then a 3% voltage drop at an outside receptacle and if you plug in your RV to run your AC, it states that it will allow 5% or less at the AC unit. This is the voltage difference from your house panel to the load. My point is that a common house 14 gauge wire is rated for 13.5 amps with an AC load (motor) up to 50 feet. At my house, my power panel is 50 feet from my outside receptacle and in my RV the AC unit is on the roof and over 20 feet from the panel in the RV. So it doesn’t matter what gauge extension cord I use from the house to the trailer. The code tells me I can’t, the electrical math tells me that I don’t want to run my RV AC unit at 101 volts and ruin it. FYI: A 50 foot 14 gauge extension cord at 13.5 amps will give off 46 watts of heat due to voltage drop. (P = I x I x R).420Views0likes0CommentsRe: Open ground question
SaltiDawg wrote: MPD56 wrote: ... But my point is that even connecting a generator to a RV is not a simple play & play event. I have not so much as expressed an opinion on the subject As I said in my first post in this thread, "While I do have an opinion, I have zero RV experience and thus no standing to weigh in. However, I could not allow a mistaken Submarine reference be introduced into the mix." Thanks again for your knowledgeable input. It's what makes this forum great.561Views0likes0CommentsRe: Open ground question
SaltiDawg wrote: MPD56 wrote: ... A ship at sea is wired to code. When it is on shore power, does the power cord have a ground conductor? The electrical code will also determine that. Shorepower is ungrounded three phase 450 Volt, 60 Hz, power to a submarine. Thanks for the reply and information. The Lake Freighters and Ocean Vessel’s I’ve hooked up get a 575 volt 600 amp 3/phase power cord with a ground conductor and Electrical Inspected. We do on occasion supply a three phase step down transformer (575 to 440) that is grounded and bonded to the electrical code. We used to use 2400 volt overhead cranes to unload and load; this is why it is so important to understand grounding methods. But my point is that even connecting a generator to a RV is not a simple play & play event.559Views0likes0CommentsRe: Open ground question
Always an interesting RV forum subject. As I always said “Lots of people can hook up a light bulb or speaker and make it work, but is it safe”? In Canada the Electrical Safety Authority is the maker and keeper of the Electrical Code. Can they make a code that is 100% safe, well they try? Do they think that they can inspect every RV hooked up to generator before the consumer starts it up, of course not? This is why there is going to be two side on this debate till the end of time on a RV forum. On an Electrical Forum, there would be only one page of posts. It comes down to electrical theory and the best way to make it safe. When you’re wiring a house do you go on a forum to find about if you should ground it. No one from a keyboard can tell you if your wiring is 100% safe, but then again I’m old and don’t know if some Electrical Inspections can be done on Skype? A ship at sea is wired to code. When it is on shore power, does the power cord have a ground conductor? The electrical code will also determine that.559Views0likes0CommentsRe: Bad Ground Stumper
Interesting problem, you’re so close. I went on a Jayco tour and saw a model like mine being built; I watched and asked a lot of questions. My guess is? The ground wire going up, goes to one upper light and is daisy chained from there. I can only assume that the wire isn’t broken and it is the first connection. On my Jayco it is accessible (I think yours might be too). I might suggest that you remove one of the upper lights so that you can get at the wire and hook up a temporary good ground, this could confirm that all the grounds to the upper light circuits are good. This might give you another choice to ground the lights from another light if the one in the back is not accessible? Good Luck Added: a wire tracer is great idea,348Views0likes0CommentsRe: Shocking! AC power tingle between frame and (real) ground
Harvard: There are lots of what if here. The diagram in your last post although could work, it is probably not the way the Power Company has connected it physically. If you have a voltage drop that can be read with a meter, then you will get current flow through a resistive and/or impedance electrical path. If an over head bare high voltage power line had broke and is lying on the ground, you can’t assume the earth is a pure conductor (0 resistances to current flow). This is the reason why grounding and bonding methods are so important. The powers that make the Electrical Codes can’t make it 100% safe. The OP trailer could have a bonding or grounding problem that is causing him to feel a shock. I say “could” because what if the wet ground was providing the 18 volts from the power cord sitting in the water and the chassis of his trailer is a less resistance path to the source’s safety ground, meaning his trailer chassis is wired properly? At some time or another you’re going to read a voltage from chassis to earth ground, the code’s wiring methods are there to hopefully reduce that voltage so the no harm comes to us. From a keyboard, I can’t assume were the OP’s problem is, but he knows he had a problem and is taking steps to correct it. FYI: The power company use meters to detect ground fault currents and they are not volt meters from a hardware store. A GFI receptacle doesn’t monitor voltage to ground. 18 volts I wouldn’t think a human would feel a strong tingle, at least I don’t? There is a good reason why the power’s to be picked no more then 120 volts to ground and not a subject that can be taught on a RV Forum.680Views0likes0Comments
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