electrical outlet problems

[burton167can]

1984 Empress Triple E Motor Home - 454 motor.
I was plugged into an electrical outlet running a floor heater, when I unplugged the floor heater I noticed a small spark. After that I could not get any of the pluggins to work. Below is a list of the things I have tried to get them working. Everything else in the motorhome seems to work ok.

- Flipped all the breakers on converter box
- Replaced all fuses in converter box
- Checked all fuses running from battery location
- Pulled off all electrical outlet covers looking for a reset switch

Here are a few questions that I have

- Are the only breakers and fuses on the converter and in the battery location, or are there others I should be looking for.

- Will my battery meter read full when I am plugged into a outside power source (it doesn't)

Any suggestions on what to check would really help alot, I am completely stumped on figuring this out. Please suggest anything

 

[Jeff]

burton167can:

have you checked for power on the pole? There will be breakers there as well.

 

[Karl]

Burton,

Sounds like you tripped one of the GFCI circuit breakers.

Possibly you pulled the cord  out from a line that was protected by a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet. The spark may have been sensed as a ground fault to protect you from a potential hazard. Those outlets have a red and black test/reset button betwen the two places where you can plug something into, but it may be located somewhere else in the coach. Check to see that it hasn't tripped - kind of like a circuit breaker, but there is no visual indication that it has shut off the juice.

Are the only breakers and fuses on the converter and in the battery location, or are there others I should be looking for.

There can be fuses (normally only 12 volt circuits) and circuit breakers (normally only 120 volt circuits) located almost anywhere, but usually on an inside panel or in the engine compartment. The inverter (12 volts DC to 120V AC) will have its' own circuit breakers on the unit itself, and the converter (120 V AC to 12 V DC (for battery charging, etc,) will usually have one or two fuses on the unit itself.

Will my battery meter read full when I am plugged into a outside power source (it doesn't)

Not necessarily. If you've been driving a while and your batteries have been charging while driving, when you stop and plug into shore power, it may take some time for the charge controller to, for lack of a better term, recognize that they are fully charged, and then switch over to 'float' mode (kind of like an idle current to maintain the charge). Without knowing what converter/charger you're using, it's difficult to be more specific.

Let us know what you find and if we've been able to help.

Good luck!

 

[Shayne]

Those GFI's are generally in the Kitchen area and Bathroom Area. Usually only 2 or 3 in a coach.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You have almost surely tripped a GFI (Ground Fault Interruptor). It will likely be part of a power outlet, most likely in the bath area, and merely needs to be reset by pushing the little button between the sockets.  The GFI outlet is normally wired to protect all outlets wired downstream from it, which often turns out to be nearly all the outlets in the coach.

 

[Tom]

I looked all over our coach for a GFI that had tripped, but they all seemed fine. Eventually I found one almost hidden in the bedroom, near the washer/dryer. Any time I lose power on those receptacles, that's the first GFI I check.

 

[rhmahoney]

Country Coach hides the GFI at floor level in the bedroom.