No power to the coach from shore power

KarenMN · 06-29-2021, 12:28 AM

I had my Vegas 24.1 out last week. Parked and hooked up Wednesday afternoon and everything was fine until Thursday morning when the shore power quit. AC was running but nothing else. We tried a different cord but nothing. I assumed it was something with the wiring inside the coach. I ended up using the house batteries and firing up the generator for short times. I didn't try the TV or AC on the generator but the microwave and outlets all worked. Now I look at the electrical manual and it says if things run on the generator it isn't internal wiring. so what could it be?

Grumpy Grampa · 06-29-2021, 12:36 AM

Not sure where you are hooking shore power up to , your residence, RV resort?

Beau388 · 06-29-2021, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenMN

I had my Vegas 24.1 out last week. Parked and hooked up Wednesday afternoon and everything was fine until Thursday morning when the shore power quit. AC was running but nothing else. We tried a different cord but nothing. I assumed it was something with the wiring inside the coach. I ended up using the house batteries and firing up the generator for short times. I didn't try the TV or AC on the generator but the microwave and outlets all worked. Now I look at the electrical manual and it says if things run on the generator it isn't internal wiring. so what could it be?

Trip and reset the CB on the pedestal. If you are plugged to a house or garage, test it with a light or other 120 volt appliance. Shore power lines are notorious for failing due to rough handling. I suspect it yours problem. Check both ends for burned or scorched pins ore receptacles.

**16ACE27** · 06-29-2021, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenMN

I had my Vegas 24.1 out last week. Parked and hooked up Wednesday afternoon and everything was fine until Thursday morning when the shore power quit. AC was running but nothing else. We tried a different cord but nothing. I assumed it was something with the wiring inside the coach. I ended up using the house batteries and firing up the generator for short times. I didn't try the TV or AC on the generator but the microwave and outlets all worked. Now I look at the electrical manual and it says if things run on the generator it isn't internal wiring. so what could it be?

I assume you mean the Air Conditioner (A/C) was running when SP quit but now it, and any other 120 VAC load doesn't work on SP?

Thor does not do a very good job of wiring the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) so if things work on the generator but not SP, and the SP cable, connections and power source are good, then you need to check the wiring connections to the ATS and the ATS itself. Common problem.

KarenMN · 06-29-2021, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

Not sure where you are hooking shore power up to , your residence, RV resort?

Both. I was at a state park. The surge protector showed power to the post. Last night I tried it at home and no power inside except from the batteries. Both were 30 amp outlets.

Trkyte@msn.com · 06-29-2021, 11:52 AM

If you are still good on the generator, then it’s either your shore cord or the auto transfer switch.

WearyTraveler · 06-29-2021, 11:52 AM

I had a similar issue last week. Check the ends of your power cords. Mine had one that the ground came loose, resulting in 240v vs 2*120v being send into the auto transfer switch. Fried the motherboard on the ats.

mcr1010 · 06-29-2021, 12:01 PM

Same thing happened to us on a trip. Turned out to be the receptacle on the side of the coach. Thor had failed to tighten the wire lugs when installing. The receptacle had cracked from the heat generated from loose connections. You will have to take the receptacle off to get to the backside for the connections. I tightened the connections and all was well again. I replaced the receptacle with a new one when I got home from the trip.
Good luck and hope you find the problem.

KarenMN · 06-29-2021, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WearyTraveler

I had a similar issue last week. Check the ends of your power cords. Mine had one that the ground came loose, resulting in 240v vs 2*120v being send into the auto transfer switch. Fried the motherboard on the ats.

Where is the ATS? I can't find anything in any manual.

WearyTraveler · 06-29-2021, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenMN

Where is the ATS? I can't find anything in any manual.

In mine - and I ASSume in most, the ats is in the same area / compartment as the power inlet. Mine looks like this.

Get yourself a multimeter and test the female ports on your power cord. Then test the in and out of the ats.

mcr1010 · 06-29-2021, 12:42 PM

Mine is under the passenger side bunk near the water tank. Black plastic box.

KarenMN · 06-29-2021, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcr1010

Mine is under the passenger side bunk near the water tank. Black plastic box.

Thanks--that's helpful. I have a 24.1 2014 so it should be similar. I'm a widow and my son is coming out tonight to take a look at it and maybe we can figure it out together.

mcr1010 · 06-29-2021, 01:49 PM

Most likely it is a loose connection in the transfer switch or the receptacle on the side of the coach. My transfer switch, also known as the ATS, had a near meltdown due to loose connections. If you are checking the ATS, make sure you are disconnected from shore power.

KarenMN · 08-24-2021, 04:26 PM

So I took the Vegas to Camping World for service and they said they had to rewire the transfer switch. Got it back and made two trips with no problems but I don't think I turned the A/C on either time--lucked out with fairly decent weather. Last week I mad another trip--again pretty pleasant until the last afternoon. It had started to warm up so I turned the A/C on. I wasn't inside much but noticed a couple of hours later that the power was off again. We checked the post and the breakers--no problem there. I didn't try it again and came home the next morning. The following day (Saturday) I decided to plug it in (at home) and the power came back on. It has been on ever since. This morning I went out and turned the A/C on--power went off within 5 minutes. Anyone hazard a guess whether it's the A/C or a wiring issue? I have a service appointment a week from Thursday which I had planned to cancel if the A/C worked today but no such luck.

**16ACE27** · 08-24-2021, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenMN

So I took the Vegas to Camping World for service and they said they had to rewire the transfer switch. Got it back and made two trips with no problems but I don't think I turned the A/C on either time--lucked out with fairly decent weather. Last week I mad another trip--again pretty pleasant until the last afternoon. It had started to warm up so I turned the A/C on. I wasn't inside much but noticed a couple of hours later that the power was off again. We checked the post and the breakers--no problem there. I didn't try it again and came home the next morning. The following day (Saturday) I decided to plug it in (at home) and the power came back on. It has been on ever since. This morning I went out and turned the A/C on--power went off within 5 minutes. Anyone hazard a guess whether it's the A/C or a wiring issue? I have a service appointment a week from Thursday which I had planned to cancel if the A/C worked today but no such luck.

For future reference and clarity:
AC = 120 Volts from SP or Generator
A/C = Air Conditioning.

I doubt an A/C fault is causing your AC power loss problem (assuming you really are losing all AC power). Most likely you have a poor connection between the SP pole and the output of the ATS that arcs open when the A/C load is applied. Most times it's the connections to the ATS but it could be other connections as well.

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