77 travelmate issues

[quincy schlatter]

i just bought a real clean 77 travelmate, 16.6 ft rv. and its in great shape. but its the first time ive owned a rv and im having troubles. first up, electric power. it appears to have 2 different plug ins for external power. there's a 110v power inv in the closet, and theres a 220 plug at the back of the rv. i plugged in the 110, but the only thing that worked was the lights. i couldnt get the fridge or the ac unit to work. and i had the fridge set to electric, not fuel. the invertor has a switch on it for batt, and convert. so will the ac and fridge work with 110v? the owners that had it, bought it new in 77 and kept it garaged and it only has 77k miles. the next problem i ran into was the water heater. when i put the water hose on to the rv, i noticed water gushing from the water heater area. i checked the lines going to the heater and they were fine. so i might need one of those. if so, where do i find that? how about an owners manual? thats it for now, any help would be great. thanks

[Gary Sebastian]

Quincy, Unless somebody added something there should not be a 220 volt circuit in your RV. There should be a 110 volt breaker panel somewhere, maybe the breakers are off to the things that are not working. The A/C is 110 but the fridge could be 110 or 12 volt. Also in those years converters came as standard equipment to convert 110 to 12 volt and inverters were not common. The water heater may have the drain valve open. When winterizing or storing an RV for an extended time the water heater should be drained. Being your first rodeo with an RV an owners manual would be a must have. Hope you can find one. Can you talk to the original owner?  Gary

[quincy schlatter]

thanks for the reply. the plug at the back of the rv is big like a 220v, but im not sure what it is. i thought maybe it was for rv camping lots. it has 3 pins, 2 that are straight 1 round. the straight ones are at a angle. ill check the drain valve.

[quincy schlatter]

next question is the main power for 110v plug in. is it the big plug in the rear? and the convertor has a plug, is that where the 110v plugs in? or does it plug into the wall outlet? that would explain why the ac and refer dont work. cause i plugged power for 110v into the convertor only. with an extension cord .

[John "T" Nordhoff]

  Okay, if there this would be easy to figure out, but having to take educated guesses based on what you say over the net is a bit tougher, regardless here are my thoughts:

 

 1) What youre calling a 220 plug is probably a standard 120 volt 30 amp like most small to medium sized RV's use. It plugs into standard 30 amp 120 volt outlets at RV parks. They make 20 to 30 amp adapter plugs (30 amp female & 20 amp male) so you can plug that 30 amp RV plug into it and then it plugs into your standard home 120 volt 15/20 amp receptacle. That way you can hook it up while at home. (should run AC and fridge on 120 setting)

 

 2) It probably has a converter/charger NOT an Inverter. It converts 120 VAC (if plugged in) to 12 VDC to power interior 12 volt lights or vent fans etc PLUS it charges the RV house battery (if it has one). That does NOT run the AC, it runs 12 volt lights and fans. The AC and fridge (if on 120 setting) is probably powered via that big 30 amp 120 volt (you called it 220) plug.

 

 3) The switch you mention may be so you choose if you want the interior 12 volt lights and vent fans etc fed via the converter (like when youre plugged into to 120 at camp or home) OR fed via the internal house battery (if it has one). If you have a good house battery lights and fans will work if its switched even if youre not plugged into shore power but if no battery they wont. If its switched to 120 then lights and fans will work ONLY IF ITS PLUGGED IN

 

 4) While they made some 120 VAC or 12 VDC or LP Gas fridges, yours is likely just 120 VAC or LPG. Its probably powered (when switched to AC 120 operation) by that big 30 amp 120 volt 3 prong plug (the one you call 220)

 

 5) Id say buy a 30 to 20 amp RV adapter and plug into your homes 120 vac then the AC will prob work and the fridge will work on 120 volt setting.

 

 6) Whats confusing is that usually the converter/charger is powered by that 30 amp RV plug so Im not sure why its now wired on its own seperate plug, maybe a jury rig by a previous Billy Bob or his know it all brother in law owner.

 

 7) Look at the hot water heater and see if the drain cock is open??????

 

 Nuff said not being there. now digest all this, take two aspirins and call me Monday at the office

 

  John T in Indiana

[quincy schlatter]

yea, i bought the plug to convert to a regular 110v plug in, and everything works. the only problem i have is the hot water heater. the tank is split open. it appears it didn't get drained over the winter and it burst. looks pretty simple to pull, and have it tig welded back up. cause chances of finding a used one or cheap new one are slim to none. thanks for all the help. all i need to do now is figure out how to use the awning. not sure how it extends out. i see a crank on the ceiling right by the door, not sure if that has anything to do with it. also i want to buy a box to mount on the rear bumper for a genny.