Electrical Help

[DepartTheNorm]

3 things are happening at once and don't know where to start.

1. When tearing down this morning to move, I removed one of the metal slide-out stabilizers. When I went to remove the 2nd one, I was holding the first one I had removed that was sitting on the ground and when I grabbed the 2nd one, the one still set up, I received a shock. I grabbed my multimeter and held the positive against the frame and the negative on the stabilizer on the ground and it showed a negative?
2. When we arrived at our new location, I came in the rig after doing all the outside setup. As I as going to put out the main living slide I noticed that the microwave was not on. I checked the breakers and found the microwave breaker had tripped. I reset it and immediately started hearing a hissing sound coming from near the refrigerator. Shortly thereafter there was also a strong ammonia smell. I quickly turned the microwave breaker back off. The microwave is only 2 weeks old as our original Hotpointe recently died.
3. The hissing sound continued so I removed the outside panel for the fridge and could tell the hissing sound was coming from the fridge, but there was no noticeable liquid anywhere. The hissing has since stopped. I spoke to a mobile tech who said it sounds like the cooling unit may have sprung a leak.

So, not sure if all of these things are related or not but now we have no microwave and no fridge. We are near Raleigh, NC and we are flying back to California on Monday for several weeks. Any help is appreciated.

Eric

[TedS]

It sounds like there is a short to ground somewhere and it is giving you what would be a hot skin condition giving you a shock when you touch anything connected to the chassis. The chassis is a grounding structure used by the electrical systems. Leave that microwave circuit breaker off to remove that circuit power from any downstream short to ground. The refrigerator leak may be a coincidence and not associated with the short. Open the refrigerator circuit breaker, just in case there is a short there too. The short or shorts need to be sorted out sooner than later.

[DepartTheNorm]

It sounds like there is a short to ground somewhere and it is giving you what would be a hot skin condition giving you a shock when you touch anything connected to the chassis. The chassis is a grounding structure used by the electrical systems. Leave that microwave circuit breaker off to remove that circuit power from any downstream short to ground. The refrigerator leak may be a coincidence and not associated with the short. Open the refrigerator circuit breaker, just in case there is a short there too. The short or shorts need to be sorted out sooner than later.

We have left the microwave breaker off. The fridge is connected to our inverter/solar so it bypasses the breaker, but we have powered off the fridge. I have no idea where to start to try to determine where the short is.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Well.... hot skin will be AC so it sounds like you were testing in DC mode for an AC voltage.But the condition you describe, in my experience has been more the fault of the campground wiring than the trailer.
If you smelled ammonia...unfortunately your fridge is done. Time for a new one. Nothing else in the trailer has ammonia in it...maybe your glass cleaner....lol.
I would first go with coincidence...but investigate. You haven't listed your trailer..was it one of the units like ours - 303RLS- that had a wire behind the fridge possibly burning against the fridge piping in the back causing a short? There was a recall.
It could be just a bad microwave receptacle. Pull it and see. Is it on the side by the fridge? Maybe related?
These are just guesses..need more info to get more specific.

[TedS]

The tripping of the microwave circuit breaker is a strong clue that the short is in the circuit that provides power to the microwave. The suspected wiring would run from the breaker panel to the outlet into which the microwave is plugged. Unplug the microwave and start tracing, troubleshooting that circuit. Remove power from the trailer, then check continuity of the power side( could be a red or black wire, neutral is white) of the microwave outlet to ground, the green wire. The test should show no continuity. If continuity shows, then inspect, trace back towards the breaker panel. Could be the short is at the outlet or farther up the line. Apparently this line is not gfci protected or that would have tripped.

[DepartTheNorm]

Well.... hot skin will be AC so it sounds like you were testing in DC mode for an AC voltage.But the condition you describe, in my experience has been more the fault of the campground wiring than the trailer.
If you smelled ammonia...unfortunately your fridge is done. Time for a new one. Nothing else in the trailer has ammonia in it...maybe your glass cleaner....lol.
I would first go with coincidence...but investigate. You haven't listed your trailer..was it one of the units like ours - 303RLS- that had a wire behind the fridge possibly burning against the fridge piping in the back causing a short? There was a recall.
It could be just a bad microwave receptacle. Pull it and see. Is it on the side by the fridge? Maybe related?
These are just guesses..need more info to get more specific.

I tested with an outlet tester, the kind with lights, and the outlet for the microwave has an issue. All other outlets nearby test fine. We are in a 384GK, so the microwave is in the same slide as the fridge but there is a cabinet between the microwave and the fridge. I haven't been able to determine but I assume the wiring for the microwave goes up over the cabinet and then down behind the fridge but I don't know that for certain.

[TedS]

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electric...t-skin-causes/

https://rvelectricity.substack.com/p...roubleshooting

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-how-to-diagnose-hot-skin-voltage/

[ncitro]

I tested with an outlet tester, the kind with lights, and the outlet for the microwave has an issue. All other outlets nearby test fine. We are in a 384GK, so the microwave is in the same slide as the fridge but there is a cabinet between the microwave and the fridge. I haven't been able to determine but I assume the wiring for the microwave goes up over the cabinet and then down behind the fridge but I don't know that for certain.

If its in the slideout then there will be a pair of "molex" plugs under the coroplast, one that transitions from the rigid Romex wiring to stranded cord under the slide out, and another inside the slide out that transitions back to Romex in the slide out wall. I would start with either the outlet itself or the molex plugs for the source of your issue.

I also thing the fridge is a coincidence, and its toast. Once the ammonia leaks out the cooling unit is done. You could replace the fridge or there are a few companies in Indiana that offer replacement cooling units, or DC conversions.

This is the Molex connector.

[Lonestar]

I tested with an outlet tester, the kind with lights, and the outlet for the microwave has an issue. All other outlets nearby test fine. We are in a 384GK, so the microwave is in the same slide as the fridge but there is a cabinet between the microwave and the fridge. I haven't been able to determine but I assume the wiring for the microwave goes up over the cabinet and then down behind the fridge but I don't know that for certain.

I agree it sounds like the issue is in the microwave circuit. Just wondering if you are you using any type of Electrical Management System, such as the portable ones that plug into the campground pedestal or one that is hardwired in your trailer?

[howson]

DepartTheNorm (Eric),

Please fill out your signature line as mentioned in the Welcome Letter (linked off the home page). If not done already, adding the rig's VIN to your profile is helpful, too.

See the attached NHTSA Recall Notice. You should be able to determine if the recall applies to your unit. (Unfortunately may be too late at this point to avoid the result of the problem if it does apply to your RV.)

NHTSA Recall Notice 22V-038 - Grand Design.pdf

As the others have stated, the cooling unit on the refrigerator is now bad and the only remedy is a cooling unit replacement (a major task) or complete refrigerator replacement. It's expensive either way, so be prepared for sticker shock.

Howard

P.S. Since you're relatively new, remember we're all fellow owners here so "don't shoot the messenger".

[Country Campers]

If your Solitude has a factory inverter then in should have a residential fridge, Do you have a residential fridge?

Brian