Maintenance & Restoration

WDavidG · 07-11-2014, 08:41 AM

We recently picked up our new 13' and camped our way back from Backus to Vermont. We're delighted with the Scamp but have a few issues we need advice about. The fridge worked fine on AC the first few days, but prepping yesterday for a weekend trip I discovered it wouldn't function on AC (plugged in over night at home to pre-cool it). In the process of troubleshooting I discovered that the AC wiring in the trailer has the polarity reversed (polarity is correct coming into the trailer, but reversed when checked at all the trailer AC outlets). Has anyone else encountered this? I don't however think this is my fridge problem - any other simple things I should be checking on the fridge before I dig deeper? I have confirmed that there is power at the receptacle where the fridge plugs in.

I was skeptical of the little plastic clips that hold the exterior service panel (access to the fridge controls) and sure enough, already one of them is sprung and will not pop into its slot. Any ideas for retrofitting something more reliable or do I just need to keep a few spare clips on hand?

We learned, and very appreciatively so, a lot from this forum preparing for our pick-up trip and it looks like we still have a lot of the learning curve ahead of us. Thanks for any advice you may be able to offer.

The Minimalist · 07-11-2014, 08:46 AM

Don't know about that Scamp access door, but the first thing, I would check to make sure the refer is still plugged in. There was a recent post which mentioned the plug having popped out.

Carol H · 07-11-2014, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WDavidG

We recently picked up our new 13' and camped our way back from Backus to Vermont. We're delighted with the Scamp but have a few issues we need advice about. The fridge worked fine on AC the first few days, but prepping yesterday for a weekend trip I discovered it wouldn't function on AC (plugged in over night at home to pre-cool it). In the process of troubleshooting I discovered that the AC wiring in the trailer has the polarity reversed (polarity is correct coming into the trailer, but reversed when checked at all the trailer AC outlets). Has anyone else encountered this? I don't however think this is my fridge problem - any other simple things I should be checking on the fridge before I dig deeper? I have confirmed that there is power at the receptacle where the fridge plugs in.

I know its a basic but sometimes we over look the most basic's (don't ask how I know that

) but have you made sure the knob in the outside hatch is switched over to AC? If it is then have you tried running the fridge on Propane or DC? If it doesnt work on either of those then that would confirm the issue is with the fridge itself.

WDavidG · 07-11-2014, 08:50 AM

I know what you mean about overlooking the basics!! Yes, refer is plugged in. The switch was on AC when I tried it. Propane mode is working fine.

WDavidG · 07-11-2014, 08:52 AM

I'm away from the manual at the moment - could there be a fuse in the refer itself? The main fuse is fine, but maybe the fridge has another layer of protection.

Carol H · 07-11-2014, 09:20 AM

There is a fuse inside the converter on mine but if you have power at the fridge plug then I could expect it should be ok as well... but then again.... what Fridge model/make do you have? Is your kitchen AC light working?

stevebaz · 07-11-2014, 09:40 AM

Unplug the fridge from the trailer and plug it direct to your power source bypassing all of the trailers issues. I would suspect that with the trailer polarity reversed turning on a resistance heat source like the fridge would blow the circuit tripping a breaker or fuse someplace. You need to get someone familiar with AC wiring to check the reversed polarity issue.

TomK · 07-11-2014, 09:48 AM

Carol, I was told by our salesman, that Scamp no longer offers the fluorescent light over the sink / stove cabinet. He told us they found it to be more trouble than it was worth. We asked about it when we went over the options last January.

David, I'm following this with interest. We're 3 weeks behind you. I hope you find a resolution. Have you called Backus?

Tom

Carol H · 07-11-2014, 09:52 AM

Steves, suggestion is a good one. Bypass it all plug in directly to home power.

If no AC lights in the trailer try plugging in a hair dryer or something else to one of your AC plugs to confirm you at least have some AC power to the trailer.

WDavidG · 07-11-2014, 10:41 AM

A number of good ideas - thanks. We're about to leave for the weekend and will muddle through but I'll get back to all this when we return and will report back.

Wallo · 07-11-2014, 12:32 PM

Would being off level cause the fridge not to work?

Carol H · 07-11-2014, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallo

Would being off level cause the fridge not to work?

I guess it depends on how off level.. while being off level can impact the fridges I would be surprised if it prevented a brand new fridge from working at all after only a couple of uses.

**RogerDat** · 07-11-2014, 05:00 PM

+1 on bypass everything and plug fridge directly into house current. If it does not work then call scamp directly and let them guide you through any troubleshooting steps.

I'm pretty sure the individual appliances are covered by the manufacture warranty so if you have done due diligence I'm sure Scamp can guide you on how to go to a local RV repair for warranty work.

The reversed polarity is just not right. Someplace the hot and neutral wire are reversed and it should be fixed. Some devices really care about polarity. If confirmed I would again expect Scamp to provide at least reimbursement for work done locally but talk with them first.

Joe MacDonald · 07-19-2014, 05:55 AM

Reversing the polarity would not make the fridge quit working, but it isn't right either. It sounds like when they hooked up the converter they reversed the polarity, that would be the only way I see to have all plugs reversed. What kind of tester did you use to confirm? I would get to scamp as soon as possible or to someone they authorize to do the repair (s) as there is a chance to get a shock if the frame was connected to the hot wire rather than ground

Joe

Paul O. · 07-19-2014, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallo

Would being off level cause the fridge not to work?

If you are comfortable walking in the galley, the Scamp is level enough for the fridge. It has to be way off level before the fridge stops working. The inner workings of the absorption fridge are the same, regardless of the heat source, AC or LP gas.
Where in VT are you? (PM me if you want to, I am central VT)

Bob Miller · 07-19-2014, 08:56 AM

It's been a couple of weeks since this thread was opened....
What was found to be the problem??? Share the wealth/news.

WDavidG · 07-23-2014, 07:14 AM

So the answer is... and it's a little embarrassing...
The Scamp is fine, fridge works and internal wiring polarity is correct.

With some more fiddling I realized that the GFI circuit on my house receptacle was tripping, but only occasionaly. So I could test for power at the end of the extension cord and confirm power. However, the next step of plugging in the fridge apparently wiggled the extension cord enough to trip the GFI. Turns out the extension cord was bad - probably a small and inconsistent short in its internals. I replaced it with a different cord and all is well. I'm not an electrician, but I'm guessing that the same current leakage that was periodically tripping the GFI was also confusing the polarity tester into indicating a reversed polarity.

So as an early poster postulated - often its the simple things.

Carol H · 07-23-2014, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WDavidG

So the answer is... and it's a little embarrassing...
The Scamp is fine, fridge works and internal wiring polarity is correct.

.

So I am assuming that the fact Scamp connects the battery with the Black to positive and the white to negative made you think the polarity was reversed? If so your not the first to have been confused by that!