Electric goes off

We keep our 2013 2910D plugged into a 30 amp electric pole. We make sure that we start and run the generator a half hour a month under load with ac running.

Today he was running the generator with power plugged in for a half hour. Then he realized he was plugged in to electric so he turned off the generator. Since still plugged into electric he turned the water heater on to see if it worked and then turned on ac. The tv was already on. Then everything electric quit working after about 10 minutes.

First thing he did was checked the breaker and it wouldn’t stay on. One leg of the main breaker would stay on and the other leg wouldn’t stay on. Kept flipping off. Checked all the plugins for electric, to rv, the sub panel, everything was good but nothing would work...no electric.

We researched this site and did what others suggested which was turn generator on turn on ac the microwave lights came back on. Then we turned the generator off and plugged back into electric. Everything seemed to work. It seemed like that fixed the electrical problems.
After 15 minutes with the ac on then everything shut down again. The main breaker switch was warm.

We would appreciate any suggestions  of what the problem could be and how to solve it.

The transfer switch 'flips' after about 20 seconds to use the generator's output rather than the 120v plug.  That transfer switch may have corroded contacts. 

As you have learned, not a good idea to use both plug and generator at the same time.

Make sure your 30amp outlet isn't corroded.  A/C and electric water heater are pretty much all you can use of the 3 big power draws (a/c, microwave and electric water heater.

Do NOT use a 15 or 20amp outlet with an adapter to plug your 30amp power line into.

Make sure the voltage doesn't drop below 108 volts inside the RV.  We use a device called "Good Governor" that plugs into an outlet inside the RV and can be set to switch between voltage and Cycles so you can keep an eye on things.  Plugged into commercial power, the cycles will always read 60.  But on generator should never drop below 58 or above 62.

Thank you for replying.
Where would we find the transfer switch.

Thank you for replying.
Where would we find the transfer switch.

It's inside the transition panel between the Ford Cab and fiberglass RV body on the driver's side.  A job best left to a shop. I would look at the 30amp outlet that you are plugged into first to check voltage and condition.

Forget the transfer switch, you are trying to pull too much power.
The water heater and A/C together is almost 30 amps, then your converter is on and possibly your refrigerator.

So are you plugged into a 30 amp plug when using shore power?
The generator turns off the shore power and if it is overloads, trips the breaker that is outside in Generator compartment. Reset that and don't pill so much power.

We keep our 2013 2910D plugged into a 30 amp electric pole. We make sure that we start and run the generator a half hour a month under load with ac running.

Today he was running the generator with power plugged in for a half hour. Then he realized he was plugged in to electric so he turned off the generator. Since still plugged into electric he turned the water heater on to see if it worked and then turned on ac. The tv was already on. Then everything electric quit working after about 10 minutes.

First thing he did was checked the breaker and it wouldn’t stay on. One leg of the main breaker would stay on and the other leg wouldn’t stay on. Kept flipping off. Checked all the plugins for electric, to rv, the sub panel, everything was good but nothing would work...no electric.

We researched this site and did what others suggested which was turn generator on turn on ac the microwave lights came back on. Then we turned the generator off and plugged back into electric. Everything seemed to work. It seemed like that fixed the electrical problems.
After 15 minutes with the ac on then everything shut down again. The main breaker switch was warm.

We would appreciate any suggestions  of what the problem could be and how to solve it.

Hello from the Space Coast!   



Sounds like you have a 50A shore power cord with an adapter to fit a 30A outlet. Is that correct?

Lets assume the breaker is working as it should, it relies on heat to cause it to trip. If it is getting warmer than it should, something is wrong.

Did you run the generator for 30 min or more with everything on? If so, did the main breaker still trip? Get Warm?

If everything is fine on Generator power, but not shore power, as Donc13 said -  check voltages. Maybe try another 30A outlet somewhere else to see if it is a supply issue.

If it does the same thing on generator or shore power...

Try plugging in to shore power, and JUST running A/C. Water heater off, fridge off (or on LP), dont use the microwave. Does the breaker still get hot? Trip?

Now add the water heater on electric, and check again. Does the breaker still get hot? Trip? Then add the Fridge on electric, Does the breaker still get hot? Trip? 

Keep in mind the Water heater may not be pulling power all the time, it does cycle off when the tank is hot. Running hot water in the sink for a few minutes should cause it to come on.


If you run out of options, I am a bit north of the east end of Hwy 60. About 100 miles from you. More than willing to help.

The 30 amp electric plug in at the house for the rv was checked and it working correctly. There is nothing wrong with it.
The surge protector was checked out and the lights on it are working.

After doing this troubleshooting, We read on the forum steps to reset transfer switch. We then tried the unplug from electric, start generator, turned on ac and refrigerator and  it worked fine for about 15 minutes, then the electricity shut off again. The circuit breaker felt warm with one of the legs flipped.

We are going to go out and try those steps again. If it happens again, We will check the circuit breaker and see if it got warm again and we will check out the transfer switch to see if anything is burned or needs cleaning.

Could it be a bad circuit breaker and needs to be replaced?
Could it be a bad transfer switch? We found and printed the transfer switch manual from this site.

Really nice to know that someone is only 100 miles away that we can contact if needed.

Could it be a bad circuit breaker and needs to be replaced?
Could it be a bad transfer switch? We found and printed the transfer switch manual from this site.

Sure! It could be either. Thats what Diagnostics is all about...finding it. And since it has the same problem on generator or shore power, we can look at things 'downstream' of them.

I have yet to locate my transfer switch. I thought it would be in the junction box on the B pillar base, but its not.  Gonna keep looking.

Interesting it tripped with only the fridge and A/C on. I am out in the driveway cleaning ours out, and on shore power. I have the A/C on, and fridge on electric, and water heater on electric for about 3 hrs now. I can hear the A/C compressor cycle on and off. While it was off, I started to microwave a container of water for 4 minutes. I then turned the control knob to 'colder' on the A/C to force the compressor on while the microwave was running. No tripping of breaker, and the breaker isnt warm.

Do you have a voltmeter? If so, measure the voltage at a 110V power outlet.  If it is a bad contact in the transfer switch causing a voltage drop, the outlets in the coach will be affected with everything else. And a drop in voltage will increase current draw, causing the breaker to trip. Measure voltage with nothing on, then turn on the A/C and fridge to see if there is a change.

Also...do you have a whole house inverter in yours?  Mine is old (2006) and does not, so I have little experience in how they are wired in. I dont know if/how you can isolate the inverter from the high voltage side of the coach to eliminate it as a cause.

Since you already have the manual for the transfer switch, I would suggest contacting the manufacturer to ask how running the generator while connected to shore power effects the transfer switch and anything else on the 110v circuit.  IF the transfer switch is not designed for that something may have been damaged, and they should be able to tell you where to start looking.

As to the transfer switch... A very easy test is to have the RV unplugged from shore power.  Turn OFF the inverter.  The TV(s) will be off, the microwave display panel will be off.

NOW, start the generator and watch the microwave display.  After about 15 or 20 seconds, the microwave display should go On.

If the display comes ON immediately after starting the generator, the transfer switch is NOT working properly!  If it takes 15 or 20 seconds for the microwave display to come on, the transfer switch is at least working properly.

If the transfer switch was working properly in the above test, now check it under a shore power by doing the following :

Turn the generator off.   Be inside the RV, the microwave display should go OFF.  While you watch the display, have someone assist you and plug in the 30amp cord and immediately tell you.  If the microwave display immediately (a few seconds) comes on, then the transfer switch is working properly.   If there is a delay (more than a few seconds) in the display coming on, the transfer switch is miss-wired or badly corroded.

The above tests will not tell you if the contacts in the transfer switch are badly corroded/pitted or not.  Only that it is properly wired and physically working.

Since you have the manual, I won't go into how transfer switches work and how they are wired.

Since you already have the manual for the transfer switch, I would suggest contacting the manufacturer to ask how running the generator while connected to shore power effects the transfer switch and anything else on the 110v circuit.  IF the transfer switch is not designed for that something may have been damaged, and they should be able to tell you where to start looking.

If the manual here on the forum matches the one in his rig, it doesnt affect things.

 "" If shore power returns while the Gen power is present, nothing will happen. When the Gen power is removed the contactor
will drop out and allow the shore side to supply power. "" 

I have had the fridge, A/C and water heater on in the driveway for about 7 hours, and the main breaker is slightly warm. Not even coffee warm, it was hardly noticeable.


At this point more diagnostics are needed. Either a voltage reading from an inside outlet, or a measurement of the total current draw through the shore power would tell us something.

Since it is feeding off a 30A/110V circuit, you could take off the cover of the breaker box feeding that outlet, and clamp an amp meter around the hot wire coming off the breaker inside.

Or get one of these, assuming you have a 50A shore power cord. They have 30A also.

https://factorypure.com/collections/surge-protectors/products/hughes-autoformers-pwd50-power-watchdog-50-amp-bluetooth-surge-protector-new

The phone app shows you volts and amps going into the supply line. (1 page user guide - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1163/1976/files/PWD50_Surge_Guide.pdf)

Actually, at $189 for the 50A, and $119 for the 30A, its something I might consider for my rig. Sure would answer questions quickly about power problems.

Thats the good thing about the forum...I get to experience problems through helping others, and in turn prepare myself for the inevitable day that I have my own.


EDIT - https://www.amazon.com/Hughes-Autoformer-PWD30-Power-Protector/dp/B0791RW8M2/ref=pd_lpo_263_t_0/135-0576463-4109318   $97 on Amazon!      
 

Update! 

Well, not for the OP's problem  , but for the monitor I got.

LOVE the Watchdog!  With the phone app, we can see the power draw in real time.

15.4 amps with the fridge on, and the AC compressor running.
25.8 with AC, Fridge and Water Heater.
36 (!) When I tried the Microwave added in. Breaker did not trip for the ~10 seconds I had them ALL on.

Well THATS very cool. Going around the camper turning things on and off. VERY happy we got it!

Thats the good thing about the forum...I get to experience problems through helping others, and in turn prepare myself for the inevitable day that I have my own.

And guess who just had a transfer switch go bad.... 

We thank everyone who replied and offered suggestions.  ❤️❤️😊

I apologize for not getting back to everyone and letting you know everything is working as it should. We located the transfer switch panel and removed it. Everything looked like it should. Wires looked new no burnt wires. Tested the wires for power and all worked. Since it was dusty the area was dusted. Pulled the main breaker and switched it off and on and put back in. Waited a few minutes and the tried out the generator. It worked and microwave light came on! 🙂 Turned refrigerator on and it worked.

Turned everything off, waited a few minutes, then plugged into power pole. Everything worked and haven’t had any more problems with the electric. We are very thankful that it worked out. Turns out my husband caused the problem when he turned generator on while electric was hooked up.

Love this site and all who are quick to respond.

Seems to me that the whole purpose of the transfer switch is to isolate the two sources power.  I've read elsewhere to never start the generator while plugged into shore power.  Seems to defeat the sole purpose if you ask me.  What is the consensus here.  I have started generator while plugged in with no issue.  Am I lucky?

Cool device Volkeman.