Electrical/Power Questions (Newbie- Please Help!)

[ameliepdx]

So, I’m new here and new to RV’g. I am currently living in a 21’ Fleetwood Mallard 18D while I convert a 1978 Crown Supercoach into a tiny home on wheels. I am on my own and learning as I go. I am stationary at the moment and plugged in to shore power. My first round (of many) questions is this:

1. I have a MagneTek 6300A/6345 Converter, and man is it loud... I know that I should replace the fan or the whole thing, and will when it’s in the budget, but for now is there anything I can do to lessen the volume of the humm/buzz??

2. Two of my outlets are now completely out. They are both labeled as GFCI, but neither has a button to reset them, sooooo... where do I do that??

3. Now my fridge is suddenly out too.

I replaced some of the fuses, and have a diagram of what they are supposed to be, and nothing is labeled as Fridge, so I have no idea where else to look. , .

 

[penman39]

Your two GFCI outlets are downstream,(on the same circuit) of a GFCI resettable outlet located elsewhere in your trailer. Once you find the correct one and reset it, you should have power at those two outlets.

Does your fridge run on either AC or Propane? You will have to remove the access panel to the fridge on the outside of the trailer to check for power.

 

[DonTom]

They are both labeled as GFCI, but neither has a button to reset them, sooooo... where do I do that??

Check all the outlets in (and outside) the RV for those that do have the GFI button. If you find any that are tripped, reset them and then the ones that have no button will most likely also work.

Such is also common in houses without wheels, such as the one I am now in.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Rene T]

If your fridge is not working using 110 volt AC, the outlet it’s plugged into may also be on the same circuit as the GFCI outlets.

 

[Alfa38User]

Note that the labels are only "added on" in this case. Check the circuit breakers, the GFCI's may be built in to one or more of them. My trailer had two like that (with no labels to help)!!

 

[PerroSucio]

If your trailer has an outdoor outlet, your GFCI may be there…
Also our Magnatek 6300 stopped humming and heating up when the cooling fan miraculously started working after being unused for 10 years. I also sprayed WD40 on the fan shafts on both ends. It’s still working …….

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If the Magnetek noise is the fan sound, it may need cleaning. It tends to collect a lot of dust & dirt, on the intake and even on the fan itself. But it wasn't quiet even when new. I think it has a thermostat, though. Maybe you can improve cooling in that area.

 

[ChasA]

In the picture of the circuit breakers I see a breaker labelled converter that is off. Turn that breaker on and see if it helps. Your fridge needs 12 volts DC to operate and the converter does that and charges the battery.

 

[Jairo]

Check outlets near sinks, these will have the reset bottom

 

[John From Detroit]

2. Two of my outlets are now completely out. They are both labeled as GFCI, but neither has a button to reset them, sooooo... where do I do that??

Normally this is how that's wired == is of course a pair of wires (or 3)

|Breaker box|=====GFCI-Outlet====2nd protected outlet=====3rd===4th (in the case of my rig)

In short it's a daisy chain. The MOST LIKELY spot for the GFCI is the bathroom. or in my case half bath. BUT they sometimes hide those suckers and sometimes there's more than one.

 

[Kirk]

1. I have a MagneTek 6300A/6345 Converter, and man is it loud...

While that could be fan noise, the 6300 was also well known for transformer noise. Converters all have a transformer to step the incoming 120V down to near 12V before it goes to the rectifiers to convert that voltage for alternating current to direct current. A transformer has a metal core that is made up of laminations which can vibrate if they become loose, common in the 6300.

3. Now my fridge is suddenly out too.

Most likely the refrigerator gets 12V from one of those fuses. The amount it draws is very low so it seldom has a separate fuse. I suggest that you check each of the fuses with a volt/ohm meter to verify that it is good. Pull the fuse and measure between the two blades. It should read 0 ohms or very nearly so if good. If those are all good but there is nothing on the refrigerator display, open the outside access panel to the refrigerator and there should be a circuit board inside that has two fuses. Usually there is one 3A fuse for the 12V supply and a 5A fuse that is for the 120v heating element. If the 3a fuse is open that too will cause the refrigerator to have a bland display.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Do you have a battery? If not, and the converter breaker is off, then you have no 12v DC power and the fridge (nor the lights or anything else that is 12v ) is not working. It has to have power to operate.

Also, if you don't have a battery, that old Magnetek converter is not a happy camper without a battery to work against. They need a battery to help them regulate the voltage. New converters are more sophisticated and can handle no battery but those old ones do not. That may explain the excess noise (yes, those laminated transformers do humm, my old car battery chargers do too).

Having that breaker off may be the cause of several problems. The GFCI is simply a matter of finding the outlet and resetting it, most likely in the bathroom but could be anywhere.

Charles