Electrical Issue

[Bill]

FWIW, I'm not as concerned about the humming sound as I am the burning smell. There should never be a burning smell. If you are confident of your ability to do the following, I would suggest it.

• Unplug shore power.
• Disconnect the battery(s).
• Remove the panel from the front of the fuse box / converter box. (Remove it - don't just open the door)
• Get a sturdy screwdriver, and tighten every screw that has a wire under it. Tighten them very firmly. Pay special attention to the screw that holds the black wire in each circuit breaker.
• At the same time, pay special attention to the screws that hold the white wires in the neutral bar, and the bare wires in the ground bar. (The ground and neutral bars look similar, but must not be electrically connected.)
• If you need a special screwdriver or wrench to tighten the heavy entry wires, get one.
• While you are looking in there, look for any scorch or burn marks. In addition, look for any corrosion. Everything in the box should be clean.
• Tell us the make and model of the converter. I'm betting it is a Magnetek / Parallax 6300-series.
• Button everything back up.

Do you have an electric jack? These have been known to damage the Magnetek converters.

Let us know what you find, and we'll go from there.

Bill

[eplants]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did just as you suggested Bill. All Black, White, and neutral wires as well as main wires seemed pretty tight though I was able to get most a little tighter. Also checked all the wires for signs of burning and they looked good. Checked the light over the bed and it still did not work but sparked at the on/off switch before blowing the fuse. I took the light down to get a closer look and removed a piece of what appeared to be foam insulation from the roof that had gotten lodged between the black and white wires of the switch. Put a new fuse in and tried the light and it worked perfectly. I did not think foam could conduct electricity so I am unsure if removing it did the trick or if taking the light down shifted the wires enough to eliminate whatever short was being created. I am hoping that this was the cause of the burning smell. Since I have parked the camper I am unable to hook up the power but will pay close attention the next time we take it out. Thanks again for all of the helpful suggestions.

[Bill]

Glad to hear your results.

The foam does not conduct electricity, so my guess is the same as yours - when you took the fixture apart, you moved a wire or a terminal that had been shorting out to the aluminum skin of the ceiling.

Bill

If the foam was wet it would conduct, but I agree, something was moved and the short removed. Hope it does not come back, but you sure will know where to look!