jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:29:12 GMT -8
I just wrote a big post on here and uploaded photos, only to have it tell me that I didn't have permission to post and then erased everything I had written. How frustrating and I'm already super frustrated!! So I just hooked up my electrical wiring and plugged it in for the first time. Much to my disappointment, it didn't work!! I double and triple checked everything and thought it was done correctly. Unfortunately, after plugging it in, I went back into the trailer to check the lights. I installed new fixtures since the old ones were dingy and the wires were worn. The new ones have a little chain, so I pulled the chain to be sure the light was on, and it shocked me! Not only that, but it didn't work either. The shock was minor so I'm fine, but I can't figure out what the problem is. Could it be my ground wire? I used 8 gauge and wound it tight around a bolt to the frame under the camper. Could it be a hot wire touching the metal of the fixture? I haven't checked that yet. The fixture's wires were very high gauge. Could that be an issue? I am going to go ahead and post this part, then post pictures afterward since it somehow timed out last time. More to come..
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:32:11 GMT -8
Here's the box with all the wires hooked up except the ground. I added that after taking this pic. The wire coming in the bottom is hooked up to the 20 amp breaker and feeds the fixtures and lights. The wire on the right is leading to the shore power connection. The wire on top is leading to the exterior plug and is connected to the 15 amp breaker.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:33:39 GMT -8
Here's the box with the ground installed. I bought 8 gauge ground wire for it and had a bit of trouble stripping the wire for the part that goes inside the box, so I ended up leaving the sheath on it inside the breaker box up to the point where it meets the terminal screw. I didn't realize the wire was stranded when I bought it, but as long as it has a good connection, that shouldn't matter, right?
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:35:08 GMT -8
Here's the interior side of my shore power inlet. I cut the sheath back a little too far, so I added some sheath around it before tightening the screws and taped it. None of the wires were really exposed and it's touching plastic, but I figured it was better to add the protection, just in case.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:36:42 GMT -8
I'm going to head back outside now and check the light fixtures. I hope someone can help me troubleshoot! Hopefully it's just something simple like the hot wire inside the fixture came loose.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 10:40:50 GMT -8
Oh, also, my 30 amp cord has an LED light on it to show if the polarity is reversed due to incorrect wiring, and it is lit up blue when plugged in, which means it's wired correctly. (red would mean the polarity is reversed)
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 11:13:14 GMT -8
So I just reconnected the fixture wiring and plugged it back in, and the fixture is still hot. hmmmm
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dwells
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Post by dwells on Aug 30, 2014 11:37:14 GMT -8
I wonder if one of the mounting screws for the fixture went into the wire in the ceiling. Please be careful.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 11:39:08 GMT -8
Ok I found the problem. My ground wires had come loose inside one of the j-boxes. When I reconnected them, the fiixture was no longer hot and seems to be working now. Now I'm going to reconnect everything and see. Don't worry, I'm using my tester and not touching anything just to be safe!
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dwells
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Post by dwells on Aug 30, 2014 11:41:43 GMT -8
Woohoo!
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 11:54:21 GMT -8
I spoke too soon, when I hooked the fixture back up, it is hot again. Ugh I don't like this fixture!
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 30, 2014 12:02:18 GMT -8
Check the wiring in your fixture, especially your ground and make sure the wire from your switch is connected properly.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 12:16:30 GMT -8
Check the wiring in your fixture, especially your ground and make sure the wire from your switch is connected properly. Thanks SusieQ, I did that but it's still hot. Then I disconnected the fixture and reconnected the wires to it just to see if that fixed it. That didn't fix it. The strange part is that earlier it did seem to work ok after I reconnected the ground wire in the j-box where I thought the problem was. I guess I'm just going to have to continue messing with it. I'm pretty sure it's a grounding issue.
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Post by bigbill on Aug 30, 2014 12:38:19 GMT -8
I am not exactly sure what you are talking about but if you are having something getting hot and it is not a light bulb generating heat you most likely have a wire connection that is not making proper contact, which builds resistance which shows up as heat. It could also be contacts inside of a switch.
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jannica
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Post by jannica on Aug 30, 2014 12:50:21 GMT -8
I am not exactly sure what you are talking about but if you are having something getting hot and it is not a light bulb generating heat you most likely have a wire connection that is not making proper contact, which builds resistance which shows up as heat. It could also be contacts inside of a switch. Sorry for the confusion, by "hot" I didn't mean the temperature, I meant it was electrified. I was using my voltage tester and it sensed electricity coming off the metal part of the fixture before it even touched it! Earlier, when I thought I had found the problem inside the j-box because the ground wires had come undone, I reconnected those and everything was working or at least the fixtures weren't hot except where they were supposed to be. But for some reason, when I reconnected the fixture above the bed, everything got messed up again. So I disconnected it again and tested, and everything was still messed up. I can't figure out what changed during that process. I called the guy I know who runs the RV repair place, and he tried to walk me through some different scenarios. There's only so much he can over the phone though. He said if I can't get it fixed, he will have his electrician come out to look at it. It looks like that may be what I'll have to do. ugh
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