Electrical Issue

[eplants]

O.K., so I Joined this site the day after I bought a 1998 3023 Trailmanor and have had numerous questions answered but have run into an issue that I have yet to find on the site. This weekend we took the camper out for three days. Everything went great until the last day. It was a hot weekend so we ran the A.C. pretty much non-stop. On the last day I noticed that water was dripping from the A.C. onto the bed. I went to turn ceiling light over the bedroom (that had previously worked) and it did not along with all of the lights in the back of the camper. I checked the fuse and it was blown so I replaced it and all lights worked. Then turned the A.C. back on (it always ran fine except for the water dripping) then tried the bedroom light and it would not work. Turned the A.C. off again replaced the fuse and all lights in the back of the camper worked except for the over the bed. A little while later I noticed a burning smell in the camper (seemed to be electrical) all of the lights (except for the one over the bed) and outlets still worked and smell went away after I turned off the main breaker. I turned the main breaker on only on when power was absolutely necessary but never smelled anything burning again. I think the problem has to do with the light. I do not know if the wires got wet from the A.C. dripping or if it is something else. I did however notice a humming sound from the panel box the first day that we were there. I just figured that it always made this sound and I had not heard it (probably because of the A.C. on our first trip). Any help or suggestions as to where to look would be greatly appreciated.

[Barb&Tim]

Sounds like you need to start by checking the wiring going to that light. The vibration from the AC running could account for why it happened with the AC running. Sounds like something was shorted either in the light or the wiring going to the light.

My AC drips water if If the filters get clogged up.

Good luck with it.

Tim

[ZekenSpider]

Need more details:

What Model and Year?

What fuse?

Normally the A/C condensate drain flows out onto the roof shell and the water runs down the outside. Maybe the drain hole is plugged.

or

If the internal coil (called the evaporator) gets plugged with dust or the internal filters get plugged, the internal coil gets "iced up" and drips to the inside.

The electrical problem may be related to the water issue but only if the 120 VAC A/C power line runs through the same junction box as the 12 VDC circuit.

Knowing the model, year and fuse will help me figure it out (maybe)

Jerry

PS: In case you do not have one, attached is a 2008 electrical schematic.

[eplants]

We have on older model 1998 3023.

The fuse that blew was the #1 15amp that runs the lights for the back half of the camper. When I put in a new fuse and turned on the light without the cover I did see a small spark (arc) right when a switched it on. The fuse did not blow but the light still did no work. Makes me think that since the light is getting power the problem is with the light itself.

The A/C had been draining off the back like normal so I do not think the drain hole was plugged. The filter was however, very dirty. I cleaned it but did not run the A/C any more as I was packing up.

Thanks for the schematic. Unsure if it applies to our model but it gives me some place to start.

[ZekenSpider]

Originally Posted by eplants

We have on older model 1998 3023.

The fuse that blew was the #1 15amp that runs the lights for the back half of the camper. When I put in a new fuse and turned on the light without the cover I did see a small spark (arc) right when a switched it on. The fuse did not blow but the light still did no work. Makes me think that since the light is getting power the problem is with the light itself.

The A/C had been draining off the back like normal so I do not think the drain hole was plugged. The filter was however, very dirty. I cleaned it but did not run the A/C any more as I was packing up.

Thanks for the schematic. Unsure if it applies to our model but it gives me some place to start.

Silly Me. I failed to notice that you already posted the model and year in your first post.

Is your A/C mounted on your front roof shell or the rear roof shell?

I am attaching an owners manual (hard to know what year but probably 2002 through 2008). On pages 35 and 36 there is an illustration of the wiring routing in each roof half. If the A/C is mounted on the front roof, the water running in the front roof wiring channel should not be able to get into the rear roof unless there is a roof leak on the outside of the rear roof.

Water was leaking onto the bed (rear bed) so how did it get there? Was the TM level or slightly downhill to the rear?

The spark you mentioned could have been the bulb blowing...? Are we still looking for a way for the A/C 120V to have some how interconnected with the rear shell lighting 12V?...or maybe the entire problem was water shorting the 12V at the lamp fixture above the bed.

More questions than answers at this point. I'll keep thinking.

Jerry

All the lights in the TM are 12v. Some of them are Fluorescent and some incandescent. It is almost impossible to short a 12V incandescent light with water. If the bulb was very hot ( been on for a while) and cold water dripped on it, it might pop, but that would be it. If it is the Fluorescent light, it is possible that water on the high voltage board that fires the bulb,could short and a burning board or capacitor would smell then stop. If it is very humid outside and the AC is constantly running, it is possible to get a small amount of moisture condensing on the short duct that goes thru the roof. It is also possible that the drain holes for the condensate are partially blocked. If the filter was dirty, the coils could ice up due to a lack of air flow and when the compressor shuts off the ice would melt rapidly and overwhelm the drain holes and run into the TM. What doesn't make sense is that if the AC is on the front roof, how is water getting inside the back roof ( sandwich) unless there is a leak ( but it should leak when it rained as well.

[TexasCamper]

The AC on the roof makes condensate which finds the path-of-least resistance across the roof and drips down a side and off the trailer. Normally if your TM isn't perfectly level the dripping will form at the lowest corner.

Now also on your roof are many spots that are caulked. There is a seam that runs down the middle of both front & back shells, and this seam has a center strip over it, and this center strip has caulking on both sides. This caulking wears away and the strip needs to be recaulked every few years. There are also caulking around seams for the sun-windows and ceiling fan.

I suspect the condensate is running off your roof and finding a seam that no longer has good caulk sealing it. Once the water is inside, it is shorting out parts of your wiring system and blowing fuses. I suggest you do a thorough inspection of your shells and recaulk anything that doesn't look right.

P.S. the 'humming' you mentioned at the AC/DC inverter is probably normal. I think there is a small fan that kicks on and off from a temperature switch.

Good luck,
John

[eplants]

Sorry for the confusion. The A/C is on the back roof about 2 feet from the light that is no longer working. The light had been off so it was not hot. The A/C drained fine all weekend and was still draining when it also dripped inside (feel certain dripping was because of the dirty filter). Just in case, plan on caulking all seems to stop/prevent any outside leaks. Is it possible that the burning smell was not really with the light (maybe just its time to stop working) but instead my panel box that was making the humming noise? Has anyone else noticed a hum from their panel box? The hum was constant so I do not think it was the fan coming on to cool.

[ZekenSpider]

Originally Posted by eplants

..... Is it possible that the burning smell was not really with the light (maybe just its time to stop working) but instead my panel box that was making the humming noise? Has anyone else noticed a hum from their panel box? The hum was constant so I do not think it was the fan coming on to cool.

In your first post you say a 15 amp fuse blew...twice...so I am certain you had a short in the rear shell circuit (powered through the bathroom wall tilt-up switch). After the second fuse was replaced (you called it Fuse #1 15 amp) the entire rear roof circuit worked except the bedroom light. You mentioned that you saw a spark when you turned the switch but the light did not come on. All the other rear shell lights were still on. So...now I suspect a short piece of the lamp filament (a little curlyfry looking wire inside the bulb) had shorted between the filament support wires inside the bulb and that is what blew the fuse. If so, you should see a loose piece of filament inside the bad bulb and a new bulb should fix everything. The water may not have been part of the electrical problem...although, believe-it-or-not, water can short a 12 volt circuit especially if it is dirty water.

I have no experience with the sound of the early model AC to DC converters (is that what you mean by "panel box"? It's located in the hallway in the bathroom wall opposite the bathtub). The one used in my 2010 (made by WIFCO) does not hum. In your case, since you did say it was hot enough to run the A/C, the converter fan may have been on constantly especially if you were using several lights. Naturally, the humming should have stopped when you turned off the main breaker. That would stop the converter and you would be running on battery only power.

Interesting....thanks for sharing your experience.

Jerry

[rvcycleguy]

How does water drip from the AC get on the bed? Rear bed or front bed?

RV