Winnebago View 24J - LOST 110V Power

[doug1werner]

Last week while camping I had an issue with my Winnebago View 24J. I went for a hike, leaving my unit in perfect condition only to return to find no 110V power in the unit. I started at the power pole of the campground and found it was working perfectly. Went on to the Power surge protector, again working perfectly. I then checked all external connections.
Going inside I checked all circuit breakers and fuses. I also checked the GFI receptacle.  Next, I unplugged from the campground and plugged my power cord into the Generator to no avail. I scoured the Operator?s Manual without luck and contacted two repair shops that were nice enough to work with me on the phone but the unit remained powerless.

After returning home two days later I decided to perform more diagnostics. To save time I will go directly to the solution. The 30 amp power cord goes directly into an aluminum junction box in the rear compartment of the unit. I took off the cover and was surprised to find a melted yellow wire nut.  In addition, the two #10 wires were stripped less than ? inch and charred beyond recognition.  It appeared to be a huge fire hazard!  As you can see from the label (picture available), a ?Yellow? wire nut is recommended for one #10 wire and a ?Red? wire nut is recommended for 2 to 3 #10 wires.
I cut the burned ends off of both the 30 Amp power cord and the Unit wiring and stripped both sides of both sets of wires to the preferred ? inch and installed ?Red? wire nuts on both. PROBLEM SOLVED!
I hope this information helps someone with a similar issue. You may want to check inside the junction box to perform some preventive maintenance.

ALWAYS ENSURE THAT THE CORD IS UNPLUGGED AND THERE IS NO POWER TO THE UNIT!!

Pictures available just send me a note [email protected]

Best of Luck
Doug Werner

 

[SeilerBird]

This is why wire nuts should not be used on an RV. The vibration will eventually shake a connection loose. The OP should take the wire nuts out and replace them with a crimped connection. Wire nuts are wonderful in the right application. An RV is most definitely the wrong application.

 

[Gizmo100]

This is why wire nuts should not be used on an RV. The vibration will eventually shake a connection loose. The OP should take the wire nuts out and replace them with a crimped connection. Wire nuts are wonderful in the right application. An RV is most definitely the wrong application.

Everything he said )

Welcome to the forum Doug and thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[kdbgoat]

I tend to disagree with their objections on using wire nuts on an RV. A correctly installed wire nut will work fine on an RV. Key words are "correctly installed". I know of equipment I have wired up that vibrates constantly, and has been in use for over 20 years.

 

[SeilerBird]

I have driven 120 miles per hour on a southern California freeway (126 and empty at 1 am) but that doesn't make it safe, legal or without issues.

 

[kdbgoat]

Tom, what in the world does that have to do with using wire nuts, and how does it relate to the topic?

 

[John Canfield]

That's a scary situation! Like SeilerBird, I would also be concerned about using wire nuts and given a choice I would prefer to use something different. Having said that, I also think if the proper size wire nut is used, proper strip length and torsion on the nut it would be okay.

 

[John Canfield]

Tom, what in the world does that have to do with using wire nuts, and how does it relate to the topic?

The OP founded a melted wire nut.

 

[SeilerBird]

Tom, what in the world does that have to do with using wire nuts, and how does it relate to the topic?

Because one example does not make something safe. I have never seen a wire nut used on a automobile that was installed at the factory.

 

[kdbgoat]

All this from a house mouse that back stabs outlets and switches.  ;D but,
Not on an automobile, but there are plenty out there on rv's. Yes they can fail, but as I stated, if installed correctly, the likely hood of that happening is slim. I've seen more than my fair share of crimped connection failures. Those are generally caused by the same thing...not installed correctly. Mostly from folks using a set of $1.99 crimpers from the grocery store of some variation of them. Similar to these:

https://m.delcity.net/store/Crimp-Tool-&-Wire-Terminal-Kits/p_802248.h_802249.r_IF1003?mkwid=s&crid=38094426869&mp_kw=&mp_mt=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI44z4g8-B4AIVlIzICh2F2w1eEAQYAiABEgIwvPD_BwE

 

[John Hilley]

Correctly installed wire nuts are perfectly safe in an RV. Wrapping them with tape will further reduce the chance of loosening. Wagos are another good option in RVs. Crimp connections if not done correctly with the right tool are far more likely to fail.

 

[JakeR]

Thanks for sharing Doug!  We have a 17 J and now I will open up the 30 Amp junction box and take a look to be sure any connections are tight.  Appreciate the heads up.  Glad your issue ended safely and you were able to apply a permanent fix.

 

[SeilerBird]

Correctly installed wire nuts are perfectly safe in an RV. Wrapping them with tape will further reduce the chance of loosening. Wagos are another good option in RVs. Crimp connections if not done correctly with the right tool are far more likely to fail.

Oh yeah, really safe. Just ask the guy who started this thread.

 

[kdbgoat]

Did you read his post? The wire nuts were not installed correctly. Also note he used the correct wire nuts and probably installed them correctly to fix the issue.

 

[SeilerBird]

Yes I read the post. The wire nut was melted. How would you know it was installed correctly?

 

[kdbgoat]

Because there wouldn't have been a problem with it  :

 

[John Canfield]

I think this thread has run its course so I'm going to close it.