Electrical blowout...HELP

[Chris N.]

I came home from 5 days of boondocking and went to plug in my 1996 Bambi and heard some cackling sounds. I immediately unplugged and went inside trailer where I smelled something like sulfur. I opened the electrical panel to see that the wiring panel below the fuses had burned out. What could have caused that, as to replace will be near $500. Could there have been an electrical surge from my house wire and if so, does anyone use a surge protector on their extension cord?
Thanks so much
Chris N.
PS. I used my Honda 1000 generator for the first time on this trip...could it have caused a problem?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Chris,


This is what I use when plugged into shore power, has worked very well and has some nice features.

I doubt that the Honda caused your problem. Sulfur smell points to an overcharged battery. It may be that the Converter/Charger is at fault, is it original?
Was it the 12v panel that cooked? Were any house breakers tripped?

Bob

[Chris N.]

Thanks Bob
I am just learning how to use this forum and appreciate your response. It was the original converter that came with the 96 Bambi. Does it have a shelf life and this was it?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Chris,

One of the first upgrades I did on our 63 Safari,(and the Classic) was up grade the converter. No real shelf life on them but they are nowhere near as good as the ones available now. The older models are single or two stage chargers and tend to overcharge the batts causing all manner of cr@p to happen.

We rarely camp with hook-up's, so the surge protector I linked above is really only used when I'm plugged in on the pad, but is nice to know that it will shut down before any surge damage occurs.

This is what I installed in the Classic three years ago, great unit AND it's on sale.

Bob

[richinny]

Originally Posted by Chris N.

I came home from 5 days of boondocking and went to plug in my 1996 Bambi and heard some cackling sounds. I immediately unplugged and went inside trailer where I smelled something like sulfur. I opened the electrical panel to see that the wiring panel below the fuses had burned out.
Chris N.
PS. I used my Honda 1000 generator for the first time on this trip...could it have caused a problem?

chris, how did you connect the 30A trailer cord at home?

[Chris N.]

HI Ricky
I use an outdoor extension cord plugged into an outdoor outlet on the covered deck.
It stays plugged in all winter and never was a problem till now...????
chris

[TouringDan]

Sorry about your electrical problem Ricky. Sounds like this happened immediately after you plugged into your ac outlet at home. I don't think this could have been caused by your convertor overcharging the batterys. Sounds like a short some place that overheated the electrical components.

Hopefully, some of the electrical folks will chime in soon.

Dan

[ventport]

Could you have gotten a mouse in there when you were boondocking? If he chewed up the 110 wiring it may have caused the short when you plugged in at home.

[richinny]

pictures of the burnt area might help with a diagnosis. we are talking about the 12v fuses, right? disconnect from shore power, disconnect the battery and test it. if it is ok, test the converter output (if no wires are not shorted).