Novice Mistake! Please Help!

[Hopetoday]

HI, I have a 1964 Safari and I did a stupid thing! I plugged in to my house power - (but only for less than a minute!) before I realized I didnt flip the switch to "city" power!! OOps! I quickly removed the power cord from the extension cord, then flipped the switch to "city" power, and plugged in again, with the the switch correctly on "city" power. but things are NOT working now! I unplugged again - left it all unplugged - and turned the switch to "battery". Went inside to see if ANYTHING worked. And yes, some lights/outlets worked, and some didnt!

So a fuse problem?? I hope its nothing more than that! I am kinda scared I totally blew it!

Any help or suggestions are appreciated!!

Thank you in advance!!

Tracey

[clancy_boy]

OK - with it on battery only - no city power (correctly 120V AC) then the outlets will not be on. They only provide power when plugged in and then only 120v power.

When plugged in the inverter will provide power to supply the 12v DC systems - the lights, water pump, heater, etc.....

Check to see if the inverter is on when you plug into city power - BIG QUESTION how long of an extension cord? Too long and you create issues - especially if you have a high demand like a AC unit running. Did you trip the breaker in the house?

Was everything working before this adventure? You will have to tell us more - like what is not working - start with it on battery only and check all 12v systems - then hook up anc check the outletes with a tester. Buy a circuit tester from Home Depot to check for proper polarity on the supplied power - cheap - like $9.

[Hopetoday]

Thank you! I will check everything after work tomorrow! I ran out of time to deal with things tonight. I do know that no breaker in the house was tripped. I do know that the outlet up and behind the fridge doesnt run the fan that I have on top of the microwave. (the microwave wasnt on at the time either) The lights above both twin beds at the end worked on battery. The outlet in the bathroom above the toilet didnt work to run a very small 6in fan. And I do belive that those were the only things that didnt run on the battery. I would have to double check all that tomorrow though.

The extension cord was the same one I have used before in hooking up to the house. I am not sure of the feet. And yes, everything worked before. I dont have an ac unit on the trailer.

I do have solar. But was hooked up all day today on city power.

I will go and get a tester, that was on my list of things to get!!

Thank you so much! I will be back on here tomorrow after I check things out and give a detailed list of what works and what doesnt!

I need to get my little one to bed now, so I have to go. But thank you sooo much!

Tracey

[TG Twinkie]

I think Clancy_boy meant to say Converter. A converter converts the 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC. An inverter provides 120 volt AC from a battery source such as the battery in the trailer.
I believe everything in your trailer is 12volts DC except for the AC outlets (like the outlets in your home).
You may have both an inverter and a converter. If so, I would expect to see a dedicated outlet(s) wired to the inverter. As long as you have a good battery and the inverter is on, you would have 120 volt AC power to these dedicated outlets. But if you are not plugged into shore power the other outlets will not have power.

[Hopetoday]

Thank you! I didn't sleep well all night thinking about it. I was on city power all day, and everything worked, then I unhooked to test drive around the block again and practice backing into the carport. (which I did amazingly well, with help and guidence from my neighbor!) At some point I must have switched to battery to before hooking up again. Wish I didnt have to work today, so I could stay home and get it fixed!

[Gringo]

Is there anything that can be damaged, whether plugging into 110VAC or not? The converter pretty much works automatically, doesn't it? I mean, there's no way to get the 110V applied across the 12 volt line accidentally is there, unless someone is rewiring something in the panel? you can't fry anything with the switches. Right?

Hey, just noticed, Fort Collins....we'll be on our way up that very area within a couple weeks, hopefully.

[Hopetoday]

Hi! Thats kinda what I was thinking too... Anyway, I just got home and am going out to check on things again. Will let you all know!

Cool, you are coming to Fort Collins area! Have you been here before? Give a shout if you all need anything while here! Are you traveling with your airstream?

Out to check on things now.... wish me luck!

[Hopetoday]

OMG!! Whooo Hooo!!! It all works!!!! I just plugged back in to my house power and whaa laa!!

The only thing odd last night at midnight, when I went to bed, I went into my bathroom(inside the house not the AS) because the night light wasnt on. So I replaced the bulb, but still didnt work. Then I noticed the red "reset" button on the outlet that it is plugged into was tripped. So I had to push it back in. But that was the only thing inside the house that was wrong. Nothing else. So could it be???

Well, I am glad that everything is working again on the AS !!! I was sooo sweating that one out! Thank you to everyone for your help!!! Yippee!!!!

Such a stressfull weekend and then this happened! Now its okay and one less thing to worry about!!

I think I will go and do a thank you dance around my darling little shiny charmer!

Again, many thanks to you all!

Tracey

[clancy_boy]

Good for you. Check the length of the extension cord - too long is never a good thing. You may have had a sudden ground fault on the circuit and that circuit was protected by a GFI outlet in the house (A GOOD THING). By code now - most outside outlets have to be on a GFI circuit.

So, no issues, dancing around the Airstream, happy owner - great ending.

[casa3805]

woo hoo another good news story on the forums.. Seriously glad you got it fixed. I am constantly tripping a breaker in my house, waiting for the electrician to install a dedicated 50 amp outlet outside for me. But if you found a GFCI that was tripped there is no telling how many outlets that is connected to. Ours is wired so strangely. A tripped outlet in the bathroom could kill power to another outlet on the back porch or something. But you have a place to look now if it happens again. So, "A Learning Experience". Happy dance.

[DKB_SATX]

Your outside outlet is protected by the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. If you're now plugged in on the same outlet with no problems, but you occasionally pop that GFCI in the house, the GFCI outlet itself may be a candidate for replacement. Like circuit breakers, they don't last forever.

[Hopetoday]

Thanks again to everyone! And yes, my extensin cord is quite long. Perhaps I should change that out. And it now I know about the GFCI outlet! And I truley did do a happy dance! But that is not an unusual occurance for me, (dancing)

Thanks all!!

Tracey