electrial issue

[backhoemike]

I run the Genny while traveling this trip about 1000 miles if I drifted over the line and hit the rumble strip my electric would blink off shut down everything about 45 seconds when I was back smooth road everything ran fine. I figure its a ground but don't know where to start, I have a 1995 newmar London aire any ideas or thoughts on whats going on?

[backhoemike]

Well Doug I think I found the problem this morning as I am leaving Greenleaf state park , I started the Genny and it immediately died, and pulled down like a big load on it. I ask The wife to ensure all the a/c were off till I got it going and warmed up then I heard a Pop and electrical smoke bellowed out from the transfer switch box it totally burned up all the wires , I didn't leave with my coach. Till I could find a place to take it . Any suggestions on a good brand of transfer switch?

[wa8yxm]

45 Seconds sounds like a hard wired Progressive Industries surge guard.

A joke I often make is that many RVers have a few screws loose.
The screws I'm speaking of are the ones that secure wires in your breaker box, Transfer switch, Junction box (Generator) power INLET or shore cord OUTLET or Plug. (Yup, not the other kind, real genuine screws) also we have a few loose nuts,, Same kind. (They usually hold 12 volt wires).

[dougrainer]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Altho possible, you may not find any loose connections. The transfer switch uses springs and an electro magnet to hold the power terminals together when it is energized. On a 21 year old coach there is a good chance that the terminals have corroded or the springs/electro magnet have deteriorated to the point where the transfer switch needs to be replaced.

Bingo. Replace the Transfer Box. Doug

[wolfe10]

Yup, with generator off, shore power disconnected and inverter off:

Open the ATS and carefully tighten all connections. Look for signs of overheating.

Check the connections where generator output connects with coach wiring on its way back to the ATS.

Do NOT run the generator until you fix this. A loose connection can cause overheating of the connection and in extreme cases, a fire.

[rgatijnet1]

Altho possible, you may not find any loose connections. The transfer switch uses springs and an electro magnet to hold the power terminals together when it is energized. On a 21 year old coach there is a good chance that the terminals have corroded or the springs/electro magnet have deteriorated to the point where the transfer switch needs to be replaced.
The transfer switch has a cover that can be removed to inspect the innards. If you DO NOT feel comfortable working around electric items, you should have an electrician check it.

[Mandalay_Parr]

Could be a loose connection anywhere from the generator up to and including the power distribution panel. Also check and tighten all circuit breaker screws.

Might get an electrical person to help you.

Let us know what you find.

[DrewE]

rk911 wrote:

backhoemike wrote:
I run the Genny while traveling this trip about 1000 miles if I drifted over the line and hit the rumble strip my electric would blink off shut down everything about 45 seconds when I was back smooth road everything ran fine. I figure its a ground but don't know where to start, I have a 1995 newmar London aire any ideas or thoughts on whats going on?

i would first look at the genny side of the transfer switch

This strikes me as good advice. It would seem to me to be an intermittent (loose) connection or fault somewhere between the generator and the transfer switch, or perhaps within the transfer switch, since there's a time delay for it to come back on. A transfer switch generally has a delay before it switches over to generator power after it sees power (so that the generator has a chance to get up to speed and have the voltage stabilized).

I would suspect it's not the ground for the generator, as losing that would also make the generator lose 12V power and I assume shut itself down (when the control board loses power). I think typically RV generators need 12V power continually to operate. I may be mistaken.

At any rate, checking the wiring and connections between the generator and the transfer switch would be a reasonable way to start troubleshooting.

[Tinstar]

Sure sounds like a loose wire somewhere. rk911's suggestion of checking the transfer switch would be where I would start also. I would then move to the connection at the genset or in the breaker panel.

[backhoemike]

no sir only the 110 volt . A/C , TV and box fans all engine gauges and stuff worked

[Tinstar]

Did you loose power to everything on the chassis side (the engine, dash gauges, headlights, tranny select, etc.) but kept power to everything powered by the genset (coach power)?

[rk911]

backhoemike wrote:
I run the Genny while traveling this trip about 1000 miles if I drifted over the line and hit the rumble strip my electric would blink off shut down everything about 45 seconds when I was back smooth road everything ran fine. I figure its a ground but don't know where to start, I have a 1995 newmar London aire any ideas or thoughts on whats going on?

i would first look at the genny side of the transfer switch

[backhoemike]

the generator never shut down I just lost power for a few seconds then everything came back on. I had both ac and tv for kids and fans going on both ends of home but never had this issue.