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bocotim · 02-23-2008, 07:08 PM

Hi Folks,

First time airstreamer here. Just bought an 06' Bambi QuikSilver last week out of state, and the initial shakedown trip went fine. Camped with power overnight at a campground with no problems. Brought the camper home today though, and plugged it into the regular household outlet in the garage. Right away noticed a strong, funny smell (heated plastic?) coming from the fusebox in the Bambi, and a slight sizzle sound. Peaking between the cracks behind the fuse panel I could see something glowing orange (hard to tell if it could have been an LED or possibly a hot wire). All lights and electrical systems seemed to work, although I did notice some lights dimming off and on at times. Everything worked as expected when I unplugged and ran on battery power.

Any thoughts or suggestions here? I'll schedule with a repair shop soon to take a closer look. Is this likely to be expensive to troubleshoot and repair?

Thanks.

Tim
Boulder, CO

bredlo · 02-23-2008, 07:18 PM

I'm no expert. But things "glowing orange" between panels, smells of burning plastic, dimming lights and sizzle sounds all sound really, really bad. Good luck!

2airishuman · 02-23-2008, 07:28 PM

hi tim and welcome to the forums...

fuse box or breaker box?

one is 12v dc and the other is 110-120v ac.

when u plugged the 30 amp rv cord in at home did you use a 110-120v plug with a ground (15-20amp)

or a 220-240v plug (like for the dryer)

that would be a no no no oh no!

as for the orange glow, sizzle and smell....

is the cat missing?

cheers
2air'

bocotim · 02-23-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi tim and welcome to the forums...

fuse box or breaker box?

one is 12v dc and the other is 110-120v ac.

when u plugged the 30 amp rv cord in at home did you use a 110-120v plug with a ground (15-20amp)

or a 220-240v plug (like for the dryer)

that would be a no no no oh no!

as for the orange glow, sizzle and smell....

is the cat missing?

cheers
2air'

The breaker box and fuse box seem to be side by side in my A/S. I opened the cover (breakers were on the left, fuses were on the right). None of the breakers had tripped, and the fuses looked okay. Also, I was plugged into 110-120v with ground (had to use the plug adapter) that came with the trailer.

Hmmm, where did my cat go? :-)

Tim

2airishuman · 02-23-2008, 08:14 PM

important disclaimer.

the only true thing i know about electricity is what johnhd (the lineman) says...

"don't touch it, if you don't know what it is"

-your converter is behind the 12v fuse-110v breaker cover...

so IT could be toast. (model 7300? i think)

?-was the 12 v disconnect switch on or off?

this determines what source will provide 12v power while plugged into shore power.

?-was anything ON while plugged into the home ac outlet...

for example were you running the heat pump (heat strip) or a space heater inside the trailer?

in some cases plugging into the home outlet and using a high draw appliance (like a space heater, along with the fridge or furnace) ...

results in LOW VOLTAGE (which means the amps increase to keep the power flowing)...

anyway this can cook the wiring, although a breaker should flip in this case...

but u can check voltage with a multimeter... see the warning above

ok, that's it, i'm out of info,

except for more cat pix...

cheers
2air

**azflycaster** · 02-23-2008, 08:22 PM

I would check the wiring of the outlet you plugged into. The polarity may be incorrect. I have a small tester that plugs into the outlet to verify the connection. It is plugged into the bottom outlet in the picture.

lewster · 02-23-2008, 08:39 PM

Hmmmmmmmmm..................

THIS SOUNDS VERY, VERY BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even though your rig is functioning now, it sure sounds like you have some type of electrical malfunction going on now. t's impossible to diagnose something like this without being there to test every connection, input and output for proper voltage. Could your converter be the source? I would test the voltage of the batteries and the converter output and see if they are in the prescribed range.

I would also have this checked by a trained professional since any electrical malfunction just might be the source of a high heat and possible fire situation!

ROBERTSUNRUS · 02-23-2008, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bocotim

Hi Folks,

First time airstreamer here. Just bought an 06' Bambi QuikSilver last week out of state, and the initial shakedown trip went fine. Camped with power overnight at a campground with no problems. Brought the camper home today though, and plugged it into the regular household outlet in the garage. Right away noticed a strong, funny smell (heated plastic?) coming from the fusebox in the Bambi, and a slight sizzle sound. Peaking between the cracks behind the fuse panel I could see something glowing orange (hard to tell if it could have been an LED or possibly a hot wire). All lights and electrical systems seemed to work, although I did notice some lights dimming off and on at times. Everything worked as expected when I unplugged and ran on battery power.

Any thoughts or suggestions here? I'll schedule with a repair shop soon to take a closer look. Is this likely to be expensive to troubleshoot and repair?

Thanks.

Tim
Boulder, CO

Hi, I agree that you should schedule with a repair shop ASAP, for your garage wireing first; Then have some one check to see if the garage system damaged your trailer.

dwightdi · 02-24-2008, 05:45 AM

Sounds like reversed polarity on the 115 volt. I would bet he did not check the outlet before he plugged in. There are a lot of do it yourself electricians out there that cause millions of dollars of damage per year by improper wiring.

centennialman · 02-24-2008, 06:11 AM

I agree with Dwighdi.....

I had a brand new garage built and had the main panel at the house upgraded at the same time. I had them add a breaker box in the garage (thankfully) and had enough outlets put in the garage to handle machinery, yard lights etc.....

The electrician reversed the wires on a couple of the outlets

and it caused quite a few problems until I figured it out.

Once I made the necessary corrections, everything works fine.

Check the outlet first....hopefully that's all that's wrong in your case....Good Luck!!

bocotim · 02-24-2008, 06:29 PM

Hi Folks,

Thanks all for the input and suggestions.

I went out and purchased an electrical tester similar to the one shown in Richard's reply earlier. Everything checks out on the household side of things. I was hoping the tester would indicate problems with polarity, but it didn't.

Also, to answer a couple of 2Air's questions. After we plugged into the household outlet, we immediately noticed a smell without having anything on except some overhead lights in the camper. Then we turned on other appliances (TV, stereo, etc.). In retrospect, this probably wasn't a wise move, but everything still worked. Eventually we unplugged from the outlet and ran on battery power for a while - In that mode everything was working (and smelling) normal.

So, at this point I am guessing I need to take it in to have an RV technician look it over... Not what I was expecting to do during my first week of Airstream ownership :-). I am bracing for a hefty repair bill too - any guesses on what this might run me?

Also, for you folks in the Denver/Boulder area, can you recommend an RV repair shop to use (or any to avoid)? How is Windish?

Thanks all.

Tim Scheitlin
Boulder, CO

bocotim · 03-01-2008, 08:06 AM

Hi Folks,

Just to follow up on my converter problems (I had just purchased a used '06 Bambi out of state, I camped overnight on the trip back home with no problems, when I got home and plugged it into my household 15 amp/110-120V outlet, I smelled something burning in the converter). Also, it turns out that the warranty had run out just 3 days prior (sigh).

Anyway, long story short, I took it in for diagnosis/replacement. The converter part comes in an enclosed box that is riveted shut, and there is no way to easily open it to check for loose wires or discover the real reason for the problem. So, they replaced the whole component, and about $400 later, I am back in business. The shop told me that on occasion, those converters just go out. So, I now have an extra '06 bambi converter if anyone is interested in the spare parts.

All in all, I am just thankful that the problem occurred in my driveway, and not while I was out camping.

I double checked that my outlet's polarity and voltage output were correct, and then with much hesitation, I plugged the trailer in again last night at home. Everything works (whew!), and I am really looking forward now to warm weekends and getting the camper out for its first real trip.

Tim
Boulder, CO

Fyrzowt · 03-01-2008, 08:46 AM

Nice to have a good conclusion, other than the $$ spent.

thecatsandi · 03-01-2008, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bocotim

Hi Folks,
Right away noticed a strong, funny smell (heated plastic?) coming from the fusebox in the Bambi, and a slight sizzle sound. Peaking between the cracks behind the fuse panel I could see something glowing orange (hard to tell if it could have been an LED or possibly a hot wire). All lights and electrical systems seemed to work, although I did notice some lights dimming off and on at times. Everything worked as expected when I unplugged and ran on battery power.

Tim
Boulder, CO

Un plug the trailer and take it strait to the shop. A electrical fire is coming soon.

Jaxon · 03-01-2008, 09:38 AM

Out of any of the problems one can experience on the road or at home, anything electrical scares me the most, especially in a trailer

. Money spend diagnosing and correcting these problems is money well spent in my humble opinion.

Fortunately, as you mentioned Tim, the problem occured in your driveway and not out on the road. A good rule of thumb is whenever you hear a sizzle-zap and smell something burning, always not only turn it off, but disconnect from any powersource (and make sure your fire extinguisher is fully charged, too!).

Welcome to the forums and 'Streamin'!

2airishuman · 03-01-2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bocotim

...Anyway, long story short, I took it in for diagnosis/replacement. The converter part...

so the converter WAS toast.

i guess the warranty is expired (trailer OR component) or did u not pursue that aspect?

regardless, thanks for the follow up info 'tim.

so often we are left hanging here...

without the outcome or conclusion.

now about that 'spare part' u have...

does it meow?

happy camping!

2air'

bocotim · 03-02-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

so the converter WAS toast.

i guess the warranty is expired (trailer OR component) or did u not pursue that aspect?

I checked with Airstream with respect to the warranty on the trailer, and it had expired 2 years after the date of purchase by the original owner (which, as bad luck would have it, was 3 days before the converter when out). I suppose it is worth checking with the converter manufacturer too though. I'll let you all know if that turns up any good news, but I am not holding out much hope for that since the new converter only has a 2 year warranty too. I'm just happy that the trailer and electrical system seems to be all back in working order at this point.

Not sure what to do with the broken, spare converter. I'll probably try to recycle it or pitch it if I have to. There seems to be a little bit of copper wire in it though. Is it worth anything to anyone out there who likes to tinker with stuff like this? Happy to give it away if you'll pick up or pay shipping.

Thanks again for everyone's help, advice, and insight on my converter problem. Much appreciated!

Tim
Boulder, CO

thecatsandi · 03-02-2008, 08:51 PM

A little conversation should get the converter covered. 3 days in not much. a month may be a problem. See if they will cover it. Most self respecting businesses will.

Fyrzowt · 03-02-2008, 11:05 PM

Don't pitch the converter yet.
As Michelle said, you may be able to sweet talk them into helping you, if not replacing it.
There have been several occations where we have had an item fail for one reason or another. Write a nice letter with the right tone and attitude, many times a company will bend the rules to provide good service for the customer. If you don't request it, it won't happen.
They may want you to return the converter to them if they decide to help.
Dave

bocotim · 03-03-2008, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

Don't pitch the converter yet.
As Michelle said, you may be able to sweet talk them into helping you, if not replacing it.

Thanks Dave and Michelle - That is good advice, and worth reconsidering.

I have tried to see if they will extend the warranty a few days to cover the converter. I've both emailed and phoned Airstream and received friendly and helpful replies, but they have consistently said they will not cover it. I've also contacted two A/S dealers and talked with a service rep, but I get the same story at each place.

Still worth trying one more time though.

Thanks.

Tim