Need help with modded 1996 tioga power issues

[Kalairbo]

I recently moved into a 1996 tioga my friend bought with purposes of fixing up. The previous owner had told her they removed the generator and added extra batteries, intending for everything to be charged by solar panels. There is a single, small (1’ftx1’ft) panel on the roof.

Most of the outlets don’t work. The only ones working are the microwave, kitchen, bathroom, and the in-closet outlet for the bedroom and one single outlet above the dining room couch.

I have my pc, monitor and WiFi router currently hooked up to the microwave outlet and when I hooked up a box fan it could barely even run. The outlet above the couch has also fried one of our cheaper phone chargers.

I don’t really know rv’s too well, but I did live in a 1984 16ft for awhile 9 years ago and didn’t have any of these problems.

Flipping breakers also had no affect on any outlet or light, but I’ve never been off shore power in an rv so I don’t know if that actually matters or not? I thought you needed the inverter in shore power use though?

I guess my question is, how do I test the outlets, how do I figure out if the previous owner wired things weird, and basically how do I get good amperage across the motorhome!?

I apologize for my lack of knowledge and possibly curt wording as well… We were supposedly moving into a place where everything worked, and it very much doesn’t. It’s been trying times. (We also haven’t figured out how to diagnose the g68-ae water heater yet but that’s another story, lol)

 

[John From Detroit]

Somewhere.. Most likely the bathroom, is a GFCI outlet (has test and reset buttons..

First sggeston is the RESET button. Try both when you press the Reset you should hear a "click" and with the test a "Snap" (Reset after testing)

After that it's get a cable tracker and follow the beeps (Harbor Freight. aobut 30 bucks, eats batteries)

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

everything to be charged by solar panels. There is a single, small (1’ftx1’ft) panel on the roof.

Yeah, well, not that solar panel. And,

Kalairbo New member · From Kitsap county, Washington​

in this location you'll need lots of panels and big battery bank to ride through your cloudy days. Sounds like you're on shore power anyway, I'd put any solar aspirations on the back burner.

how do I figure out if the previous owner wired things weird, and basically how do I get good amperage across the motorhome!?

Generally speaking, it would be unusual for anyone to muck with existing wiring and outlets. They'll likely all trace back to the factory breaker panel, which is where I would expect if anyone would intercept a circuit to be powered by an added on inverter or switched for some purpose, that would be where it would happen. But before you go tearing through everything on the assumption it's been modified, looking for a tripped GFCI as John referenced above is your first mission. After that, I'd be physically looking at each outlet by taking it out of the wall and verifying the mechanical integrity of it's connections. Outlets are daisy chained and let's say the quality and fitness of purpose of these outlets isn't optimum. After this period of time corrosion, vibration or electrical stress could cause a connection to fail, removing power for remaining outlets down the chain. This needs to be done even for working outlets because the input connection may be OK but not the connection going downstream.

Lost 120v 300 miles from home

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[OldWEB]

Flipping breakers also had no affect on any outlet or light, but I’ve never been off shore power in an rv so I don’t know if that actually matters or not? I thought you needed the inverter in shore power use though?

I read that as there is no shore power....

 

[OldWEB]

(We also haven’t figured out how to diagnose the g68-ae water heater yet but that’s another story, lol)

If you can type, not to hard to find a manual and maybe answers to your questions.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I read that as there is no shore power....

I saw that too, but I also saw "moved in to" implying full time, and working outlets for microwave, kitchen and bathroom. That's not happening on battery with a square foot solar panel for very long.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Kalairbo]

Somewhere.. Most likely the bathroom, is a GFCI outlet (has test and reset buttons..

First sggeston is the RESET button. Try both when you press the Reset you should hear a "click" and with the test a "Snap" (Reset after testing)

After that it's get a cable tracker and follow the beeps (Harbor Freight. aobut 30 bucks, eats batteries)

GFCI's were the first thing I tried, I may have to go find that cable tracker.

 

[Kalairbo]

Yeah, well, not that solar panel. And,

Kalairbo New member · From Kitsap county, Washington​

in this location you'll need lots of panels and big battery bank to ride through your cloudy days. Sounds like you're on shore power anyway, I'd put any solar aspirations on the back burner.


Generally speaking, it would be unusual for anyone to muck with existing wiring and outlets. They'll likely all trace back to the factory breaker panel, which is where I would expect if anyone would intercept a circuit to be powered by an added on inverter or switched for some purpose, that would be where it would happen. But before you go tearing through everything on the assumption it's been modified, looking for a tripped GFCI as John referenced above is your first mission. After that, I'd be physically looking at each outlet by taking it out of the wall and verifying the mechanical integrity of it's connections. Outlets are daisy chained and let's say the quality and fitness of purpose of these outlets isn't optimum. After this period of time corrosion, vibration or electrical stress could cause a connection to fail, removing power for remaining outlets down the chain. This needs to be done even for working outlets because the input connection may be OK but not the connection going downstream.

Lost 120v 300 miles from home

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

Yeah the solar panel was the previous owner, definitely not my own aspirations lol. Tearing out the generator to add more batteries and a tiny solar panel is definitely not an idea I would have had.

I did check the GFCI's and they were fine. I suppose I figured a physical inspection wouldn't yield much so I didn't think about pulling the outlets. Is there a wiring diagram for the 1996 tioga I can use to follow the outlets back from the nearest known "good" source, perhaps?

All that said, shouldn't the breaker panel turn outlets or lights off when the breakers are flipped off? Because I turned literally every single one off and it did nothing to the appliances and lights I had running, which confused me.

 

[Kalairbo]

If you can type, not to hard to find a manual and maybe answers to your questions.

Sorry for the confusion, definitely meant I have only EVER been completely on shore power.

And yes, first thing I did once I got water and gas running was look up the water heater manual, but since I'm not getting gas OR spark I honestly have no idea where to start. I've been thinking about replacing it with a tankless just to avoid headache at this point.

 

[Kirk]

Is there a wiring diagram for the 1996 tioga I can use to follow the outlets back from the nearest known "good" source, perhaps?

There probably never was on that was made public and after 28 years it will be difficult to find a copy, if it ever existed.

All that said, shouldn't the breaker panel turn outlets or lights off when the breakers are flipped off?

The lights in an RV are supplied by 12V power from the batteries or the converter. I very much doubt that there is an inverter in your RV as they were not common that long ago. It would probably have been added if it is there. The fact that the generator is gone and batteries are in it's place shows that someone did do some major work and that makes any electrical system suspect for having been changed.

I have my pc, monitor and WiFi router currently hooked up to the microwave outlet and when I hooked up a box fan it could barely even run. The outlet above the couch has also fried one of our cheaper phone chargers.

Have you checked the voltage with a reasonably good multimeter? The fact that the fan runs slow makes me suspect that you have some sort of problem with that outlet, or with the fan. As to the outlet above the couch, an outlet can't fry anything. The wrong voltage can do serious harm but I'm not sure what you mean when you say fired so?? That is another reason that you need to be checking things with a meter to know what voltages you have.

I guess my question is, how do I test the outlets, how do I figure out if the previous owner wired things weird, and basically how do I get good amperage across the motorhome!?

Start by checking each one with a voltmeter. It is the only way to really know what is there.

All that said, shouldn't the breaker panel turn outlets or lights off when the breakers are flipped off? Because I turned literally every single one off and it did nothing to the appliances and lights I had running, which confused me.

Since the lights are 12V direct current from the battery or converter, the only way that the circuit breakers would turn them off would be if the batteries were all missing or discharged so that your only 12V supply was from the converter, which would have a circuit breaker to supply 120V to it. If the batteries are good, then circuit breakers have no effect on the 12V supply but there should be a fuse panel somewhere that does interrupt the 12V supply. The same is true of the appliances in the RV, with the exception of the microwave and the TV. Both of them probably require 120V from an outside source. RV appliances all use 12V direct current to enable you to use them from batteries when you do not have outside power.

I am wondering about the outside power supply that you have connected to the RV. Has it been checked with a voltmeter and who did the wiring? I am very suspicious of that supply.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Yeah, in a perfect world you'd find a print for this thing and tracing would be academic. Given how RV's are made I'd have to wonder if some are even built to print, though so far anything I've done to mine using winnebago diagrams have been spot on. While it's true that you can never underestimate the actions of a suitably motivated person, wiring in RV's isn't readily modified, at least in terms of routing wires. To wholly "change" a circuit is pretty invasive, meaning going through the foam in walls, under/behind cabinets and possibly the chassis. Adding batteries doesn't have to be terribly invasive, likely just cabling to the existing house battery terminations with (maybe) protection devices. I know if I were to add or change anything on the 120V side it would likely originate at the breaker panel - it's just too much a PITA to do it anywhere else and most people will take the easiest route. So while things may have been "touched" over the years I would still expect most if not all the stock wiring to be intact and the problem you're looking for will be localized.

Water heaters are terribly simple, you are well ahead to figure out what's going on with yours vs changing it out for new, and especially a tankless. You will not find many RV'ers who switched to tankless and are happy with it. Is this RV permanently located?

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[RRR]

I'm going to make a WAG and say your water heater and microwave each have their own separate circuit. How many other breakers is there marked for circuits?

Bath and kitchen are likely on the same GFCI. I'll bet there is only one other breaker for the rest of the outlets. RV's like to use a self-contained outlet that the wires punch down in box and are known for breaking or coming unfastened.

Start from the breaker box and connect the dots-first outlet to the next to the next, in the shortest line. I wouldn't be surprised if you find the daisy chain broken.

If space allows you can replace with a household box and outlet.

I know my explanation isn't great so I hope someone jumps in and can explain better.