Power Watchdog PWD-50 EPO error code E8

[sg47619]

My Power Watchdog 50A shut my power off during the night, the code say E8 says the Neutral  is missing in my Motorhome. I’m not an electrician by trade, can anyone help with this matter it’s on a 2001 Monaco Dynasty Jack. 
Thanks in advance. 

[Tom Cherry]

20 minutes ago, sg47619 said:

My Power Watchdog 50A shut my power off during the night, the code say E8 says the Neutral  is missing in my Motorhome. I’m not an electrician by trade, can anyone help with this matter it’s on a 2001 Monaco Dynasty Jack. 
Thanks in advance. 

Which type of Power Watchdog do you have?  A portable or a hard wired, internal one?

I would move to another site or plug into an adjacent pedestal and test it there.  An OPEN NEUTRAL is serious..and you do NOT, under any circumstances, bypass it or remove the portable and use that power source.  Run the Genny instead.

if the problem persists, then you need to find a qualified electrician.  It does not need to be an RV tech.  This is a power problem.  You start trouble shooting by measuring the incoming power to the pedestal.  The electrician needs to verify that there is NOT an open neutral there.  If you have an good neutral and have a portable one…and it says OPEN, it is defective.  If you have a hardwired one, then the electrician must start to locate the issue.

That in itself is a daunting task,  The easiest way is to take the shore cord and bring it around to the ATS (with the generator circuit breaker turned off on the generator) .  Then do a continuity test from each blade or prong on the cord to the incoming ATS’s terminal strip.

An open neutral is an OPEN Circuit in the round pin on the top of the plug or the White wire….there are many places that could occur….

The Molded connector on the end has a bad connection.  You cut it off and replace it.  If that is done, order the Camco one on Amazon and use Dow Corning # R insulating compound to fill the cavity and waterproof it when it is replaced.

There could be a broken wire in the cord set.

There could be a loose or bad connection in the junction box that connects the shore cord to the MH’s main supply to the ATS.

that’s all help I can give and it appears you do not have the skill set to trouble shooting or test….

let us know what you find out.

[sg47619]

1 minute ago, Tom Cherry said:

Which type of Power Watchdog do you have?  A portable or a hard wired, internal one?

I would move to another site or plug into an adjacent pedestal and test it there.  An OPEN NEUTRAL is serious..and you do NOT, under any circumstances, bypass it or remove the portable and use that power source.  Run the Genny instead.

if the problem persists, then you need to find a qualified electrician.  It does not need to be an RV tech.  This is a power problem.  You start trouble shooting by measuring the incoming power to the pedestal.  The electrician needs to verify that there is NOT an open neutral there.  If you have an good neutral and have a portable one…and it says OPEN, it is defective.  If you have a hardwired one, then the electrician must start to locate the issue.

That in itself is a daunting task,  The easiest way is to take the shore cord and bring it around to the ATS (with the generator circuit breaker turned off on the generator) .  Then do a continuity test from each blade or prong on the cord to the incoming ATS’s terminal strip.

An open neutral is an OPEN Circuit in the round pin on the top of the plug or the White wire….there are many places that could occur….

The Molded connector on the end has a bad connection.  You cut it off and replace it.  If that is done, order the Camco one on Amazon and use Dow Corning # R insulating compound to fill the cavity and waterproof it when it is replaced.

There could be a broken wire in the cord set.

There could be a loose or bad connection in the junction box that connects the shore cord to the MH’s main supply to the ATS.

that’s all help I can give and it appears you do not have the skill set to trouble shooting or test….

let us know what you find out.

 

4 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

Which type of Power Watchdog do you have?  A portable or a hard wired, internal one?

I would move to another site or plug into an adjacent pedestal and test it there.  An OPEN NEUTRAL is serious..and you do NOT, under any circumstances, bypass it or remove the portable and use that power source.  Run the Genny instead.

if the problem persists, then you need to find a qualified electrician.  It does not need to be an RV tech.  This is a power problem.  You start trouble shooting by measuring the incoming power to the pedestal.  The electrician needs to verify that there is NOT an open neutral there.  If you have an good neutral and have a portable one…and it says OPEN, it is defective.  If you have a hardwired one, then the electrician must start to locate the issue.

That in itself is a daunting task,  The easiest way is to take the shore cord and bring it around to the ATS (with the generator circuit breaker turned off on the generator) .  Then do a continuity test from each blade or prong on the cord to the incoming ATS’s terminal strip.

An open neutral is an OPEN Circuit in the round pin on the top of the plug or the White wire….there are many places that could occur….

The Molded connector on the end has a bad connection.  You cut it off and replace it.  If that is done, order the Camco one on Amazon and use Dow Corning # R insulating compound to fill the cavity and waterproof it when it is replaced.

There could be a broken wire in the cord set.

There could be a loose or bad connection in the junction box that connects the shore cord to the MH’s main supply to the ATS.

that’s all help I can give and it appears you do not have the skill set to trouble shooting or test….

let us know what you find out.

It’s a PWD 50-EPO

Just now, sg47619 said:

 

It’s a PWD 50-EPO

Portable 

[Tom Cherry]

42 minutes ago, sg47619 said:

 

It’s a PWD 50-EPO

Portable 

OK….GOOD NEWS.  You do NOT have any internal issues.  The PD is monitoring the pedestal.  It is either a bad pedestal….report it to CG and tell them to move you so you can test it…or have their maintenance come out and trouble shoot the pedestal.  

OR, the PD is defective.  If it shows bad on one or more pedestals and the maintenance folks have tested and the Neutral is OK….it is broken….talk to Hughes….does not look field serviceable.  

ODDS ARE….but just a hunch, bad Pedestal….but until you check…?

@Dr4Film makes a neat power tester if you are not handy with a volt meter.  Contact him.  You can plug in and test the pedestal first.  Then use your PD for continuous monitoring….

let us know.

[sg47619]

22 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

OK….GOOD NEWS.  You do NOT have any internal issues.  The PD is monitoring the pedestal.  It is either a bad pedestal….report it to CG and tell them to move you so you can test it…or have their maintenance come out and trouble shoot the pedestal.  

OR, the PD is defective.  If it shows bad on one or more pedestals and the maintenance folks have tested and the Neutral is OK….it is broken….talk to Hughes….does not look field serviceable.  

ODDS ARE….but just a hunch, bad Pedestal….but until you check…?

@Dr4Film makes a neat power tester if you are not handy with a volt meter.  Contact him.  You can plug in and test the pedestal first.  Then use your PD for continuous monitoring….

let us know.

I didn’t say I couldn’t test it, I’m just not an electrician by trade. I did test the plug in and I believe the ground is bad on the pedestal I have an extension I can use to plug into the site next to me. I’ll see how that goes and contact the Camp Host. We are on Cumberland Lake at a Core of Army Engineers Camp Ground. 

[Tom Cherry]

17 minutes ago, sg47619 said:

I didn’t say I couldn’t test it, I’m just not an electrician by trade. I did test the plug in and I believe the ground is bad on the pedestal I have an extension I can use to plug into the site next to me. I’ll see how that goes and contact the Camp Host. We are on Cumberland Lake at a Core of Army Engineers Camp Ground. 

Don't my comment personally.  We, and other members, are reluctant to give specific trouble shooting information as we don't know the skill set. We HAVE had some people that made a similar comment and did not know what or did not recognize a VOM....much less use one.  Their electrical skill set was plugging in the shore and turning on the breaker or maybe knowing to check the main panel for a tripped breaker. So for their safety and my (our) peace of mind, we assume that folks are not trouble shooting electricians or techs and then the info that they provide or what they have done so far gives us a better idea of their electrical knowledge and skill set.  We (I) tread lightly and want to make sure that I don't put someone at risk....

Hope this explains it....

BTW....you get an "ATTA BOY" for the informative title.  That is great.  Keep doing that.

Thanks,

[sg47619]

15 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

Don't my comment personally.  We, and other members, are reluctant to give specific trouble shooting information as we don't know the skill set. We HAVE had some people that made a similar comment and did not know what or did not recognize a VOM....much less use one.  Their electrical skill set was plugging in the shore and turning on the breaker or maybe knowing to check the main panel for a tripped breaker. So for their safety and my (our) peace of mind, we assume that folks are not trouble shooting electricians or techs and then the info that they provide or what they have done so far gives us a better idea of their electrical knowledge and skill set.  We (I) tread lightly and want to make sure that I don't put someone at risk....

Hope this explains it....

BTW....you get an "ATTA BOY" for the informative title.  That is great.  Keep doing that.

Thanks,

I didn’t take it in a bad way was just trying to explain my situation. 
Thanks for all the help it is truly appreciated. 

[Dr4Film]

Something is not right as the OP on his first post stated that his Watchdog had an error of "neutral missing" but when he tested the pedestal outlet he believed "the ground was missing".

Would like to know the follow-up and final outcome as to what the problem actually turned out to be.

[sg47619]

Well here’s a new twist to the problem, I moved the Watchdog to the next site and when the front ac came on it shut the power off with another E8 error. The explanation on my phone says I don’t have a neutral in my RV.  

[Rocketman3]

I had something similar happen once, for “small” loads everything was fine, when large load came on, the neutral was not making good enough contact. I figured the female electrical ends were a bit loose, I reset the plugs and the error went away and didn’t come back. 
 

(This was on my adapters as I went from 15amp to 30 to 50 (my watchdog) then into the rig).

[timaz996]

As Tom said in one of his posts, open your ATS and make sure all of the connections are tight. Some do vibrate louse as time goes on.

Tim

[sg47619]

I’m pretty sure I’ve found the problem, should have though of this earlier I have a 30 ‘ extension cord I made up and it’s smaller wire then what’s on the coach. I Backed the coach up as far as I could and hooked it straight to the pedestal and the watch dog ran both ac units and most of the lights all day with no problems, so I surmises that the wire size difference wouldn’t care the full load of the 50 Amps.    
We will learn this Motorhome Ownership, thanks to all who have helped. 

[Tom Cherry]

8 minutes ago, sg47619 said:

I’m pretty sure I’ve found the problem, should have though of this earlier I have a 30 ‘ extension cord I made up and it’s smaller wire then what’s on the coach. I Backed the coach up as far as I could and hooked it straight to the pedestal and the watch dog ran both ac units and most of the lights all day with no problems, so I surmises that the wire size difference wouldn’t care the full load of the 50 Amps.    
We will learn this Motorhome Ownership, thanks to all who have helped. 

May I suggest....that you order and carry a Camco new 50 amp plug and the Dow Corning #5 potting or sealant.  We have had some failures.  Freaky ones....but ones that would be an issue.  I barely bumped my plug one day, while plugged in.  The strut on a bay door opened it.  BINGO.  Lost the neutral.  Sort of like a well placed karate chop for a small child.  OUCH.

I went through the entire electrical system.  Finally cut off the plug.  BINGO....no issues.

At the age of your MH, you should tighten everything up (power unplugged and Genny OFF) in the ATS and the Main Panel and sub panel (one I think).  ALL TERMINALS and screws. Also test the CB to make sure they are "snapped and set in place".  We have had some Dynasties where the AC breaker actually "slipped down" and had to be pulled up and snapped back into place.

Good Luck.  Camco also makes a GREAT 25 or 30 Ft 50 amp extension.  I have had one for years.  I bought a "DEAL" on ebay.  #6 Wire....50 amp connectors. OPPS....they used 3 conductors....so I did not have Line 2....but it was nice. I cut off the ends and put on a #10 External stranded Ground....worked great.  Little red necky...  I ended up swapping it and using if for my home emergency generator hook....which was 35 amps max....

I followed the Camco on Amazon and caught it at a great sale.

Glad you got it fixed...

[sg47619]

3 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

May I suggest....that you order and carry a Camco new 50 amp plug and the Dow Corning #5 potting or sealant.  We have had some failures.  Freaky ones....but ones that would be an issue.  I barely bumped my plug one day, while plugged in.  The strut on a bay door opened it.  BINGO.  Lost the neutral.  Sort of like a well placed karate chop for a small child.  OUCH.

I went through the entire electrical system.  Finally cut off the plug.  BINGO....no issues.

At the age of your MH, you should tighten everything up (power unplugged and Genny OFF) in the ATS and the Main Panel and sub panel (one I think).  ALL TERMINALS and screws. Also test the CB to make sure they are "snapped and set in place".  We have had some Dynasties where the AC breaker actually "slipped down" and had to be pulled up and snapped back into place.

Good Luck.  Camco also makes a GREAT 25 or 30 Ft 50 amp extension.  I have had one for years.  I bought a "DEAL" on ebay.  #6 Wire....50 amp connectors. OPPS....they used 3 conductors....so I did not have Line 2....but it was nice. I cut off the ends and put on a #10 External stranded Ground....worked great.  Little red necky...  I ended up swapping it and using if for my home emergency generator hook....which was 35 amps max....

I followed the Camco on Amazon and caught it at a great sale.

Glad you got it fixed...

I will use my Camco ends and buy a new #6 - 4 wire cable when I get back home. I did go ahead and tighten all the electric fit and checked the breakers. 

[Happycarz]

One other connection to think of, and test if necessary, is where the power cord attaches to the power reel. At that end of the cord are eyelets that are secured to the drum with ⅜” nuts. In helping friends, I have found two instances where one or more these nuts have come loose.  
 

I realize different model coaches use different reels.  This condition was on two different Camelot’s. That reel is a pull out to extend and power retract.  Once the cord is fully deployed, a panel on the drum can be removed to expose the connection terminals.

[Dr4Film]

A Dynasty almost always will have Glendinning Cablemaster power cord accumulator. Mine does so there is no slip ring to deal with. My previous Windsor also has the Cablemaster. Would not own a Coach with a power cord reel. My Dynasty has a reel for the water which if it evers fails I will switch over to handling the water hose manually as I did for 18+ years when owning the Windsor.

[sg47619]

48 minutes ago, Happycarz said:

One other connection to think of, and test if necessary, is where the power cord attaches to the power reel. At that end of the cord are eyelets that are secured to the drum with ⅜” nuts. In helping friends, I have found two instances where one or more these nuts have come loose.  
 

I realize different model coaches use different reels.  This condition was on two different Camelot’s. That reel is a pull out to extend and power retract.  Once the cord is fully deployed, a panel on the drum can be removed to expose the connection terminals.

Thanks

16 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

A Dynasty almost always will have Glendinning Cablemaster power cord accumulator. Mine does so there is no slip ring to deal with. My previous Windsor also has the Cablemaster. Would not own a Coach with a power cord reel. My Dynasty has a reel for the water which if it evers fails I will switch over to handling the water hose manually as I did for 18+ years when owning the Windsor.

Thanks 

[Bill R]

4 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Would not own a Coach with a power cord reel. My Dynasty has a reel for the water which if it evers fails I will switch over to handling the water hose manually as I did for 18+ years when owning the Windsor.

X2 Dr.

On my Windsor the hose reel started leaking.  Removed and did not replace.  Just manually roll up now.  On the power reel, I had a short.  Removed and did not replace.  Plenty of room in the compartment to snake in the existing cord.  I don't miss either of them!