No power from hook up

[Adam b]

I am parked on my driveway, I have just tried to hook up but I am getting no 240 power in the van I have checked all the leads , but there is nothing showing in side.
van is a Rapido 9048,

 

[WillH]

Check socket supply, fuse in plug, and RCD in the van.

 

[DavidG58]

Start with basics, presuming you are plugged into a socket at home, try something else in that socket

then try another lead if you have one

check for tripped switches

for starters

 

[Stealaway]

Its usually the RCD in the van that got knocked off

 

[Macca1954]

I am parked on my driveway, I have just tried to hook up but I am getting no 240 power in the van I have checked all the leads , but there is nothing showing in side.
van is a Rapido 9048,

Had the same problem with mine last week and the plug had worked it’s way loose out of the charger/distribution board was in a silly place underneath pushed back in all good

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[pappajohn]

Check logically, not random.

Does the house socket work? (plug something else in)
No.... Breaker in house fuse board
Yes..... Next step

Does the lead work?
(You need a multimeter) .
No.... Faulty lead or blown fuse in 3 pin plug.
Yes.... Next step

Breakers in van switched on, Inc main RCD?
NO.... Switch on.
Yes.... Fault between hookup socket and mains fuse box or FAULTY RCD main switch.

 

[JFD]

If it’s anything like my Rapido ( a 796f), then you will find a grey box at the back side wall under the bed, with a trip push button on the front. Try pushing that in with the power off, then get someone to turn the power on again, whilst you listen if the trip goes again. If it does, you have a wiring fault. If it doesn’t, you are back in business!!

Finding the wiring fault is another task altogether!!! First question to ask yourself is, ‘what have I just changed?’

Good luck!!!

 

[Adam b]

the house socket is ok ,the leads ok , I tried resetting the red but nothing it doesn’t appear to have anything going into it. I will get a multi meter this morning.
thanks
adam

 

[Adam b]

After flicking the switches & pushing the test button on the breaker a few times the electrics came back on, could the breaker be on the way out?

 

[Richard n Ann]

After flicking the switches & pushing the test button on the breaker a few times the electrics came back on, could the breaker be on the way out?

Could be, but it could be damp in somewhere causing a slight earth leak. Unplug the van lead and Measure resistance between earth and live pins, should be infinite.

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[Adam b]

Could be the damp as we had a loose connection on a water pipe as well which wet the floor around where the electrics are. Fingers crossed it’s that simple.
Thank for all the help

 

[PeteH]

Could be, but it could be damp in somewhere causing a slight earth leak. Unplug the van lead and Measure resistance between earth and live pins, should be infinite.

I would be inclined to check the plugs, either first or as well. It is not unknown over time for the connectors to come loose. And even, in my case, not having been properly made in the first place!

 

[autorouter]

A short adaptor from blue plug to 13 amp socket has all kinds of uses. Also a socket tester plug.

With these you can test the house socket, hookup post socket, hookup cable and motorhome sockets, to zero in on the fault. You can't buy them easily when abroad, so best to get them while you are in the UK.
Amazon product ASIN B003IJAKLE

LAP 16A Socket Tester 230V AC - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Pocket-sized, mains socket tester with LED indicators to show condition of circuit sockets. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

They are limited, of course, in that they won't show leakage faults such as water in the socket. But they allow you to find the general area of the fault, then you can use a multimeter if necessary. With mains, it's usually simple problems - the plugs, sockets or obvious cable damage.

 

[robert groves]

Similar problem with my EHU Lead...had continuity using a cheap meter, but nothing when plugged into mains, ...then I spotted a darker 'stain' about half way along the EHU Lead, ...giving the area a good massage showed what the problem was...small rip in the insulation had let in moisture and the wires had corroded and created a 'make-and-break' situation where using a small voltage from the meter was ok, but anything drawing more current just made the ends of the wires in the corroded area 'break' apart !...cut open at that position and wires were black with corrosion !

 

[Mike800966]

You were lucky to be able to see it, sometimes the cable will just go bang in you hand as you flex it.
If you get a chance to look closely at a break in a mains cable ( with it turned off) you will often see that the strands of the conductors L or N will be broken and rounded into ball shapes as they arced.
Makes you jump!

Mike

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[thebriars]

Could be, but it could be damp in somewhere causing a slight earth leak. Unplug the van lead and Measure resistance between earth and live pins, should be infinite.

Little point in doing this with a normal multimeter, you have to use a special meter that uses a high voltage to check the resistance.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Little point in doing this with a normal multimeter, you have to use a special meter that uses a high voltage to check the resistance.

Yes I didn't figure he'd have a 500v insulation tester. Sometimes it shows up on a multimeter though, it'll show up as many millions of ohms on a multimeter but rest assured it's a fail ?

 

[robert groves]

I certainly would NOT look/feel at a suspected break area in a cable while it is 'Live' !!!!..on our work vessel,.Had a so-called 'Electrician' who was asked to look at an industrial Compressor (road Drill type) that was struggling to turn over when being started, he changed: Battery, alternator, charging systems, Starter Motor,......He was one of those types that Knows everything and swears at anybody who tries to help...so we let him struggle...eventually he asked me and i told him that from 20 yards away I could see what the problem was....See that 'Brown' Stain halfway down the Heavy duty Cable from battery to starter motor ?.....yes, what about it...well you wrap your hand around it and i will try to start the engine....After he had seen the medic with a blistered palm (his palm not the medics) I told him to 'listen to what other people are trying to tell you' !...and while he was with the medic, i had changed the faulty cable with a suitable piece of heavy duty welding cable....Started First and every time !

 

[Adam b]

Thanks for all the replies everything seems to be working ok, If the electrics hadn’t went off I wouldn’t have noticed the leaking joint on the pipe work until it had done a lot of damage.

 

[JFD]

Your guardian angel is obviously looking after you well!!!

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[dipsie]

I sold an Auto Trail Dakota a few years ago to friends. About six months after they had it he rang me up and said he could not get the mains to work.
Fortunately they only lived about ten minutes away so I went to have a look.
I spent almost a morning trying to find what was the cause of the problem. Eventually I went home and picked up another hook up cable as every thing indicated it was a supply fault.
We plugged in the replacement cable but we still had no power in the van.
We kept trying the house socket and what ever we plugged in worked. I then took the inlet socket on the van to bits and found the cause. There was a carbon build up around the brass pegs, this was stopping the plug on the cable pushing right in. I got some emery tape and cleaned up the pegs, lubed them and managed to get the cables socket to push right in.
I removed the plug from my cable and fitted it to the original cable and it all worked.
My friend had not pushed his cable in fully and over the course of some winter months and with the power left on it had gradually arched.
I advised him to get a new cable as I noticed the wires in his were all visibly black when I fitted the plug.
This was their first motor home so it was all part of the learning curve.
Like, he burnt out a 1500 watt inverter, how, why ? I fitted a new one and that one went ‘ caput ‘ ! Within weeks.
Another one installed, tested, my friend said they do’nt half make a noise when you put the heater on electric when not connected to the mains !!!! What.
When we had the Dakota delivered it came with an automatic battery charger so we had it changed to one with an on/off switch and as we had fitted the inverter with an automatic mains/inverter change over solinoid system. I could not get him to understand that the inverter would not charge the batteries as it took more out than it could put back in. The cause of the inverter failure was obviously trying to run the heater, kettle and what have you.
We are still good friends and often have a good laugh about the early days.

BernieT

 

[possar]

i once had the same fault,turned out to be a burnt off lead on the rcd,changed the rcd with another now ok