OUR RV LOST POWER AND YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT THE CAUSE WAS! 

Always start at the power source and eliminate one thing at a time. Follow the normal path until the problem is identified. This holds true for anything you are repairing on the RV. I had a power issue and first thing to check was pedastol then power cord, and so on. Good info for everyone. Videos with little editing are sometimes the best. Glad you got it figured out.

Honestly, your tech kinda lacks the basic skill or is VERY green not to have gone to the CORD FIRST. On any trouble shooting technique taught in any school, you ALWAYS start with the basic stuff FIRST. I realize this is of very little help now. But the idea is to thoroughly and understand the flow of power from beginning to end. Not checking an obviously damaged cord was an extremely naive mistake. 😳

Back in business! Rv life, just like a boat always fixing something 😅. Good job Patrick 👍🏻🇺🇸

Had the same issue where one leg of power would not work intermittently. Took it apart soldered the connections together and bing bango. Thanks for the vid.

Add some good glue to that sheath under the strain relief. And be care of tugging on cables. They shouldn't pull out like that.

Thanks for sharing. Always good to remember to check simple things first. Hopefully I will remember!

Good job fixing the plug! It's always something with an RV.

For those who have made comments about "starting with the basics" or "checking the cord" first, I don’t disagree with that as general advice. However, given the specifics of the situation, I think the tech is being unfairly criticized for focusing on the Victron. The Power Watchdog gave no indication that there was an issue with the incoming power at the pedestal, which, of course, there wasn’t. There were no obvious symptoms from any of the 120V appliances (water heater, microwave, air conditioner) that would suggest a line-side issue. Despite the error message on the Victron indicating that the batteries were not charging, they, in fact, were. All of those data points would indicate that the issue was with the Victron, and even though that was ultimately a red herring, it was reasonable to start troubleshooting from that point. Let’s cut the guy some slack. The Power Watchdog did indicate an open neutral when they started moving the power cord around, which was a sure sign of a loose connection somewhere in the cord or connector. Yes, there were physical signs that something was amiss, but until that time, there was little reason to suspect it as the cause of the error message on the Victron. I found it interesting that the Watchdog was able to identify this issue at all since it was on its output (downstream) side. I assumed that it only knew what was going on at its input, so I called Hughes-the company that makes the Watchdog-and to my surprise, they answered the phone. I had a nice conversation with one of their engineers, Dave. He explained that, indeed, the EPO-series Watchdogs could diagnose issues both on the line (supply) and load (coach) side of the circuit as it compares the load at the input (how much the pedestal is supplying) with the load at the output (how much the coach is drawing). A brief or partial discrepancy between these values won’t trigger it because they need to make allowances for short-term pulls (think A/C startup) and the inefficiency of inductive loads (water heater), but the complete absence of a load - such as the open neutral in the power cord - will trigger an error code and shut things down. As an aside, the Watchdog is an impressive device and one of the handful of things I would absolutely not be without. Beyond surge protection and the immediate warning of dodgy mains power (which is incredibly common), the app gives you a lot of insight into voltage and current. This is how I figured out why my power cord overheated and started to melt. The combined current of the A/C (14A) and the electric water heater (12A) was less than 30A, so while running them together wasn’t tripping the breaker in the coach or on the pedestal, that steady 26A draw (plus a couple of amps for miscellaneous stuff) created enough heat to cause problems. I’ve used only propane on the water heater since.

Check the other end of the cable. That probably has bad crimps as well.

How about that ! The simple fix that was simply overlooked. I would be no different, this unfolded as if I were there in your place. Good explanation, Pat. Always enjoy the content. Thanks for the information, Bill S.

Keep an eye on that repair plug as those thick wires will slip out of the screw holders with use. I had that happen to me after installing a new end on the cable. Now you know what to look for if you experience same symptoms.

Very valuable video! We've been batteing a beeping we couldn’t find. After trouble shooting everything we could. Even with phone conversations with a factory tech. We discovered it was the battery in the wind sensor in the awning, which we have never used! Electrical issues are not fun! Thank you for sharing!!! 😊

Very common problem. Should have been the first thing the RV tech checked. With electrical problems you always start from the source and find where the power is stopped. My cord looked exactly the same after a year of travel so I ordered a new cord end. The day the new end showed up, my plug actually melted before I could change it. Now I always keep a spare cord end on hand.

That was a great TIP 👍

Constructive Suggestion - crimp (Yellow) 10-12 gauge ring or fork insulated wire connectors onto each of the 4 wires then insert the wire connector into the plug. I would want to use adhesive heat shrink around the wires & the connector to insure a waterproof connection. I'm assuming you'll be at the Indy 500 later today.

I was looking at the plug you installed and I noticed it was kind of open to the weather. I'm no expert, but I think I would have sealed it up to keep the weather out of your plug. I think it would make it more reliable in the future. Nice to bring it to our attention.

My 50 AMP cord is separating in the same place. Now I know what to do and expect. Thanks for sharing

We have to rewire ours since we had an arc in our 50-amp plug and inlet. It’s good it’s only a disconnected wire versus something else.

I recently had this problem, but mine was the output of the watchdog. I could not find a suitable replacement locally so I went to a hardware store and purchase an appliance receptacle and made a similar change, the was no longer watertite, so I put the watchdog in my power bay and that has solved my problem for now (I have a motorhome). I did purchase one connector from Amazon, but it would not accept the 6 gauge wires, so I sent it back. Still looking for a connector that might be more waterproof, tried contacting Hughes Power, but they never responded to my email.

I wonder how many people have had this same problem. Not Many, I bet. How frustrating!

Had a similar problem. I followed the cord to the transfer switch. Took the cover off(with cord unplugged of course), then set my ohm meter on continuity and tested each of the 4 wires from the prongs on the plug to the cords in the transfer switch, hoping it was the cord and not my first thought, transfer switch. One of the blades on the plug looked a little suspect and upon wiggling it, it felt like a loose tooth. One of the inputs of the 50 amp plug was bad. Replaced the plug as you did and all was good. Thanks for posting and safe travels.

I know the Watchdog would give you an error code for issues with the pedestal but I wasn’t aware that it would give you an error code for a bad cord too.

Great video. Thanks Patrick!

Thank You!

Very good info!

Taa-Daa it did work! Great video Patrick! I would never have thought to check that.

Good fix good info.

Great job, this is excellent information for something that needs to be checked. As far as wiring I would have tinned the wires, though not necessary, to keep from having stray smaller wires.

I’m scratching my head because on 30 amp camper plugs, you only use 3 wires because it’s just a 110 volt, not 220? The 50 amp should still be 3 wires not 4, so very interesting to hear your feedback.

Here.😊

At least sharing your oversight of an obvious issue, may help someone else to not miss it, and save some bucks.

my god it would be the fist thing I would check!! power out the source and then the cord!!!

The tech was an idiot…

If the EMS said lost neutral, why did the tech spend hours researching but the post and cable first. Never use that tech again.

Funny.

So you spent all that time troubleshooting and your bulldog was telling you there was a missing neutral from the start. But at no time did anyone think to check the power cord? But you were pretty quick to jump on the bad inverter. Are you aware that the inverter needs to be turned on in order to pass power through it? Either in the “on” or the “charger only” mode.

Rule #1 in electrical is to work backwards, downstream from the source. Meter the box, then check the (RV) end of the cord, and so on, to verify the power input and try to see at which point of connection the fault begins.. Very basic. Sorry to have to tattle, but Myron the tech dropped the ball. The most basic methodical approach would have solved this "mystery" 4 hours and 59 minutes sooner. Every RV'er can do themselves a service by carrying a multimeter, for basic checks like this. Yes, a teachable moment, in this sense.

So, what about the inverter? Was it also defective?

Great video... I just have a hard time listening to anyone that says "go ahead". It adds nothing...

So how much to pay the "tech" who misdiagnosed, removed the multiplus? Reinstalled the multiplus and spent hours trying to find something that "could have" been found in the first 7 minutes. If I was the tech , I'd just apologize and chalk it up to a learning experience.

Is your main trailer breaker box wired for 240V? I noticed that there is 2 hot wires(black & red)in the plug that you are rewiring.

I would be concerned about water/moisture intrusion with the aftermarket plug since it's not sealed. Thanks for making this video.

So what does low battery indication have to do with broken shore power cable? Just curious.

"Myron" needs to learn his craft! If he really spent 5 hours without checking incoming power...I hope you didn't pay for all that wasted time.

RV lost power just explain to spouse must push harder or she want eat .