Stuck with a Broken Motorhome - Can I FIX IT?

[@Imagashole]

The best face ever made when you pointed to CW on the board lol!!

[@hillbillyrv]

lol Thanks

[@jerrywiese9722]

Professors usually wear a white lab coat, but the white board made up for it. You're the man. Happy Inauguration Day!

[@hillbillyrv]

Ha ha

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

It’s always nice when the service guy has to be an electrician as well. Great Video, Kenny. Sounds about normal for tech support.

[@hillbillyrv]

Tech support is non existent with a lot of companies today. Sad

[@RobertSherwood-n6y]

Again more awesome info.

[@hillbillyrv]

You are welcome

[@dugman1550]

You are right the 41301 will not work on shore power without a ground.

[@hillbillyrv]

Obviously 🤣

[@Robnord1]

Thanks much for the video, and good luck on the roads in that weather ! A 'smart' transfer switch 🤦‍♂ A new one on me. Looks like they need to update their home panel, or at least get an electrician's opinion. No ground panel is unusual . Pre - 1974 ?

[@hillbillyrv]

I suggested that he contact an electrician.

[@bakmak8199]

The owner’s not going to be able to drive a grounding rod till spring 😢

[@harveybrewer1]

It’s a good thing he came to you. Since there was nothing wrong with the camper. CW wouldn’t have been able to find the problem. And it’s INaccessble. 😂

[@hillbillyrv]

Yes. That too.

[@stevelange819]

If earlier @ Bertkelly 7650 copper rod driven into ground to provide ground suggestion works, where does the connecting wire attach to: 1) Is it best to wire it to the 30Amp breaker & receptacle so the shore cord can be attached as originally intended? 2) If driven in ground near the RV, where does this additional ground wire get wired into? The Southwire 41301 transfer switch or other? My apologies for my lack of electrical wiring knowledge. Even though we didn't see the search for the transfer switch with the red warning light glowing nor the customer's addition of the 30Amp breaker or how you noticed the house was never wired with ground (but everything inside the home works just fine), you've shared a small but important electrical tidbit that is easily a brain-teaser if one didn't know what to consider. Thanks and do stay healthy and safe in the cold and snow.

[@hillbillyrv]

I believe a ground rod could be constructed to the ground wire going to the receptacle that the RV is wired into and cure the only problem that lack of ground is causing. The transfer switch.

[@ScottDLR]

Just driving a ground rod in the ground wont work. It has to be bonded to the neutral in order for the inv to detect it.

[@vanbrendle]

Electrical standards seem to keep evolving. We just bought a new house and the dryer kept tripping the circuit breaker because Maytag had the neutral and ground tied together. The electrician said he sees it a lot with the new circuit breaker technology.

[@lorenrickey5481]

AFCI /GFCI combo breakers need to be installed on new codes. Not sure if RVs are required after watching this video though. The problem seems to be the 30 amp RV plug is usually wired at 120 volt on 3 wires. Black hot, white neutral, green ground. The ground is really important in this situation for safety. Disclaimer I am not an electrician and you should consult with one.

[@hillbillyrv]

I hadn’t heard of that.

[@lorenrickey5481]

@@hillbillyrv Old 3 wire 220 volt appliances shared the ground with the neutral. New AFCI/GFCI need 4 wire 220 volt otherwise it will trip the breakers.

[@vanbrendle]

@@lorenrickey5481 Thanks for the clarification. Our Maytag dryer was bought from Lowes in 2005. I guess things have changed. The new Leviton circuit breakers are much more sensitive then the previous circuit breakers I have owned.

[@JeffinTD]

A person could argue that things have gone too far, but… back in the day we didn’t need no airbags or seatbelts, and if you crashed your car you were expected to fly through the windshield and die like a man, or if your kid got electrocuted you suck it up and move on. If this panel has a ground bar I’d have an electrician properly ground it, or if it predates that- you certainly got your moneys worth out of it. Time to upgrade the panel. I realize people have limited means, but to me I’d at least want the kitchen, bathroom, and outdoor outlets grounded.

[@hillbillyrv]

Old panel. No ground bar.

[@jerrywiese9722]

@@hillbillyrv at least they didn't have glass fuses... did they?

[@daviscrt]

Good thing he had a generator. Probably for safety purposes. Thanks Don

[@hillbillyrv]

It sure helped to diagnose it.

[@oldbroad7672]

Huh. That's pretty interesting 🤔

[@hillbillyrv]

Thanks

[@rolandoramirez185]

I have a 50 amp transfer switch...that works intermittent... I notice it read from neutral to ground it would read 0.3 v. Some type of feed back... I call a electrician..What ever he did once it read 0.01 v transfer switch work great... Hopefully this helps...thanks for your videos.....

[@hillbillyrv]

Thanks

[@ScottDLR]

It's not so much looking for a ground as much as it is looking for the ground to be bonded to the neutral. Stick those two together and it will work (plug a bonding plug into the inv). You still wont have a ground but it will fool the inverter and it will be as safe as the rest of the house.

[@hillbillyrv]

Thanks for the info.

[@frankmitzen2008]

I have a south wire EMS 50amp surge protector. They will not operate if open neutral or ground plus they will drop out if low or high voltage

[@hillbillyrv]

Yes that is correct.

[@jeffsteele1295]

Does CW mean Camping Word ? LOL Kenny , great information this can cause a lot of problems in you house . If you have your neighbor to rewire you house . One thing the GFI want work .

[@hillbillyrv]

Everything works great except the TS.

[@princesonthemove4020]

We had a Southwire Surgeguard that wouldn’t let power pass through because of open ground that I couldn’t find. I installs a progressive dynamics because it has a bypass mode to allow power to go through. I don’t want to run unprotected but I feel the SW was giving a false reading.

[@hillbillyrv]

Better safe than sorry.

[@craigjohnson3603]

Good to know. -17 in MN this a.m. Brrr.

[@hillbillyrv]

Brrrr

[@Mark-ry4ye]

I’m guessing you could open up the transfer switch and ground the ground to the rv frame.

[@hillbillyrv]

The RV is all grounded properly. Just not the guys house.

[@billhillegass946]

I bet BillHilly was somewhere skiing ⛷️

[@hillbillyrv]

Probably

[@plowhand5591]

All this electrickery “progress” on RV’s (and automobiles) sometimes makes me want to go back to a covered wagon (yes I’m that old). This morning my Norcold refrigerator stopped working. Now I have to figure out a way to get some bleach down that pencil size drain tube. But a small price to pay for suffering for Jesus in south Florida! 🙂✝

[@hillbillyrv]

It just keeps getting worse too.

[@Robnord1]

Undiluted Vinegar with a turkey baster or a 60cc cath tip syringe . Good luck

[@papa1006rc]

Use a bonding plug and it will work

[@hillbillyrv]

Thanks for the info.

[@KevinCoop1]

Sorry you couldn’t walk away happy.

[@KevinCoop1]

Kenny, can you tell me how the wires were connected in the panel? Here are my questions. Black to breaker? White to neutral bar? Ground to??? Is there a neutral/ground bar or a neutral (off the can) and ground on the can bars? Where was the bar or green ground wire connected? The reason I’m asking is, a ground conductor running from a panel to a ground rod has absolutely nothing to do with this issue. Earth ground is for lightning strikes and surges only. Although there may be no ground rod at the panel, it is earth grounded by the utility. My guess is there are two bars in the panel and the N & G are not bonded together or the conductor is not connected. Or it may not be connected in the receptacle that he put in. Delete this comment if you would like. Respectfully, Kevin

[@hillbillyrv]

It happens.

[@hillbillyrv]

As I explained in the video. Old service and old panel box. No ground from utility or at the panel box. So in other words. No ground anywhere except from both generators. Don’t even ask me how a generator has a ground. ?????

[@KevinCoop1]

@@hillbillyrv A generator does not have a “ground” by your definition. In RV generators, and in non inverter generators, there is a bonding jumper from “equipment” ground to Neutral. There is never a 4th conductor Equipment ground from the utility. Always (for 120/240v) 2 hots, 1 Neutral. So, the reason it is not working in his house is the bonding jumper from Neutral to Ground ha not been installed.

[@donaldstclair9988]

"Inaccessible"😂😊

[@Mike-ig2zq]

Lol, beat me to it..

[@hillbillyrv]

Thanks

[@coreymerritt7742]

That was the first mistake lol

[@hillbillyrv]

Ha ha

[@patrickstiltner1207]

I have a Southwire EMS, and it will not work with an open ground. My Progressive will.

[@hillbillyrv]

Interesting

[@stevelange819]

Not to waste your "free time" especially in sub freezing temperatures and frozen over roadways, but almost almost worth the attempt to actually put a stake or (2) 12 ft between as suggested in one reply and wired them in to see if there is a change. I know you won't because its the customer's Rv but it would be nice to see if it works. I hope the customer contacts you letting you know that he tried it and it either did or did not work.

[@hillbillyrv]

It would work.

[@bertkelly7650]

Easy fix. Just take a copper rod and bang it into a foot of frozen ground and run a wire to that. (code says 4ft)

[@hillbillyrv]

I told him to contact an electrician and see if that would be a possibility.

[@onewayt]

@bertkelly7650 i was going to ask why you couldn't do that in a pinch.

[@brianbiggs3484]

👍👍✌️🇨🇦✌️🇨🇦✌️🇨🇦🥶🥶

[@waynec3121]

When are people going to learn?Not to go to CW haha

[@hillbillyrv]

Never. They are lured in by low prices and slick marketing.

[@tombeilman5579]

It’s Trumps fault cold and snow 😊

[@hillbillyrv]

Probably

[@TheCure-b1j]

Hammer 2 poles into the ground, 12 feet apart connected with a copper wire and your grounded.

[@hillbillyrv]

Not me