Class A- electrical issue?

[crystal_and_jon]

Hello everyone. My husband and I recently sold our class C because we needed more room. We have been looking for quite some time now. We found a fixer upper type. When we called they said that none of the appliances work. Can anyone offer a suggestion on where we might start to figure out what the problem is? Because if it's something that we can fix or have fixed, this could be a pretty good deal for us. It is a Georgie Boys Persuit 3205. I know you can't troubleshoot without knowing the specifics. But if anyone has an idea where we can start it would be greatly appreciated

[wa8yxm]

I do a lot of light RV repair, and can usually diagnose RV electrical issues eyes on.. I'm kind of stuck in S.E. Ga just now but hope to get to SC by Fat Tuesday (not looking good at the moment but sure will try) have part, Have mechanic, have not a good shop or time though.. The shop we can work around, the time, not so much.

[wildmanbaker]

Crystal and Jon, depending on the condition of the actual house part, and the chassis part, the rest can be fixed. If you can do the work yourselves, then the labor is free. If it has water leaks, stained walls bulges on the outside, then, yes run. Fixing things would require a knowledge/experience with both AC and DC electrical. If the appliances inside do not work, they can be fixed or replaced with new or used ones. Yes, not everybody has money to burn, but you need to know, that much like a boat, or race car, a MH is a money pit.

[crystal_and_jon]

Thanks again for everyone's input. Even the sarcasm. We are obviously not as well off as you all are. We enjoy RV-ing as does our 5 year old son. The way we can afford to do so is purchased something that needs some elbow grease, not a total overhaul. But thanks for making us feel welcome.

[Dale_Traveling]

crystal_and_jon wrote:
,,, "a 28-page list of things that are blown out, broken and leaking",,,

About the only acceptable deal would the seller paying you to take it away.

[George_Beggs]

crystal_and_jon wrote:
I apologize for such a sketchy type of post, but the unit is 350 miles from us. We were just going by what the dealer said over the phone. After a little bit more digging today, we received a 28-page list of things that are blown out, broken and leaking. The initial phone call we had the gentleman told us simply that the appliances did not work we did not realize this unit was a complete mess. But thank you everyone for responding

How much will they pay you to tow it away?

[Bill_Satellite]

If you have to ask this question the answer is RUN, RUN, RUN! This coach is going to take someone who knows the ins and outs of electrical circuits and how they interact with the various components.

[GPWayne]

Dont' walk away.... RUN!!!

Junk......

[larry_cad]

You may want to share with us any personal capabilities you and/or your hubby may have regarding troubleshooting tools and experience. That will determine the complexity of responses you may receive.

Do you have any electrical troubleshooting experience? Do you have a multimeter and do you know how to use it? Did you do any repairs on the Class C you recently sold?

[wa8yxm]

"Appliances" come in two or 3 flavors in an RV
The stove and oven are Appliances, they run on Propane
The Water heater and Fridgge are appliances, they run on either propane, electric, or both
Air Conditioners are appliances, they run on 12and 120 volt electric
Some stuff needs 12 volt.

Here is my GUESS, and I can not stress enough that this is a GUESS and I mean GUESS.

The lights don't work either

Now this is important.> here is why, they run on 12 volt DC (Battery/converter power)

So does the water heater (Control power for the comptuer)
So does the Fridge (Likewise)
Air conditioners. unless in many cases (Some do not)
Water pump
Furnace

All take 12 volt DC.

[crystal_and_jon]

I apologize for such a sketchy type of post, but the unit is 350 miles from us. We were just going by what the dealer said over the phone. After a little bit more digging today, we received a 28-page list of things that are blown out, broken and leaking. The initial phone call we had the gentleman told us simply that the appliances did not work we did not realize this unit was a complete mess. But thank you everyone for responding

[Isaac-1]

If it is the AC side of things, the worst case I can think of is someone plugged into a 240V welder outlet thinking it was a 120V-30 amp RV outlet (unfortunately many people use the same plug compatible outlets for both). There was just a thread on one of the message boards even about an electrician that wired an outlet in a garage intended for RV use as 240V instead of 120V.

[Dale_Traveling]

I'm guessing the seller is referring to the 12VDC stuff. Could be as simple as the battery is dead. Could also be the disconnect circuit has failed in a disconnect state or a high amp fuse between the batteries and the coach has opened. Another potential source is the AC to DC power converter has failed and the batteries are dead. Not a difficult problem to chase down if you do a bit of homework first.

[DrewE]

It's pretty much impossible to troubleshoot with this little information. What are the appliances in question, specifically? How are they not working?

Of the three power sources in a typical RV (120V power, 12V power, and propane), usually the appliances need the following:

Stovetop -- propane
Gas oven -- propane
Microwave or microwave/convection oven -- 120V
Air conditioner -- 120V, 12V
Water heater -- 12V, propane for gas operation; 120V, and possibly 12V for AC operation
Absorption fridge -- 12V, propane for gas operation; 12V, 120V for AC operation
Residential (compressor) fridge -- 120V (often from an inverter, at least part of the time)
Furnace -- 12V, propane

Having even a slight hint of how they aren't working would be very helpful to further narrow things down -- e.g. completely dead vs. controls come on but it doesn't operate. It's entirely possible that there may be multiple problems, of course.