Fuse Blowing/Electrical Problems

[Karen Morris]

Hi folks - living full time (stationary) in a 2022 Reflection 367BHS since August 2022. I'm pretty self sufficient and can attempt to fix most minor issues but electrical stuff is beyond me. I am just looking for input/opinions as I will be calling the dealership in the morning.
I noticed that the lights in my "spare room" stopped working this morning so immediately checked the fuse and yes, 15 amp fuse blown. I replaced it, lights started working but blew again within an hour. I then tried to light the oven and the ignitor is not working - stove top is working fine. So far everything else seems to be working just fine. WTF?

 

[HueyPilotVN]

Sounds like a short, but it must still be under warranty and covered by the dealer.

 

[Karen Morris]

Sounds like a short, but it must still be under warranty and covered by the dealer.

Yes it's a short and yes, covered by warranty. Just looking for thoughts/input

 

[HueyPilotVN]

Could be hard to trace. One possibility would be a staple thru a wire in the wall.

The reason I was mentioning the dealer is because it is probably a factory defect since it is so new.

 

[Karen Morris]

Could be hard to trace. One possibility would be a staple thru a wire in the wall.

The reason I was mentioning the dealer is because it is probably a factory defect since it is so new.

Thanks I'm glad it's under warranty. Frustrating.....

 

[CharlesinGA]

Problem is, you are living in it and cannot just take it to the dealer and drop it off for several months the dealer will want to get around to repairing it.

Some mobile RV techs can do warranty work for some manufacturers, and you will probably want to seek out a mobile tech with good electrical abilities who can do warranty for Grand Design.

Charles

 

[John From Detroit]

I've heard of stapled in place wires.. ONly they stapled THROUGH the wire.

 

[Kirk]

While a short makes for a popular answer and could be the cause, it is by no means the only possible cause. As a career electrical tech., I assure you that anything that causes it to draw too much power sill blow a fuse, which is what they are designed to do. Even if it is a short somewhere, it still needs troubleshooting or a lot of luck to find the cause. Since it is under warranty, the best thing would be to take it back to the dealership. If you start doing things yourself, you could very well void the warranty because they can't be responsible for things done at that point.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A short doesn't seem likely if it takes an hour to blow the fuse. That sounds more like a too-heavily loaded circuit that slowly builds up enough heat to blow the fuse. RV factory electrical & plumbing are notorious for basic shortcoming like that, when they add extras without re-evaluating the max load on each circuit.

Please describe the oven igniter problem in more detail. Almost surely unrelated to the bedroom circuit fuse. Are you following the oven light procedure carefully? They are finicky. And what is the make/model of oven?

 

[Karen Morris]

While a short makes for a popular answer and could be the cause, it is by no means the only possible cause. As a career electrical tech., I assure you that anything that causes it to draw too much power sill blow a fuse, which is what they are designed to do. Even if it is a short somewhere, it still needs troubleshooting or a lot of luck to find the cause. Since it is under warranty, the best thing would be to take it back to the dealership. If you start doing things yourself, you could very well void the warranty because they can't be responsible for things done at that point.

Hi Kirk - as I said earlier, I contacted the dealership today and a tech is coming tomorrow. I was not attempting to fix it myself, rather looking for input or suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Karen Morris]

A short doesn't seem likely if it takes an hour to blow the fuse. That sounds more like a too-heavily loaded circuit that slowly builds up enough heat to blow the fuse. RV factory electrical & plumbing are notorious for basic shortcoming like that, when they add extras without re-evaluating the max load on each circuit.

Please describe the oven igniter problem in more detail. Almost surely unrelated to the bedroom circuit fuse. Are you following the oven light procedure carefully? They are finicky. And what is the make/model of oven?

Hi Gary - I've only used the oven 3 or 4 times. It's a Furrion 3 burner stove top and range. The few times I've used it, I turn the dial, push in the knob to ignite and presto, Bob's your uncle. It works. As of yesterday, no clicking sound for igniter. I have a mobile tech coming tomorrow for all of the issues. p.s. stove top is still working

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

From what I see in Furrion's owner manual, the oven is pilot-ignited but the pilot is lit with a piezo igniiter, i.e. it sparks once with each physical rotation of the knob. If it's not making noise, the igniter may have failed. It does not appear to require external 12v, so that would be a separate problem from the room lights.

 

[Karen Morris]

So tech was here today - did some checking around a found some wires that were barely making contact so fixed those and replaced the fuse. Good news is the oven issue is related to the spare room lights issue. Bad news, the fuse blew again right after they left so it appears it's going to be a much more invasive investigation He did mention dropping the underbelly if the loose wires didn't fix the problem. This is NOT the time of year for this to be happening. Wish me luck.

 

[Karen Morris]

Could be hard to trace. One possibility would be a staple thru a wire in the wall.

The reason I was mentioning the dealer is because it is probably a factory defect since it is so new.

Bingo!!! You are the winner! Today they dropped the underbelly and ran every wire... They found a wire with a staple through it in the wall behind the convenience panel

 

[HueyPilotVN]

It was mostly a guess on my part because it is a new unit..

During college one summer I worked in a plant that manufactured modular homes and that was a common sight on the assembly line.

I started on the panel saw but when they found out I could read blueprints they put me on quality assurance checking things.

 

[gwinger]

I would start by removing the lights in that room and disconnecting the wires to all the lights. If the fuse does not blow, start reconnecting each light one at a time and wait to see is the fuse blows. Keep connecting each light and wait. It may be a light fixture failing or a bad connection to a particular light.
Time consuming, but it will eliminate a problem with a fixture.

 

[A Traveler]

I would start by removing the lights in that room and disconnecting the wires to all the lights….Time consuming, but it will eliminate a problem with a fixture.

There’s no need to do this. The problem is fixed. See post #14.