Fridge and Micro

[Justabob]

Having my first Parkliner electrical issue and I'm really new to this. Fridge and micro won't work but the rest of the unit is fully operational. Fuse is fine and so is the breaker I think as I hear the water pump cycling on and off when I trip the breaker. Neither of the two outlets for the appliances have power. Where should I go from here and thanks in advance.

John

[Timber Wolf]

I don't know anything about Parkliners but you mention fuse and breaker. A fuse would be in a 12V line and a breaker in a 120V line. I assume both the fridge and microwave are 120v. I would suspect a breaker issue. You may have more than one breaker, and the water pump may be 12V anyway. Keep digging/investigating.

[War Eagle]

John, While I also own a different camper brand, I'm with Tim. Are you plugged into 120V "shore" power? If not, I bet if you do plug into a 120V outside power source, your fridge and microwave will work fine. Also, as Tim mentioned, things like interior lights and the water pump usually work off your 12V DC battery (with fuses). Anything that looks like a regular house power outlet will likely need 120V AC power coming into the camper from an outside 120V AC source (with breakers). When plugged into 120V AC power, there is usually an on-board 120V AC -to-12V DC converter/battery charger so your interior lights and water pump still run off of 12 volts, but now there is a constant supply rather than a drain on your battery, and your battery gets topped off while plugged in, to boot. The only thing I know of that that would change the above is if you have an on-board "inverter" that converts 12V DC battery power to 120V AC power, and that's a special mod (a bit pricey, too) that I'm pretty sure you would know about if you had one. I'm sure others more knowledgeable about electricity will clarify if my attempt to help you is misguided.... Dale

[Justabob]

Got a trip starting next week so I'm plugged into 120v to get ready. So if I'm reading your responses correctly (and thanks), it must be a breaker issue?

[Justabob]

The interior outlets on the port side are all functional as is the A/C and water pump. It's the starboard side outlets and appliances that aren't functioning so it must be a breaker, right? is there a further diagnosis or test I can do?
Can I change it or do I need to take it to a RV place?

Just read what I wrote......I'm such an amateur repairman

Thanks in advance,

John

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Justabob

The interior outlets on the port side are all functional as is the A/C and water pump. It's the starboard side outlets and appliances that aren't functioning so it must be a breaker, right? is there a further diagnosis or test I can do?
Can I change it or do I need to take it to a RV place?

Just read what I wrote......I'm such an amateur repairman

Thanks in advance,

John

Check for a tripped GFCI receptacle

[Brian M. in NY]

The first night we owned our ParkLiner, April of 2013, we were camped in southwestern VA on our way home from Gibsonville and discovered that we had no power to the outlets on the starboard side. The GFCI outlet on the side of the kitchen was tripped and would not reset. I went to a local hardware store the next morning and bought a new GFCI outlet and replaced the original. Same problem. Everything downstream of the GFCI is protected and will go off line if the GFCI is tripped. I started troubleshooting and discovered that ParkLiner had used the push in quick connects for the outlets for the refrigerator and microwave. I disconnected the the wires to those outlets and covered them with wirenuts and electrical tape for safety and turned the breaker back on. This time the GFCI held. I shut the breaker off, and reconnected the outlets using the side screws rather the push in quick connects. The GFCI now held, so problem solved. There must have been some problem with using the push in wire connections that fed back enough current on the ground or neutral to cause the GFCI to trip. I keep the original white GFCI outlet in my tool bag, just in case. I left the ivory one installed in the side of the kitchen to remind myself to troubleshoot before I go out and start buying replacement parts. Once I got in cell phone range the next day, I called Chandler and told him what I had found and that a simple pre-delivery checklist inspection of all systems could have prevented that. I'm guessing that the checklist is still somewhere in the planning stages. Given what you are describing, I would troubleshoot everything downstream of the starboard GFCI.

[Justabob]

Bingo! You nailed it and thanks!.......

John

[War Eagle]

John, I'm glad Brian had your answer. Unfortunately, there are probably more owners out there with the same problem who are scratching their head because they don't frequent this forum for help. It sounds like the manufacturer needs to either use a different brand of GFCI outlet or just default to using the side screw connectors rather than the slip-in. I usually praise the slip-ins when I'm building something then cuss them when I try to replace them! Now that you're fully functional - happy camping!

[Justabob]

Thanks everyone!

[frank_a]

Boy, that was interesting. While I've never had a problem like that, sounds like I should check it out when I have time, or at least keep it in mind.

Got my new water pump yesterday, but won't have time for that and my new freshwater tank drain till maybe Monday, and/or the following weekend. Have started to install the new shades too, and need to get that done. We're heading for MD for a long weekend in the 12trh of September.

Frank

[steve dunham]

Many of the electrical contractors I worked for did not allow us to use the push in connections when devicing out a residence because even though they were faster ,they led to too many callbacks .Plus the NEC has placed restrictions on using the stab in terminations. The problem is that the wire is held in place by a small spring clip. If the termination heats the spring clip looses its temper , the connection loosens causing more heat until the spring burns off. Stabbing the wire in the back is inferior to wrapping the wire around the screw ( In the proper direction clockwise) The only reason for using the stab in connection is that it saves labor . Vibration such as in a trailer can also lead to the wire popping out of the device . If you look at industrial / commercial wiring devices you will not find the stab in feature on the device (Residential only)

[Timber Wolf]

Yes to wiring a receptacle with the screws, and with the wire wrapped around the screw the correct way (so it pulls it around as you tighten). Also, sometimes GFCI receptacles are bad or soon go bad right out of the box. I have seen it happen too many times. Back when I worked as a Superintendent for a tract builder we kept a couple of GFCI receptacles in the truck for the inevitable call-back. I have installed GFCI receptacles in my Scamp, and have spares in the cabinet.

[steve dunham]

There was a time a few years back when the manufacturing of GFCI receptacle and photocells was first shifted from the USA to overseas that the failure rate out the box was about 30 %.. Some of the less expensive GFCI receptacles sold by home improvement stores did not even meet the UL standards or only had a GFCI faceplate and did not contain a GFCI circuit board .There is a huge difference between a $20 and a $5 GFCI RECEPTACLE besides the price