Electrical problems

[Brick1964]

Hi everyone,
I own a 2014 Winnebago Vista 30t. No modifications to it. I'm having problems with the electric hot waterheater, the levels test panel, power attenuator, fan and light over the stove, and the outside radio. I'm camping until Sunday so no voltmeter. I've checked fuses, and both GFI outlets and reset both of them. I've checked every outlet and power to all of them. Used my phone charger for that. Outlet with my outside radio works.
All of my lights work inside except over the stove and both TVs have power. Interior radio and speakers a,b c zones work. Frig and Microwave work. Heating and A/C works. Stove is gas. So I really don't know what to check until I get a multimeter. Any breakers or fuses besides the inventor? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks

[imnprsd]

Any chance these might be separate issues?

On the other hand, if you have a "power shedder" like an Intelletec EMS-620 that drops power based on your input voltage, then maybe there is your answer.

You are saying you are getting no 120Vac power to your HWH, right? ...but your gas side of the HWH works? ...Or do you only have an electric element? ...Maybe you have an Aqua Hot? IDK.

I hate being without hot water. Is that your situation?

What sort of "levels test panel" are you referring to? Is this you battery SOC or maybe your holding tanks level indicator? If so, both of these are 12V aren't they?

Sorry, I can't be more help. I have an older coach.

[creativepart]

Are you on shore power or generator? Or are you on Inverter? I assume it's shore power, but thought I'd ask to confirm.

[powercat_ras]

In your Vista with 30 amp AC electrical, there are about 8 DC fuses in a WFCO AC/DC electrical box, look for one of the blue 15 Amp DC fuses to have blown. The multiple things you describe are all caused by a specific 15 Amp DC branch circuit having no power, that feeds many things. The loads that are out will all have the same wire identifier, such as JA or JE. Wiring diagram say all the loads that you say are out are on JA, but the electrical box drawing says JE. Both are fed by 15 amp DC fuses so it's not a huge deal that the fusebox drawing and the wiring diagram don't match.

That entire fuse block is powered by a circuit breaker in the chassis electrical box, but based on your original post you still have good DC power to the block and that's not the issue.

Don't replace with a bigger than 15 amp fuse, if a replacement fuse blows you'll have to troubleshoot and find the problem, as all the wires fed from that fuse are only 14 gauge copper, which can safely only carry up to 15 amps.

Even the AC hot water heater function is activated by a 12 volt DC signal that is fed from the AC HWH switch that the wiring diagram says is fed DC via the JA DC feed wiring.

[Morich]

Maybe some basics to help clear the muddle?
There are three basic parts to the RV electrical and those three parts often connect to one or more of the other parts so it can get confusing.
One part is the 12VDc stuff we find on most cars or trucks like headlights, horn taillights, etc.
Part two is the Coach 12VDC stuff like vent fans, inside lights, 12Voutlets and lots of control items like the monitor panel, solenoids for the gas stove, relays and switches to control other things like awning, etc.
The third is 110AC that comes from plugging in or starting the generator, but the confusing part is that we can often find some items like TV and a couple outlets that may be fed 110AC when plugged in but fed from the coach batteries through an inverter which turns 12VDC to 110AC!

So when you have 110AC to all the outlets, we say you are likely good on that system. But the reason the 110VAC to the water heater is not working is likely to be the 12VDC controls (and monitor panel?) is NOT good! Light and vent at the stove, power to antenna and things that are not working are a dead 12VDC circuit from the coach system and the radio and things that DO work may be on the chassis 12VDC or possibly on a different fuse which is still good.
Looking at the little plug fuses is really hard to spot one which has blown at times.

Without a meter to test continuity or a test light to check the fuse, it is likely a blown one has been missed.

One way to cripple by without a meter is to swap a known good fuse into see if that makes a circuit work.
Click this drawing to make it better to read but I see a 15 amp fuse feeding your compartment lights. So if that is true and you unplug fuse 15 amp fuse 5 and they stop working, you know you have a good fuse in hand, so try it in fuse 7 and see if the monitor panel jumps up to life!

Keep in mind that this is a bit of walking real close to the edge as the new fuse can go bad real quick if there is an actual problem on the monitor circuit!
So what I'm saying is not to trust that known good fuse too far as it can go bad immediately and then you might chase your tail all day testing with a fuse that is now bad!

Having a small box of 15 amp fuses on hand might be a comforting thing to do!

Never trust the gremlins not to throw you a curve at any time!

[Brick1964]

Thanks everyone for your help. I am on shower power. And no hot water does suck. So yesterday I did swap fuses around and no luck. This morning I couldn't take it anymore and went and bought a multimeter. I don't know the problem but I did fix the issue for now. Fuse 2 a 15 am fuse which is good I pulled and swapped with another good fuse.
And all of the issues are working right now. So as soon as get home I am going to pull the breaker box and check all of the wiring to make sure everything is tight. None of the things that were not working are not logical in the circuit. So I know where the problem is now and will have to find the solution to it when I get home. Once again thank you

[Morich]

Sounds like progress any time we can get it to work!
But a word on what can happen may save some headaches. Things like fuses can go open when we let an RV set, just because we are not shaking them around, things tend to corrode more than on cars which we drive every day. It is entirely possible that pulling the fuses and putting them back scraped off enough corrosion to make it work.

So while it is not good to ignore some things, if I have a gremlin in the electric and it clears with no reason while I'm moving things around, I tighten an connections I see and do chase it much further.
My old saying at work was that you can't fix it if it isn't broken! Just remember which fuses for the time when it comes back, may be better than taking the RV apart to find what's not there!