No power when hooked up to shore

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rgnprof

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I haven't been working on this coach much over the past few weeks, but I now have a new problem.  It's a '93 model, class C, Cobra Passport.  I have had the rig plugged in to my regular 120v 15/20A house outlet and everything was working fine.  Presently, I have no power at the power center - a Magnetek Model 6345, located in the base of the bed in the rear of the coach.  No humming at the converter...I could not get the GFCI in the bathroom to reset, so I replaced it - the new one won't reset either.  My 12v stuff works until the battery runs down - start the coach and the 12v comes back on slowly, but none of the 110v is working.  I am not getting power from the shore, and I'm not sure what/where to check.  Any ideas?

ryan
 
The first thing to check is the shore power it self.  Plug something into that outlet and see if it has power.

The next thing to check is the master (main) circuit breaker in the AC distribution panel.

Do you have a generator? 
Does it run?
Do you have a transfer switch or do you have to plug the cord into a receptacle to get generator power?
Will your coach accept generator power? 

By the time you answer these questions you will probably have found your problem. 

BTW - the gfci breakers/receptacles will NOT reset until they receive power.
 
Agree with Porky with one additional comment. If you do have power at the shore outlet, it sounds like you must be using an adapter to plug the 30 amp plug into the 15/20 amp outlet. Make sure just the weight of the hardware hasn't created a bad connection at the outlet.
 
Thanks for the suggestions - I have triple checked all of the obvious stuff - the plug at the house, the connection and the adapter plug, the breaker, etc. and all that stuff checks out.  Again, I have had this rig plugged in to the same outlet for months now w/o any problems - this just started. 

The generator runs and it has a start switch inside, which also worked.  It ran rough for a while, but after about 3-5 minutes it smoothed out and ran fine.  With the generator running, half of my plugs now work, but the ones that run off of the GFI in the bathroom still do not work and the GFI still will not reset.  And, I can only find the one GFCI plug.  I'm really confused.

ryan
 
Yes, the outside circuit is a GFCI circuit ion my house breaker box - but I have checked it and re-checked...

Dick, thanks for the link.  I'm not sure it is a bad converter, but it seems that many folks have upgraded to newer units from these older Magnetek's.  I need to try and troubleshoot the converter...

ryan
 
Ok, did some more testing...I had the new GFI wired wrong, so when I got it wired correctly, it is working fine - when the generator is running!  All 110v plugs are hot when the genny is on - but none work off of just the shore power connection to my house.

I pulled the panel off the converter to check whether I was even getting voltage at the converter - when the generator is running I am getting approx 120 volts at the black wire connected to the Main circuit breaker on the power converter panel.  When I turn off the genny, no voltage at that wire.  I went back and checked my connections - again - from the adapter plug connected to my house, to my extension cord, and I even checked voltage on the camper side of the plug (the large wire that is connected to my camper), and I have 110v all along the way.  I am lost... Why do I have 110v at the main circuit breaker with the generator running, but not from my shore connection?

ryan
 
Transfer switch seems to be the problem, but I can't even find the thing.  And I have no idea where the relay is?  The switch looks like it is on the back of the power converter...took off a cover plate (under my bed) and there was some wires connected to each other via wire connectors - but nothing that looked like a switch, or relay...

ryan
 
I think you mentioned that you had confirmed it but just in case I will ask anyway. Have you checked the breaker inside your house for the outlet your plugged into? Just thinking it could be a house breaker. Just a thought!
 
House breaker is fine...

I have been reading about these transfer switches - which I know I have somewhere.  Most of the posts that I have read so far have problems with the electrical stuff not working when the generator is running...

My problem is the opposite, and I guess it is possible for the switch to get stuck so it won't switch to shore power -right?  I can't find the switch online anywhere, so I'm not even sure what it looks like?  Can someone point me in the right direction?

ryan
 
It is probably close to your breaker panel or might even be part of it. If you know what a magnetic starter looks like, it would probably look similar. Probably like this. If you could post the make/model of your main panel on here, I know there are folks on the forum that could probably give you more info.
 
About all we can tell you to help locate it is to follow the wires from the main breaker back to the switch.  Maybe it's possible to follow the generator output to the switch.
 
Thank you gentlemen!  I found it - attached directly behind my Magnetek 6345 Power Center.  I believe this is the part I need : http://www.amazon.com/Parallax-Power-ATS301-Automatic-Generator/dp/B002UC6XTI

Just let me seek some confirmation, if possible: 1) Is there any way to test this switch?  Or is this a "replace and hope it works" scenario?  Replacing it doesn't look that hard, it's just $70 for what I'm sure will be a nonrefundable part?

ryan


 
Ryan

From the price of your Transfer switch I'm guessing it's a 30 Amp unit. Like you said the most common failure is not getting Generator power because in the de-energized position it's feeding shore power. So it follows the most likely problem is a loose or broken wire from the pedestal. Go to this link and above the picture are links to the wiring diagram and owners manual for a typical Transfer Switch.
http://www.coloradostandby.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/25_27/products_id/1211?osCsid=dab4cf31ef4768aa02573f67535c8dd9
Unplug your RV and turn the generator off, then remove the cover of the transfer switch and look for broken wires and loose connections. I'm sure there must be a cover for installation access. There not real complicated, just a big relay and a time delay module connected to the generator input. If you don't find anything broken or loose then you can plug in the shore power and check voltages, at least you'll know if the switch is your problem before you buy one.
 
One set of terminals is shore power, one set is generator power, and the output is to the electric panel. If you have the genny running 110 should be on the genny side and output, if you have shore power plugged in, you should have 110 on the shore side and output. If you have 110 on the shore power side put not the output, you know it is the switch. The relay should be normally closed (via spring tension) on the shore power side, and the generator should energize the magnet to switch it over to the generator side. If the spring tension is gone or the points are burned together, it may not have gone back to its shore power position, or there could be a bad connection on the shore power side. First thing to check is to see if you have voltage coming in from shore power at that relay.
 
rgnprof said:
Thank you gentlemen!  I found it - attached directly behind my Magnetek 6345 Power Center.  I believe this is the part I need : http://www.amazon.com/Parallax-Power-ATS301-Automatic-Generator/dp/B002UC6XTI
Click to expand...

I have the same EXACT unit as you, mounted in the same way... and had the same EXACT problem last year on a camping trip.  All shore power went dead when plugged in.  Try this easy solution first: tap the transfer switch box with a hammer.  Plug in and see if you have power.  Apparently these switches are notorious for sticking and that just might work.  Mine magically started working again just by unscrewing my Magnatek Power Center to remove it and check the switch.  A little jostling of the transfer switch box and *voila* we were back in business.  The RV Tech actually told me not to replace the switch, because the problem may never happen again and IF it did I would likely just need to shake the box again to get it working.  ::)
 
Ok, did some more TS today - I have 120v when plugged in to shore power at the wires BEFORE they enter the switch and no voltage at the circuit breaker.  I have 120v both before and after the switch with the genny running - so it must be a bad switch.  I found a way to test the ohms on the coil itself, but I haven't done that yet...I just don't think it can be anything else at this point.  I have tried "banging" on the switch, poked at the points a little, etc. but no luck - still no shore power. 

I am going to replace the switch, but one question: if I need to replace the Magnetek power center unit at some point down the road, am I going to have to put in another, compatible transfer switch?  Or will a newer converter work with this Parallax ATS 301 transfer switch?

ryan
 
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