Shore Power flickering, fluttering, fluctuating... annoying.

[laminack16]

My apologies if this thread it out there. I tried searching for it but to no avail. So, I have a Redwood 3921GK fifthwheel, my power keeps flickering like I have a loose connection somewhere. There have been several times where its gone off completely, only the 120/240 system goes off. This only happens at night between 7 pm and midnight. Power has checked good at the park pedestal, at the breaker box main breaker, and inside the ATS. I do not have a generator installed. Any suggestions? Or refer me to the appropriate thread. Thank you.

Corey-

[16ACE27]

Why do you have an ATS if you don't have a generator?

[cavie]

Originally Posted by laminack16

My apologies if this thread it out there. I tried searching for it but to no avail. So, I have a Redwood 3921GK fifthwheel, my power keeps flickering like I have a loose connection somewhere. There have been several times where its gone off completely, only the 120/240 system goes off. This only happens at night between 7 pm and midnight. Power has checked good at the park pedestal, at the breaker box main breaker, and inside the ATS. I do not have a generator installed. Any suggestions? Or refer me to the appropriate thread. Thank you.

Corey-

Did you do the voltage checks at the PED between 7 pm and Midnight? Did anyone open the power box and check connections? Why do you have an ATS if you have no generator? Did you check the connections in the ATS? Have you opened your breaker box and tightened connections.

[OldWEB]

You say "only the 120/240 system goes off", so the inside DC lights stay on? What "flickers" then? If you checked the AC from the pedestal to the main breaker... keep going, there has to be a loose wire/terminal somewhere. Turn all AC breakers off, then back on. Check tightness on the breaker terminals carefully.

[OldWEB]

"Why do you have an ATS if you have no generator?"


HA! I missed that!

[laminack16]

The fifth wheel came pre-wired for a generator but has no generator. I have to buy it seperate. We have checked all the connections inside the park's pedestal, I have taken the cover off the breaker panel inside the RV and the ATS and checked for loose connections. I have checked voltage between the hours of 7 pm and midnight but the lowest it has gotten is 114V on one leg. The other leg was 119V at its lowest. The electric side of hot water heater, refrigerator, microwave, TV, electric reclining chairs, electric heater and bedroom TV are all on the 120/240 system. They all go off or start flickering.

A couple nights ago, the power went off again, when it came back on everything powered back up except for the refrigerator. It kept going off and on like it was trying to come on but couldn't get enough power. My wife turned on the microwave and the refrigerator came on and stayed on. My lights run off the 12V system. They never go off.

[ducksface]

Call a professional to take a professional in person look at it during the times you say you have a problem.
You're 50 to 200 bucks of labor cost away from concernless happy.

When you tried a different pedestal what was the outcome?
What has your neighbor experienced?

[laminack16]

I just did the "Clunk" test on the ATS and it appears to be working fine.

I'm starting to think its the park's power that's having issues.

[laminack16]

Thanks ducksface. I just got ahold of a professional RV repair man and he's headed this way now. The park maintenance guys checked the power at the pedestals and said everything was okay. But, I know the park is gonna say its my RV and not them until I prove them wrong. I do have a surge arrester protecting my RV. I checked it later at my pedestal and that's when I got the 114V and 119V.

[ducksface]

Originally Posted by laminack16

Thanks ducksface. I just got ahold of a professional RV repair man and he's headed this way now. The park maintenance guys checked the power at the pedestals and said everything was okay. But, I know the park is gonna say its my RV and not them until I prove them wrong. I do have a surge arrester protecting my RV. I checked it later at my pedestal and that's when I got the 114V and 119V.

Thanks for the thanks.
I took my truck in today because I have a bit of a grind during a hard left turn.
I told the mechanic exactly the same thing I told the guy who installed my rv inverter.
The same thing I told the guy who installed my stereo and dual overhead monitors.

'I'm smart enough to do this job, which in turn makes me smart enough to hire you to do it.'

Congratulations on choosing happy.
Pay attention to his diagnostics, write a check, see how happy it makes you and the immediate ease of mind it creates.

[TurnerFam]

remove the 'surge arrestor'

[TurnerFam]

I'm not sure how you might know whether your Electric Water Heater is 'flickering', but are you sure all these 'things' flickering are not part of your INVERTER pass thru of 120v power, if you have an Inverter?

[cavie]

I suspect a bad neutral connection at the ped or before. What does you surge protector say during these outages?

[TurnerFam]

it does sound like a 'loose' neutral, but it's hard to really make that determination since you said that you basically looked at all the wiring/connections, etc... but, I'll say that if this same type of 'loose' connection is at or within the INVERTER, if you have one, it could provide these symptoms... but, also, I'm not sure 'why' it would seem to happen at only the certain timeframe you have given, unless there are other things in play at that time that you haven't told us, and may not even know about. The water heater, electric wise, comes on and off as needed, on it's own, but it is also not run thru any inverter, nor are air conditioners or any type of 'high amperage' draw or similar heat-based device or appliance.
Most any whole-house RV Inverter, installed from the factory, will not only provide 120v output to OUTLETS within the RV, but will also be a part of a 'SUB PANEL', separate from the Main Panel, ALTHOUGH possibly integrated within that same Main Panel, like mine is. I suspect that all your 'flickering' sounds like items that are with the INVERTER wiring scheme, if lights and fans and 12v items in your coach are not doing the same.
The FRIDGE would be run thru an Inverter, if it is a residential 120v type, which I would assume is. If 'flickering' of power is taking place, it would certainly also make sense that it could throw the fridge's electronics into a state of 'reset', or even to turn itself 'off' to protect itself.
Since the microwave is a 'plug in' 120v device/appliance, and most likely ALSO run thru a whole house Inverter, it would also 'flicker', or otherwise continually 'reset', which would also be an indicator that these are some of the 'INVERTER'-based items.


Let us know what you find out. We may not be right, but most of us who respond have a lot of experience in the 'electrical' things revolving around RVs, although RVs are different, sometimes even within the same Brand, but most have similar types of power schemes and devices and how they are 'wired' to perform.

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by laminack16

A couple nights ago, the power went off again, when it came back on everything powered back up except for the refrigerator. It kept going off and on like it was trying to come on but couldn't get enough power. My wife turned on the microwave and the refrigerator came on and stayed on.

The reefer is AC only? Then like the stick and brick fridge if the power goes off while the compressor is running, the compressor is not strong enough to re-start when there is pressure in the system. That is normal for it to try to start a couple of times until the pressure drops internally. The compressor in A/C units will do this too. So it was good timing on the wife's part that it came back on with the microwave.

[Laco]

You mentioned a surge protector. Bypass that & see if things work better. I have had weird issues when passing power through a surge protector, bypassing it solved all the electrical issues I had.

[ducksface]

Well?
What did your professional discover?

[frankgtx]

Elvis has left the building!

[cavie]

Originally Posted by frankgtx

Elvis has left the building!

I heard that for real back in '72