Please help Newbie with Fuse Panel - R-pod Owners Forum

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XDigger15

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Joined: 23 Mar 2018
Location: South Carolina
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Topic: Please help Newbie with Fuse Panel
Posted: 30 Mar 2018 at 7:27am

Thank you, StephenH. I thought that was probably right, but it never hurts to hear it straight from someone who has done it. Smile

XDigger
2010 RPod 173
2000 Chevy 1500 V8

StephenH

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Posted: 29 Mar 2018 at 8:36am

How to check for a loose wire? Remove the cover and look. Feel the wires and see if they are tight in their connections (disconnected from shore power!) I had one wire break in the connection but it looked like it was still attached until I touched it and it moved.

It still seems to me that you have a bad breaker.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

XDigger15

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Location: South Carolina
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Posts: 13

Posted: 29 Mar 2018 at 8:29am

Thanks again, guys.

Breaker still feels softer, whether plugged in to HOUSE power or not.

Would it make a difference, you think, if I went to a local campground and plugged it into 30amp SHORE POWER?

No, I still haven't tried a multimeter. I will see if a neighbor has one, I can borrow, until I get one.

StephenH, How do I check for a lose wire?

Sorry for all the really "remedial" questions.

XDigger
2010 RPod 173
2000 Chevy 1500 V8

mcarter

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Posted: 27 Mar 2018 at 11:33am

I doubt furnace too. We, here, are at the point you need a multimeter to do checks, that would make this easy. The dealer should or will have that knowledge and equipment.

Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."

StephenH

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Posted: 27 Mar 2018 at 11:19am

I doubt it was the furnace use that caused the problem. If it was working when you bought it, the breaker could have gone bad. That is not something that can be predicted. Now, is there possibly a short that instantly trips the breaker when you attempt to reset it? Try resetting it with shore power unplugged. If it resets, then look for a loose wire that is shorting and tripping the breaker immediately. If it still has the soft feel, then it is most likely the breaker has gone bad. I am not an electrician, so I can't help you further.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

GlueGuy

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Posted: 27 Mar 2018 at 11:00am

It's not clear (at least to me) that this was defective out of the chute. It sounds like it was working initially, and then something went wrong. What we don't know is whether power is getting to your converter, or whether you have a bad circuit breaker, or if something went wrong with the converter itself.

Even though the dealer is not an Rpod dealer, I would expect them to be able to figure this out. It's not rocket science, and pretty much all travel trailers have a converter. The main difference is the size. The Rpod is simpler than most.

bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

XDigger15

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Joined: 23 Mar 2018
Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 27 Mar 2018 at 10:19am

Thank you, StephenH.

I have an appointment to take the R Pod back to the dealer I bought it from next week. Confused

I have had a few issues, and this issue has just really blown my mind. I was wrong about the Fuses being put in incorrectly. I went back and checked, and they had been right, so I moved them back.

The dealer I bought it from is not an R Pod dealer. Should they be responsible for knowing about, testing all the components sufficiently, and being sure that I knew what I was doing, BEFORE I left the dealership??

It may have been the use of the furnace that caused the problem. I have no idea. I'm just afraid to start replacing things, or spending more money on things that I feel may be the responsibility of the dealership. I had only had the camper 1 month when all of this started. Ouch

XDigger
2010 RPod 173
2000 Chevy 1500 V8

StephenH

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Posted: 26 Mar 2018 at 9:13am

I very much doubt that the fuse (12V circuit) had anything to do with the breaker going bad. I did have a converter go bad on me. I ordered a replacement on Amazon and installed it myself. After we got home, I got an RGA number and sent the bad one in and it was replaced under warranty. Now I have a spare just in case it happens again.

My understanding is that the converters are generally reliable, but that WFCO got a bad batch from the manufacturing plant. These are the ones having problems. If, after you fix the breaker problem, the converter tests bad and your converter is still under warranty, contact WFCO and get it replaced. See the WFCO Warranty Returns web page for details.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

XDigger15

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Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 26 Mar 2018 at 8:37am

Good Morning, furpod! Thanks for chiming in!

I did move the circuit breaker all the way to the left, and then back to the right, and it is definitely not working.

I've never replaced one before, but the Panel box is easily accessible, and I am pretty good with tools. Maybe I'll give replacing it a try.

From all that I've read on the web (lots), it sounds like lots of Pod Owners have had problems with the "converters/inverters" going bad. I don't want to go to the trouble just to have it go bad the next time I go camping, though. Confused

Have you had any trouble with yours?

I also wonder why the Furnace Fuse (7.5A) was in the wrong place, and if that had anything to do with it. Cry

All of this happened the first weekend of March, which was also the first weekend I ever used my Furnace.

**I have only had the POD since Feb 5... Ouch

XDigger
2010 RPod 173
2000 Chevy 1500 V8

furpod

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Posted: 26 Mar 2018 at 7:12am

Originally posted by XDigger15

HERE IS THE BIG PROBLEM from what I can see now.

The converter BREAKER is not a strong click, like the others. I think it is ruined. What is the fix for that???

I apologize for not reading the whole thread, but this issue.. Did you move the breaker reset all the way to the LEFT before clicking it back to the RIGHT? It has to be "reset" by moving it physically to the left. If you try to flip it back on without doing that, it won't. If the breaker IS bad, the "fix" is to go buy a compatible breaker, and replace it. 2 screws/wires. Turn off the shore power first.