Loss Power

[powersltc]

2004 Monaco Executive:

Ron P

I am trying to locate my surge protector to see if it has tripped. 

I do not have power to my lights,  steps, porch light,  Aladdin system,  etc.  I do have power at electrical outlets,  refrigerator,  microwave,  etc. 

I have located the power transfer switch. 

 

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Thanks,  Ron P.

 

 

[Tom Cherry]

18 minutes ago, powersltc said:

2004 Monaco Executive:

Ron P

I am trying to locate my surge protector to see if it has tripped. 

I do not have power to my lights,  steps, porch light,  Aladdin system,  etc.  I do have power at electrical outlets,  refrigerator,  microwave,  etc. 

I have located the power transfer switch. 

 

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Thanks,  Ron P.

 

 

OK….so we’re all on the same page.  Your AC power comes in through the shore or from the Generator.  The Automatic Transfer Switch ONLY switches it from SHORE to Generator.  The ATS sends or allows power to go to the main 50 A AC panel.  Your HVAC units, Washer Dryer, water heater (on AC) and block heater are directly fed through Circuit breakers from that panel.  You have a 30 A breaker that is labeled Inverter.  That 30Amp breaker allows 120VAC a to go to the inverter.  If you are on Shore or Genny, then there is a smaller ATS inside the inverter.  It lets the Shore or Genny 120 VAC be sent directly to the interior house outlets and the microwave.  If you are NOT on Shore or NOT running your Genny, then the inverter KNOWS THIS.  It then takes 12 VDC battery (House) and inverts it and then you have the SAME 120 VAC going to the Microwave and interior outlets,  Assuming the MH came with a Gas/Electric (Norcold or Dometic), there is a 10 Amp Breaker that will power the heaters in the Refrigerator,  it you have TWO outlets in the refrigerator compartment, you will get 120 VAC from the INVERTER…..and that runs your Icemaker….GOT ALL THAT?

OK….first off, a Safery and FIRE  warning.  If you have the IOTA 50R Automatic Transfer Switch, it needs to be replaced otherwise put a smoke detector by your bed and have a ladder outside to climb out in the event of a fire. These were recalled and heat up and burn up and are or have caused fire…..as well as potential damage to your electrical appliances,  THIS IS A MUST DO!

NOW….your overhead lights and such are ALL DC POWERED.  You do NOT have any type of “surge suppressor”.  The ATS that is hooked up to the SHORE OR GENNY is not connected to the 12 VDC circuits that you have lost.  It is important that you understand this….

MOST LIKELY you have an ISSUE with the Salesman SOLENOID.  It is a large DC Solenoid that was put in so that a lazy salesman would have one central place to turn off all the battery powered lights.  It FAILS.  Sometimes folks inadvertently hit or don’t realize they HIT or turned off their DC power.  There is a complete write up in your manual that explains this,  the Solenoid is located in one of the Electrical bays.  Sometimes the front one….sometimes the rear.  In your manual there is USUALLY a description and with a photograph or a diagram telling you where it is located along  with a schematic of the batteries and how they are connected.

Then FIRST a thing to do is to locate the Battery Switch on the lower passenger console or the panel on the left of the steps or the step well.  Push the switch towards the top or push the TOP of the switch.  That closes the solenoid and you have ordinary House DC Power….which you do NOT have now.  Push the bottom of the mushroom switch and you turn it off.  The switch has a spring loaded neutral so if is NOT like a light switch and it does not move up or down.  

Try that.  Push the top of the switch.  If that fixes it….great.  If not, then that means or  probably means that the coil in the solenoid has failed or the contacts have arced and burned….so basically, you have NO 12 VDC power to the lights.  Your House DC panel (see the owners manual) also gets it power from it. That means your water pump and HVAC (Thermostat is 12 VDC) ain’t gonna work.  Your exhaust fans are on it,  

NOW…..if your HVAC arums (Thermostat is lighted up) and your exhaust fans work, then you have power through the solenoid.  BUT, you have a fuse blown.  Again, read the owners manual and find the section and see the diagram and replace the fuse that is blown.  From what you said….it looks like the solenoid…..but until you check the exhaust fans and see if the HVAC works and the Thermostat is lighted up….no one can tell you what next to do.

I will tell you that if you do not have electrical skills and can locate the Salesman solenoid, then you need a repair technician.  MOST OF US….get rid of the solenoid.  We either pull it out and connect the cable that sends OUT the power to the place where the Incoming cable is….or we move one cable to the other side and bolt them together on one terminal.  There is a cheap jumper cable, NAPAA 781144 that many use.  You find the solenoid….turn OFF the house battery….and then installl the jumper across the two terminals…..MOST never use the switch and know it will fail. Some want to leave things as they were wired and will pay the $200 - $300 dollars for a tech to put in a new one,  the NAPA cable is less than $10 and it takes less time to jumper or bypass the solenoid than it did for me to type this.

NOW….if it is NOT the solenoid,,,,,and it usually is, then your House Battery 300 A cutoff switch (Blue Seas 6006) is or has failed.  That covers 95% of the causes…past that….bad cable or poor connections or whatever.

SO….try the switch.  No JOY….turn on and off, a few times, the House Battery disconnect switch.  Then turn back on the salesman switch,  past that….a tech.

BUT before you get a repair technician, check your ATS and if it is the IOTA 50R…tell him.  The most popular replacement is the ESCO LPT50BRD.  Others have used different brands, but this is the most commonly stocked and has a great or excellent reliability record….80% of the replacements discussed here went that route.

Good Luck….keep us posted….