Went out to the Rt. and noticed the AC had stopped. The circuit breaker was tripped, and would not reset. On further inspection I realized the bus bar on the 110 side had got very hot, and melted several wires, cooked the plastic around the bar to the point where it had just fell off. Everything, except the AC, (fried breaker) on the 110 side was still working, and I think I caught it just in time.
We came to the conclusion that the converter wire, on the 110 side, had worked a little loose, and probably was arcing, and creating a lot of heat. I tried to loosen the set screw, but it would not budge, the wire was welded in.
It's at Sandy's RV in Tucson right now, and I'm suppose to get it back tomorrow. I don't know if they were able to just replace the bar, or had to to replace the whole panel, I will find out tomorrow.
It might be good maintenance to check all the set screws on both the 110, and 12 volt side busses from time to time.
Rt. owners, if you ever need the 30/20 breaker that is used for the main power, and AC, you can order them from Bay Breakers in San Jose, CA., as I couldn't find anyone who carried them in Tucson. Service was great, and I had the breaker in 2 days.
Here is a photo of what could have turned into a fire. The slot for the AC/Main breaker is empty.
* This post was
edited 07/18/08 07:03pm by Rodger *
I will check out my setup (and tighten the screws) this morning. I am heading out for a short trip. Probably the high temperatures in Tucson did not help the situation.
Thank God for that outcome! Wow, bet you're still sweatin' that near miss.
I aborted an overnight yesterday b/c the (new) AC was not cooling well using the gen in a parking lot. So this maintence item will be added as my DH goes over the RT this morning.
This one thread alone is an example of what makes RVnet great.
Whew, lucky catch, Rodger. Glad it didn't turn out worse. Many thanks for the "heads-up." I'm headed outside with the insulated screwdriver NOW!.
John
John & Waltraud
1989 Class B InterVec Falcon 190 SLF (Ford E-250, 351 cid) "Wagon Lit"
backup is '81 Jeep Scrambler
starting point: Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
I'm torn between the serious reply ... Wow. Thank goodness you noticed, and it's being repaired, OR ... I looked at this post right away, because I thought it was going to be a photo of some way cool "B" bar set-up! (Exotic microbrews on the left, fine single malt scotches to the right.) One hot bus bar!
Out of sympathy for your troubles, I'll say thank goodness you noticed, and the damage didn't go any further. Thanks for sharing, Rodger.
QJane
Sportsmobile RB30 w/pop-top
inside a 2002 Ford E350 2WD
Tim, at Sandy's RV, was able to salvage a bus bar from an old RV, and install it in the Rt. There was enough extra length on the old wires, that all he had to do was cut off the bad ends, and reattach them to the bar. He also bundled up some of the factory wiring so it looks a lot neater back there now.
Sandy's is a small family owned Roadtrek dealer, and repair facility, and I would highly recommend them to any one in the Tucson area. One draw back is, they are very busy, so you may have to wait a couple of weeks to get in. For me the wait was worth it.
For anyone looking, they have a very clean 2003, 190, Dodge Rt., with only 7,000 miles, on their lot. Don't remember the price, but you can call them if interested.
* This post was
edited 07/18/08 10:21pm by Rodger *
qjane wrote: I'm torn between the serious reply ... Wow. Thank goodness you noticed, and it's being repaired, OR ... I looked at this post right away, because I thought it was going to be a photo of some way cool "B" bar set-up! (Exotic microbrews on the left, fine single malt scotches to the right.) One hot bus bar!
Out of sympathy for your troubles, I'll say thank goodness you noticed, and the damage didn't go any further. Thanks for sharing, Rodger.
Ya know, when I posted this I said to myself, Jane will think it's a booze thread.
Wow Roger. We had about the same thing happen . We where in LTV with everything going when we smelled plastic melting It was about the same as yours except the ground wire was touching the neutral bar. I replaced the the bar with a heavy duty marine one and had enough wire to cut off the burnt ends. We felt lucky. Wish I had pictures.
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Thanks for sharing, Rodger.
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