foldowncandy
Illinois
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Working in the truck camper this afternoon with the A/C and a fan on when the electrical box started making popping noises and was smelling hot. We unplugged the electric cord and checked behind the cover and can't see anything wrong; however, plugged it in again and it sparked once and started smelling hot again. Any ideas as to what might be wrong?
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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Joined: 12/30/2001
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Moved from Forum Technical Support to Tech Issues.
2002 Adventurer 32V - Workhorse chassis
1998 CRV toad - manual transmission
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tvman44
Southwest Louisiana
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Joined: 09/25/2007
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Loose comnection 
Papa Bob
1* DW "Granny"
1* 2008 Brookside Sunnybrook 32'
1* 2002 F250 Super Duty 7.3L PSD
Husky 16K hitch, Tekonsha P3,
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs, Trailair Equa-Flex, Champion C46540
"A bad day camping is better than a good day at work!"
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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There are only two possible answers to your question
I see the #1 answer has been given,Loose connection, Likely either the Wire connected to the A/C breaker, or the white wire on the ground buss, or the Main breaker (or it's ground buss connection) but possibly another
To test first unplug.. Then either 1: Try and tighten the screws or 2: Wiggle wires (I pulled my AC lead right off the breaker when I tried this)
Then Tighten
Check ALL screws, Neutral, (White) Ground (Bare) and HOT (Black)
The other possible answer is a toasted breaker.. Odds about 1% or less
Replacment is a very easy job if that is what it turns out to be
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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foldowncandy
Illinois
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Thank you for your replies - my husband plans to check these out today. (He's not a worrier, but I am: is there any fire danger with this box? The hot smell and popping are pretty scary to me!) Thanks.
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Bob Landry
Austin, texas
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You need to look IN the box, not just behind the cover.Popping sounds indicate arcing, and yes it can get hot enough to cause a fire.. It will be obvious where the problem is, and it doesn't matter if it's AC or DC, it needs to be fixed..
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foldowncandy
Illinois
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Bob Landry wrote:You need to look IN the box, not just behind the cover.Popping sounds indicate arcing, and yes it can get hot enough to cause a fire.. It will be obvious where the problem is, and it doesn't matter if it's AC or DC, it needs to be fixed..
Today's update: He did look inside the box and really found nothing. All the wires are good and everything is connected. He made sure the fan is free. Today we have heard no popping (arcing) and there is no hot smell. He had it on, sitting in the camper, for an hour or more with the a/c, fridge, fan on and all was working and silent. When the popping occurred yesterday, there was only the a/c and a fan running, so it couldn't have been overloaded (in any case, a warning will sound if this happens.) It is hooked up to the garage outlet which has been used for all the campers in our past and present (5th wheel, Class C, another TC) without incident while operating the a/c and fridge, etc. in those campers.
Trying to think of anything that was unusual yesterday, he wondered if he didn't have a solid connection where the cord plugs into the receptacle on the outside of the camper. Wondering if that could have caused the incident.
He plans to have an electrical service company look at it tomorrow and see if they have any ideas or can test it somehow. This is all very strange.
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stacaz822
Phoenix, Arizona
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Joined: 10/21/2005
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When my electrical box starts popping and sparking, I usually just throw some cold water on it and it's ok for a while.
What is the make and model of the electrical box? You might just need to replace it.
Stacaz
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NGRRFan
Colo. Spgs., CO
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Since it seems that there is nothing wrong with the wiring, I'd replace the outlet. Many go bad and have broken internal parts. Besides, it's cheap and you know that the receptacle is brand new.
Rich,and Tobi (the rescued dog)
Prowler 5ver, 84 Ford F250
KCOCOLOR78 Weather
Colo. Spgs. CO
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Bubby's RV
CA
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Joined: 07/22/2003
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stacaz822 wrote:When my electrical box starts popping and sparking, I usually just throw some cold water on it and it's ok for a while.
....
I KNOW you're kidding, and I hope everyone else knows too. From some of the posts I've seen on this forum, it's probably best to make that clear.
John, Winnebago Minnie 24V
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