Burned return wires on 50 amp RV Park pedestal caused major issues.

[Jeremy Parrett]

WE are in Las Vegas at the Riviera RV Park.  I plugged into the 50 amp socket and all was fine for a while. Then the power tripped and after a minute reset.  This was blamed on Vegas !!
  Then Jane smelled hot wiring smell in the bedroom at the back of the coach.  The 110 v ac panel was hot to touch around the 50 amp double breaker.
  I disconnected the power cord.  The park " guy" decided the wiring was beyond his talents and called a professional electrician who arrived an hour later.
 The white return wiring for all 4 sockets was burned out. 
  He rewired the pedestal and proved all the sockets were OK.
 WE reconnected the coach.   Later on I set the ac to come on
; it refused to start. We also have no 110 v to the coach !!
  I started the generator .  The ac fired right up and we have
110 volts ac.   
  So.... why don't we have 110 volts ac when we are connected
 by the power cord??
  WE also have no battery charging but the inverter works !!
 For now I have a 25 amp portable battery charger hooked up that is holding its own.
  I need to know what the issues are. Is Riviera RV Park liable ?   The electrician said this happens !!  He also said the most likely damage would be to the Inverter/charger.
 

 
 

[Keith Moffett]

Some of the inverters had a pair of circut breakers on the inverter in addition to one inside.  Look the inverter over real well for breakers or a reset button.

[Fred Brooks]

             Jeremy,

       Not sure which "sockets" you are referring to. If your talking about the recepticals at the pedestal, I would not use their power. Sounds like your issue may be in the transfer relay. Do you have a surge protector in your system? Fred

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Jeremy, in my 1999 there is another fuse box mounted to the ceiling in front of the gray tank.  Just behind the gas line to,the fridge.  Check those breakers that may be your issue.

[Jeremy Parrett]

Keith ,Fred and Tom.    Thank you for your suggestions.   Please read recepticles for sockets  !!  I checked the grey breaker box in the basement near the reefer gas line  . It is fine.  Those breakers control  some  recepticles  in the living room and kitchen area.
  We have no 110 volt ac in the coach when connected to the outside pedestal.  The air conditioning doesn't fire up , no hot water etc.   No power to any recepticles etc.
When I start the generator everything works as it should. 
 I will consult with the Riviera Park management this am.  I have to find the ac input  1 and 2 breakers on the Xantrex
 As breakers don't trip for catastrophic low voltage  I fear the ac input passthru switches and the charging circuit are fried.
 This a good time to remember why I haven't installed my surge protector that is sitting in the basement in its box !!

[Edward Buker]

Jeremy,

The Main Breaker box is fine, it is used by both the genset and ac pedestal feed. As Fred mentioned, go to the transfer switch and measure between the neutral line and each leg (white to red, white to black). The side of the relays that have wires tying them together is the output side that goes to the rear breaker panel. The side of the two relays that has separate wires coming in is the AC input side. One relay input comes from the generator and one from the AC pedestal feed. You are trying to isolate the AC feed from your main power cord and measure if you have the proper AC between the black and white and red and white wires coming into the relay. You should have the main AC breaker in your back panel off while you confirm the correct voltage. If you do not have 120V coming in you need to work back to the cord and see what has caused the open. If you do have 120V and it is not getting through the transfer switch then that transfer switch needs to be changed. In the meantime you should check every outlet and electrical item that needs 120V to confirm they all work while on the genset. Your wife smelling smoke is concerning given you do not know what got hot. Carefully inspect the external covering of AC wiring and the main power cord that you can see. Hope this helps.

Later Ed

[Fred Brooks]

           Jeremy, does the xantrex work when you are on generator? If it does, then IMHO the transfer relay is toast. It took the hit when the pedestal lost the neutral white wire. If that is the case, relocate in the park and use your generator until you can change the transfer relay. Smile, life is an adventure especially in a motorhome. Regards, Fred

[Keith Moffett]

Jeremy
we had a xantrex on our Patriot.  If the two breakers on the outside of the inverter box tripped we had no 110.  I searched the entire coach looking for the problem until while in the bay I noticed the two little breaker switches.  Reset and fixed!
Just a side note, there was a fella in BAC that plugged into an outlet that had reversed polarity.  It might be helpful to understand all the damage he suffered and so things to check on yours.  I would check everything before I left that park.

[Jeremy Parrett]

Keith, Fred and ED,
   one of you guessed correctly  !!  The tech came after lunch.  He checked out the transfer switch first and found its circuit board is fried.  It saved the day big time.....his words........ by taking a 240 volt hit !!!
 .  We are going to replace it at Riviera RV Parks expense with a Surgeguard 50 amp Transfer switch that has neutral disconnect protection, low high voltage protection , reverse wired pedestals etc.  Cost of the switch $309  3 hours labor at $95 !  We are adding 2 new 50 amp circuit breakers on the main panel to be sure.
            Thanks for all the great tips.   Jeremy

[Joel Ashley]

Good to hear Riviera stepped up here, and that your equipment did its job.  At least as far as you know until a new switch is in.  But if all else works on the genset, you're likely okay.  And you'll come out of it with a safer setup to boot.

If I was Riviera management, I'd have the electrician check every box in the park.

Joel

[Jeremy Parrett]

Joel,
  not sure the original transfer switch, made by a company in Elkhart IN was ever designed to safeguard the coach as far as an open neutral is concerned,  but the huge voltage hit burned out its circuit board ,effectively cutting the power from the pedestal. 
 I will suggest  Riviera Park  have every pedestal checked.  Apparently the neutral common where the 4 receptacles neutral lines connect to the 4 gauge was substandard material ! 
 The service electrician who came at 11.00pm to rewire the pedestal suggested this should be done as he knew the person who won the million dollar contract to rewire this and the 3 other parks owned by this company,   only 2 years ago !! 
 Quoting......he did not know his A from his L bow !!!
  THis is a Coast to Coast deluxe Park. 

[neil omalley]

Along the same lines. Most pedestals have 50/30/20 outlets . If one were to test the 20 with a plug in tester and the lamps showed normal can one assume the 30 and the 50 are also wired correctly ?

[Joel Ashley]

I doubt it.  They'd wire through separate breakers in the box I think.  No big deal to check them all with meter while there, or at least the one you're going to use.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Neil,
No, one cannot make that assumption.
Steve

[Jeremy Parrett]

 Neil.
 It is now apparent that the GFI /breaker protecting the 20 amp receptacle has burned out.
  The 50 amp and 30 amp receptacles are fine.   
   I will inform the management tomorrow. Cant believe the electrician didn't check it.
    It tells us that just because one receptacle is fine the others are not necessarily so !