Air conditioner and 110 outlets stop working while camping

[Collier and Joan]

While camping yesterday the a/c and 110 outlets stop working.  The GFCI outlet under side bed table was not trip but would not work either (test and reset buttons wouldn't work).  I was hook up to shore power and the EMS showed no error codes.  No circuit breakers were trip, only items that run off shore power won't work, I do not have an inverter.  Today after getting home last night (had to leave campground/ temp outside was 96) hook up to my 30amp power and still the same results.  I have very limited electrical knowledge, I did plug in my Klein RT210 tester into all the outlets and they all were indicating hot/grd rev.  Any help will be appreciated.

2019 Legacy 2 Hull 514

[ScubaRx]

Just so I understand...You were plugged into a power post at a campground. Everything was working fine and all of a sudden everything just stopped working. When you used the Klein tester, were you at the campground, at home or both? At home your 30 amp power inlet on your house has always worked in the past?

[Collier and Joan]

That’s correct at campground everything was working and then at the same time the air stop working and the outlets would not work, use the Klein at home not the campground, the 30 amp at home is a hookup in my carport for the trailer and has always worked, the ems shows voltage coming in/ 125

[Golfnut]

Try this..  unplug from shore prower , go insde and trip all the 120 v breakers back and forth, sometimes they trip internal. Plug back into shore pwr.  Good luck..

[ScubaRx]

29 minutes ago, Collier and Joan said:

That’s correct at campground everything was working and then at the same time the air stop working and the outlets would not work, use the Klein at home not the campground, the 30 amp at home is a hookup in my carport for the trailer and has always worked, the ems shows voltage coming in/ 125

Your incoming voltage is fine. Earlier you stated the the Klein showed, "they all were indicating hot/grd rev" Does the readout on your onboard show any errors?

Look under your dinette seat at the back side of the power inlet (where your external power cord plugs in) and make sure all the wires are tight and not burned. Also examine the inside of the inlet (from the outside) to make sure there is no scorching which would indicate an overheating due to a poor connection. Unless there's direct short in the plug or inlet port, I done understand how the hot and ground could be reversed.

Keep posting until we can work this out.

[Collier and Joan]

 

Try flipping breakers no go, saw no scorching 

on connections, the end shows E0

[CRM]

5 hours ago, Collier and Joan said:

While camping yesterday the a/c and 110 outlets stop working.  The GFCI outlet under side bed table was not trip but would not work either (test and reset buttons wouldn't work).  I was hook up to shore power and the EMS showed no error codes.  No circuit breakers were trip, only items that run off shore power won't work, I do not have an inverter.  Today after getting home last night (had to leave campground/ temp outside was 96) hook up to my 30amp power and still the same results.  I have very limited electrical knowledge, I did plug in my Klein RT210 tester into all the outlets and they all were indicating hot/grd rev.  Any help will be appreciated.

2019 Legacy 2 Hull 514

First thing I would try is replacing the GFCI outlet.

[SeaDawg]

A gfci that won't reset is either bad, or is getting no power. If you're getting power, no tripped breaker, no loose connections at the gfci, replace the gfci. 

They usually go at a very inconvenient time. Part of their DNA, I guess 

[CRM]

1 minute ago, SeaDawg said:

A gfci that won't reset is either bad, or is getting no power. If you're getting power, no tripped breaker, no loose connections at the gfci, replace the gfci. 

They usually go at a very inconvenient time. Part of their DNA, I guess 

Yep, I always have two packed away. I've used them to help fellow campers but thankfully haven't needed to replace one of my own yet.

[Collier and Joan]

what amp size of gfci do I need, any recommendations

[Collier and Joan]

would the gfci going bad also cause the air conditioner not to work

[CRM]

27 minutes ago, Collier and Joan said:

would the gfci going bad also cause the air conditioner not to work

Ah, I missed that.. I don't think so. If it doesn't run off the GFCI then I would be looking for an open neutral or shorted wires somewhere.

[Steph and Dud B]

Following. What's throwing me is the hot/ground reverse. What about the shore power cable?  Do you, or a friend, have another 30 amp RV shore cable you could try?

[ScubaRx]

4 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Following. What's throwing me is the hot/ground reverse. What about the shore power cable?  Do you, or a friend, have another 30 amp RV shore cable you could try?

If the hot and ground are shorted you'd be able to see that by testing for continuity at the pins on either end of the cord. It could actually happen if one were to crush (run over?) the cord on a hard surface like a concrete campsite pad.

[CRM]

4 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

If the hot and ground are shorted you'd be able to see that by testing for continuity at the pins on either end of the cord. It could actually happen if one were to crush (run over?) the cord on a hard surface like a concrete campsite pad.

But wouldn't the EMS be showing an error if that were the case? Sounds like he has a wiring or component issue beyond the EMS or a bad GFCI (but why no AC at the same time?). Really needs someone with electrical knowledge to take a look. Should be fairly easy problem to track down with a multimeter.

Edit- One thing I wouldn't rely on is a plugin circuit tester when testing a GFCI circuit. When GFCI's go bad you can get inaccurate readings from them due to the internal circuitry of the outlet.

Edited August 8 by CRM

[Steve and MA]

Not an electrician here, but searching online suggests you could have a loose neutral wire.

 

[Collier and Joan]

My EMS shows voltage 120 E0

Everything was working at campsite- ac was on, then all at once ac stop working/ frig came off ac/ outlets all when dead

Look at gfci- had not trip but would not test, circuit breakers did not trip, outside shore breaker did not trip

Got home hook up to designated 30amp Rv hookup and still no change, EMS still showed 120/E 0

All 12v appliances work 

[CRM]

32 minutes ago, Collier and Joan said:

My EMS shows voltage 120 E0

Everything was working at campsite- ac was on, then all at once ac stop working/ frig came off ac/ outlets all when dead

Look at gfci- had not trip but would not test, circuit breakers did not trip, outside shore breaker did not trip

Got home hook up to designated 30amp Rv hookup and still no change, EMS still showed 120/E 0

All 12v appliances work 

Since the EMS shows everything is fine, and all 120 outlets and appliances are down, the problem is more than likely between the EMS and the circuit panel or in the panel itself. Get someone over who is able to troubleshoot electrical and I'm sure they'll be able to find the problem fairly quick.

[ScubaRx]

54 minutes ago, Collier and Joan said:

Got home hook up to designated 30amp Rv hookup and still no change, EMS still showed 120/E 0

All 12v appliances work 

Have you looked inside the EMS box under the dinette? Pull the top off and check the wiring inside for a short. It will be obvious if there is one.

[Rivernerd]

3 hours ago, Collier and Joan said:

My EMS shows voltage 120 E0

Everything was working at campsite- ac was on, then all at once ac stop working/ frig came off ac/ outlets all when dead

Look at gfci- had not trip but would not test, circuit breakers did not trip, outside shore breaker did not trip

Got home hook up to designated 30amp Rv hookup and still no change, EMS still showed 120/E 0

All 12v appliances work 

Although you report you do not have an inverter, do you have a main 120V breaker?  The symptoms you describe make me wonder.

Also, do you have a multimeter and know how to use it?  I carry a multimeter in our Hull # 1291.  If you don't already own one, now is a great time to invest.   The Klein MM325  is one good option:

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-MM325-Multimeter-Manual-Ranging/dp/B0B57L9FNL/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3KFKT3QBJFTS4&keywords=klein%2Bmultimeter%2Btester%2Bmm450&qid=1707755646&sprefix=Klein%2Bmultimeter%2Btester%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-9&th=1

Study the owners manual and learn how to set the multimeter to test voltage on 120V circuits when connected to shore power.  I would start with the power connections on the EMS (in the attic) to determine if you have any loose connections there and are getting voltage in the 110V to 125V range. If that checks out, I would next check the input connections on the back side of the 120V panel (ours is under the dinette seat). 

Finally, have you submitted a service ticket to Oliver?  Oliver 's topnotch Service Department may know something we don't about the way Olivers without inverters are wired.

Edited August 8 by Rivernerd

[Collier and Joan]

I will check, I did not get the inverter option I only have the converter and progressive surge protector

[Steph and Dud B]

1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:

Although you report you do not have an inverter, do you have a main 120V breaker?  The symptoms you describe make me wonder.

Yep, that would do it. Didn't the OP say they cycled all the breakers, though? Could be a failed breaker...

But, how is he getting any reading at all from the circuit tester if the circuit is dead? If the outlet's actually dead, the circuit tester wouldn't light at all.

Could be a cascading failure, more than one failure point. Hot/neutral reversed caused some other damage to the GFCI or the AC unit. 

Or maybe the EMS is on Bypass?? @Collier and Joan: please verify the small black switch on your EMS display is not on Bypass.

[Collier and Joan]

Ems is on normal, I did try bypass and nothing change other than ems screen going blank

[Steph and Dud B]

1 hour ago, Collier and Joan said:

Ems is on normal, I did try bypass and nothing change other than ems screen going blank

Ok. What about a transfer switch? @Collier and Joan, do you have the optional front shoreline connection by the propane tanks? I think I remember someone saying their EMS only protected power coming through the street side connection. If the EMS was wired between the street side connector and the transfer switch, and the transfer switch was stuck in the front connector position, you would have good power at the EMS but nowhere else. (I don't know why anyone would wire a trailer that way, but you never know... That also doesn't explain the circuit tester readings, but hey...)

@Collier and Joan, if you do have the front shoreline connector, have you tried connecting to power there?

[Collier and Joan]

I don’t have the front shoreline connector