Electric Fireplace Issue

[MichaelJTrent]

We bought our 373FB-R Solitude in 2021 and have had no issues with the fireplace until yesterday. We took the unit out and with the temperature being a little lower we tried to turn on the fireplace and It turns on but immediately turns itself back off. We have used it before without issue so this seems to have come out of nowhere.

I've taken the fireplace out of the housing and plugged it into a separate outlet and it works fine. It is not tripping the breaker. As a matter of fact, when I checked the breakers the fireplace was plugged into the washing machine breaker so I swapped them around. Now it is on the 20 amp fireplace circuit that it looks like it was supposed to be on to begin with.

I'm no electrician but I think if there is a short in the wire it should be popping the breaker. No? I have no idea what would cause this. I thought maybe it was the fireplace unit itself but as I said when it's plugged into a separate outlet it works fine. We also have a Amazon space heater that we plugged into the outlet behind the fireplace and it also shuts off as soon as it tries to turn on the heating element.

I plugged a multimeter into the outlet and it shows that it was only receiving 15 volts. So I actually detached the wires and twisted them around the plug for the space heater, but it did not make a difference. I figured that at least rules out a bad outlet. The wires themselves are showing 120.

The link below is to a short video showing you what it does. Does anybody have any clue what would cause this?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QggyvbL3rFK9EpzQ7

[Country Campers]

When you tested the outlet it read 15 v, when you tested the wires when removed from the outlet the wires read 120 v, is this correct?

Brian

[howson]

MichaelJTrent

It could be the outlet itself. RV outlets notoriously fail in high-load applications as the connection is less than ideal (IMO). Replace it with a household-standard outlet.



If it's not the outlet itself that means the outlet (that has typical Romex wire) is connected to flexible wiring using a Molex connector. Below is how my 315RLTS fireplace was wired. Those connectors behind the outlet are the Molex connectors.



Below is another view of what the Molex looks like. Note the Romex in the person's right hand and the flexible wiring in the left hand. The Molex connector snaps together to join the two sections.



Howard

P.S. Should be self-evident, but make 100% sure 120vAC is removed from the outlet and wiring before messing with it! If you're not sure how to do that, please ask.

[MichaelJTrent]

Yeah, the voltage to the outlet varies so I pulled all the wires, stripped them and reconnected. I thought maybe it was just a bad connection but it didn't help. My thought was the same, the outlet had gone bad but when I wired the heater plug directly to the wires (that show 120v) it made no difference.

I can't see any molex connections inline with the romex. It just disappears into the wall but has nothing else connected to it up to that point.

[Cate&Rob]

If this fireplace is in a slide, there will be another Molex connector in the underbelly connecting the solid copper wire to flex cable for the transition to the movable slide. If this connection is loose or getting wet, this can cause the issue you are describing.

Rob

[MichaelJTrent]

Thanks. I'll see if I can take a look today.

[guest2]

Possible GFI outlet issue?
Rich

[howson]

Possible GFI outlet issue?
Rich

Typically a fireplace is a single-outlet circuit in our RVs that's not GFCI protected. There's always the exception...but unlikely IMO.

[MichaelJTrent]

Not a GFCI outlet. It's a single receptacle on its own circuit.

[markandkim]

I know alot of people replace that outlet with a extended box and a household outlet. Much better lead contacts.

[MichaelJTrent]

Forgot to update this.

Got home from our trip and the fireplace has been working without issue. Retracted and extended the slide it is on multiple times, no problem.

My guess is either a pinched wire\loose connection or maybe an electrical issue at the park we stayed at? Not sure, but as it stands now I haven't had a need to dig any further.

Thanks for the replies. It gives me a good place to start should we need to troubleshoot in the future.

[howson]

Forgot to update this.

Got home from our trip and the fireplace has been working without issue. Retracted and extended the slide it is on multiple times, no problem.

My guess is either a pinched wire\loose connection or maybe an electrical issue at the park we stayed at? Not sure, but as it stands now I haven't had a need to dig any further.

Thanks for the replies. It gives me a good place to start should we need to troubleshoot in the future.

Hmmm...makes me more suspicious the issue was moisture related. If time (and weather) permits, suggest taking a peak under the coroplast and doing a visual inspection on that molex connector for the fireplace. If it's laying on (or was on) the coroplast--that's not good.

The primary reason is if it is the molex connector is failing and it's due to moisture, a total failure (short circuit) can be more than just a nuisance. See https://www.granddesignrv.com/owners...alls---20v-362 if you'd like to see more details. (Not trying to cause undue alarm, but want to make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.)

Howard

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Forgot to update this.

Got home from our trip and the fireplace has been working without issue. Retracted and extended the slide it is on multiple times, no problem.

My guess is either a pinched wire\loose connection or maybe an electrical issue at the park we stayed at? Not sure, but as it stands now I haven't had a need to dig any further.

Thanks for the replies. It gives me a good place to start should we need to troubleshoot in the future.

The described issue only happened during one stay at one campground? Nowhere else?