Hot 110V Breaker Panel on 2017 View 24J

[TimothyPaul]

Hi All. Plugged into shore power and my 110v side of the panel is very hot. More specifically the breakers are very hot. My power watch dog is not showing any issues. The fridge breaker wont reset. AC breaker tripped but i was able to reset. Not sure what to check, and of course I am on the first night of a 3 week trek and have limited tools.

 

[klook]

You need to check all the wires as they connect in the breaker area. Heat is from a bad connection or bad breaker even.
By that I mean particularly the wires that come into the box from the Watch Dog

 

[TimothyPaul]

You need to check all the wires as they connect in the breaker area. Heat is from a bad connection or bad breaker even.
By that I mean particularly the wires that come into the box from the Watch Dog

Thank you for responding. Would you know if these units use some type of standard breaker I could get at a local HomeDepot or hardware store? It’s a 2017 View….. I’ll be traveling to an area tomorrow that has a HD and a Lowes….

 

[klook]

Yes, Take one with you or a picture of one. The numbers on it will identify the type of attachment.

 

[klook]

Do you have an automatic transfer switch?

 

[TimothyPaul]

Do you have an automatic transfer switch?

Yes -

 

[klook]

That is another set of connections to check also. Somewhere between the Watch Dog and the breaker panel there is a loose connection. My bet is in the breaker box though as you say it is hot.

 

[TimothyPaul]

Cool - I can check that tomorrow. Another thing I am noticing is the entertainment center by the entrance door keeps coming on and then going off. Didn’t notice this before.

 

[klook]

That is 12v powered?

 

[klook]

Could you tell me what is pulling the 15.4 amps in the picture?

 

[TimothyPaul]

The AC - we are in SW Florida and it really hot !!! When I kill the AC we drop to 1.5-3

 

[Morich]

If the breakers and panel are hot to the touch, I would first want to reduce the load as much as I could. More current being drawn means more heat and if there is wiring insulation getting hot to melt, getting it cooled is critical to reducing damage! The idea on that is that the longer heat is applied, the further back the insulation on wires will melt, making it much harder to repair if that is the problem.
But when the frig failed and would not reset, that s also an indication that something is wrong and if it is wiring to the frig, the longer you use the firg on AC , the more damage may happen.
Does your frig have a propane or 12Volt option you might switch over to and then reduce the 110 load to the frig, until repairs can be done? When breaker panels beging to heat, I get very nervous as it is not that big a leap to think of something small like wood chips from RV building or things like paper catching fire in the wall!

 

[klook]

If its hot with the AC on its not the fridge breaker specifically. But I agree to shut it all off until repaired. The 120v for the fridge only runs the heat element(s). The glass fuse on the control board should pop first if one or the only one is shorting out. They are made to get hot so no danger there. I still suspect a loose wire at the main breaker in the panel in the camper.

 

[TimothyPaul]

I think I have narrowed this down to the fridge - when I keep the fridge breaker off, the panel does not get hot. Interested, when on propane, the fridge is cooling much better too. This morning when I went to experiment and turn the Norcold fridge breaker back on, the main breaker shut down right away. Kinda stinks that this couldn’t happen when I was hooked up to shore power in my driveway and had to wait until I was traveling….. I took the outside panel off and do not see anything physically wrong

 

[Morich]

Is the frig running okay on propane when AC power breaker is off? That might mean the heating element in the frig has gone bad. It acts somewhat like a toaster and provides the heat to make cool!
What this might lead to is you being able to get by using only the propane setting for the frig until a better time to replace the element on the frig. Depends on your situation but I might see doing that and waiting for frig repair until I get back in home area?
Some checking to make sure it is just the element but doing it when not stressed is often a good move. Maybe use a bit more propane as a tradeoff is a good thing?

 

[klook]

It you have a meter you can disconnect the spade connectors on the control board in the back and ohm the heat element out without removing it. Google your make and model number to get the correct ohm reading. If you have a meter that does amps as in clamp on style you can put it around one wire from the element and see what it is pulling. Also can be found on Google

 

[TimothyPaul]

If it is the element, would it work on 12 V when driving ? Not sure I want to drive with the fridge running on LP.

 

[klook]

Well, It is designed to maintain temp while driving but I would not rely on it for total cooling. I am one of the ones that has no problem using propane but it is a hot topic amongst forums and RV technicians. ...

 

[Morich]

Before putting too much hope in the idea that it is a bad element, it may be worthwhile to test that idea.
If you look at the frig, there are often ov=bvious places where the wiring of the element comes out to some point. If it is the elemnet shorting, taking one of those wires off may help to confirm that if testing with a meter is not working for you.
But I am also not one to worry the issue of propane use during travel. I do not travel the areas where there are enough tunnels to change my plans, so even shutting off the tank is not one we have done more than a few times. While I am prone to going the safe way in many cases, this falls into the "acceptable risk" for me as I have seen so few actual cases of fires from the frig. I find the stories are more common than the actual folks who have had the problem!

 

[TimothyPaul]

Thank you gentlemen - I usually need to keep the generator running while we travel. In SW Florida, it gets really hot and I travel with my two Labradors, so I keep the AC on while driving most of the time. I ended up calling an RV tech who is supposed to come out to our campsite later today. He has a spare heating element in stock, so hopefully, that will be an easy fix - and we can continue our travels.