Work the Problem
Sometimes the Simplest Thing Is the Problem
We had an interesting morning while camping in Two Harbors.
We had been set up for more than 24 hours, and everything had been working perfectly. Then, out of nowhere, the microwave beeped.
I looked over, and the display was blank.
It was dead.
Being the curious type, I started troubleshooting.
I checked the breakers.
Everything looked good.
I checked the fuses.
No problems there.
I checked the GFCI outlets.
They all appeared to be working normally.
Then I grabbed my outlet tester.
That’s when things started getting strange.
The tester indicated that the hot and ground were reversed at the microwave outlet.
That didn’t make any sense.
Electrical wiring doesn’t simply reverse itself overnight.
I started checking other outlets and discovered that more than half of them showed the same fault, while others tested correctly. One outlet wasn’t working at all.
Now I was really scratching my head.
To make matters even stranger, I shut off the breaker that supplied the microwave circuit.
The outlet was still hot.
What?
I remembered that the RV has an inverter, so I thought perhaps it was back-feeding the circuit.
Then the outlet tester began flashing on and off like it had a heartbeat.
At that point, I was beginning to wonder if my fifth wheel had become possessed.
The more I investigated, the stranger things became.
Thinking perhaps the campground power was at fault, I went outside to disconnect the electricity.
Sure enough, the surge protector was now showing a fault.
“Great,” I thought. “Now the campground pedestal is causing problems.”
Then I unplugged the surge protector.
That’s when I noticed it.
Our shore power cord wasn’t fully inserted into the surge protector.
Immediately, I remembered something Pat had said while we were setting up.
“I had trouble getting that plug all the way in. You might want to check it.”
I said I would.
Then I forgot.
I pushed the plug in until it was fully seated, reconnected everything, and restored power.
Instantly…
Everything worked perfectly.
The microwave came back to life.
Every outlet tested correctly.
The mysterious electrical gremlins disappeared.
Lesson Learned
I’ve dealt with plenty of electrical problems over the years, and this one had me completely baffled.
Who would have guessed that a plug that was almost fully inserted could work fine for an entire day before causing such bizarre symptoms?
It was a great reminder that when troubleshooting electrical problems, always start at the source.
Check the campground pedestal.
Check the surge protector.
Check every connection.
Make sure every plug is fully seated before assuming you have a failed appliance, a bad inverter, or faulty wiring.
Sometimes the problem isn’t complicated at all.
Sometimes it’s as simple as not pushing the plug in that last half inch.
One Last Thought
Troubleshooting is easiest when you start with the simple things first.
A loose connection, a tripped breaker, or a partially plugged-in cord can mimic much more serious electrical problems. Spending two minutes checking the obvious may save you two hours of chasing a problem that doesn’t really exist.