Electrical problems

[HC Dan]

My wife and I just purchased a 2016 international serenity 28’ and are having problems with hooking to 30 amp service. The unit has 2 ACs which makes it 50 amp service and I am aware that when hooked to 30 amp service you can only use one of the ACs or you will trip a breaker. But with our unit when hooked to 30 amp service the rear AC, the microwave/convection oven, and all of the electrical outlets in the rear bedroom have no power. I am supposed to be able to pick which AC I wish to use, but there are no options other that the front AC. Does anyone have any ideas as to why?
Thanks

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum HC Dan!

We have many good electricians and experienced campers here. I'm sure several will be along with good suggests on your problem.
.

[alano]

If your rear AC, outlets and microwave work while connected to a 50A service and they don't work with connected to a 30A service using a dogbone adapter, maybe your adapter is faulty. Perhaps you can check the continuity of your adapter.

[HC Dan]

Thanks alano,
Your drawing nailed it. I was running around Orlando trying to find a 50 - 30 amp adapter and after 3 hours the only thing I could find was at Home Depot for a stove. Have been scratching my head trying to figure out how the trailer knew to bridge the two hot inputs when you hook up to 30 amps. They are bridged in the dog bone. Obviously not in a 50 to 30amp adapter for a stove. I may be in better shape than I thought. I’ll check the continuity on what I’m using this morning. Thanks again!

[overlander63]

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Dogbone...v+adapter+plug

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by alano

If your rear AC, outlets and microwave work while connected to a 50A service and they don't work with connected to a 30A service using a dogbone adapter, maybe your adapter is faulty. Perhaps you can check the continuity of your adapter.

Attachment 329349

I totally agree.
What you describe seems like someone used one leg of a 50 amp plug to provide power from a 30 amp plug.

[cwf]

30 amp dryer uses 2 “power/hot/phase” legs, neutral and ground. That is not good for RV and can create a HOT SKIN.

If pedestal is wired correctly, one angled blade will be “hot”, the other Neutral and the round one Ground. 30 amp dogbine on RV COMBINES the HOT angled lug to both 50 amp straight lugs. You maintain the separation of ground and Neutral.

Read:
http://noshockzone.org/rv-electrical...iv-–-hot-skin/

[HC Dan]

Thanks again alano,
Got out my continuity tester and you were spot on
Thanks

[HC Dan]

Thanks for the help on the first electrical issue. So I'll try you all with another. As I left Orlando hauling the trailer home to Kentucky everything seemed to be working as to signal lighting until I got to Knoxville. Then just as I started to head up Jellico mountain my truck flashed a warning to check trailer wiring. No brakes on the trailer and no lights. I was within half a mile of an auto parts store. Bought a test light. Everything on the TV end of things was working and if I wiggled the connection some I could get a temporary connection. Cut off the 7was connection on the trailer and replaced it and everything worked fine the rest of the way home. I bring that up because I don't know if it is part of the problem I am having now or not. As I was replacing the head on the trailer side 7 way I would occasionally get an arc. I had the battery disconnect in store mode, but thought it must have something to do with the break away system for the brakes.
The rear lights are LED and I noticed the other night in the dark that with the battery cut off switch in store mode and not hooked to shore power the right tail light was partially on. I woke up wondering if it had anything to do with the 7way connection on the trailer. I used my test light clamped to the negative pole of the battery and checked all of the pins on the trailer side of the 7 way and the one that corresponds to the 12 volt hot feed from the truck is hot. Is it supposed to be? I removed all of the ground lugs on the curb side of the frame near the A frame, shined them up and applied contact gel and put them back. That helped with the tail light but although more faint, it's still on even with the battery switch in store mode. Any ideas as to what I should do next?

[A W Warn]

The feed from the tow vehicle to the trailer battery should be hot, because it is connected indirectly to battery (+).

My guess about the tail light is there is a short somewhere in the umbilical cord end that you just repaired. Moisture, debris, or the wrong kind of grease might allow enough voltage to cross over from one wire to the other to make a LED glow. If not there, then you've got a some searching to do.

Store mode does not disconnect everything. If you truly want to disconnect the battery, you need to add a disconnect switch that will break the circuit at the battery cable, or disconnect the battery cables.

ps:
Some people move the wiring from certain items, or add switches, so that they are truly disconnected (e.g.: propane detector, inverter, entertainment system, etc)