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Jeff Bayley
12-05-2007, 12:53 AM
I have a Leviton 32120-001 on my Royal Converstion which seems to be bad. I suspect there are other similar components (different brands maybe) on other converstions. You can see one at http://www.electriciansupplies.com/index.cfm/S/226/N/10249/P/46116/Leviton_32120-001_--_1__Each.htm

I believe it is a surge protector and is installed right above (and wired into) the automatic transfer switch (which is fairly new). I don't know how common these are on any of your other buses. It has two green lights and one red light. The two green lights take turns coming on depending on whether your using shore power or gen power. The red light blinks and makes an audible alarm (currently) and the information on the front cover clearly states that if it's doing that the component is bad and needs to be replaced. Fairly simple I guess except I want to make sure It's not something else in the transfer box because this part is about $700. The automatic transfer switch was only $500 and looks like there is a not more that goes into it than this part. Guess looks are deceiving.

What it is causing is no power to enter the inverters / chargers. I've got input power indicated on the respective analog meters mounted next to the inverter remotes (Trace 2,500's) and the inverters are working but the led light that indicates (good power in) doesn't light up. I've got the batteries on a battery charger to keep them up and the food from going bad.

It may just be a conicidence but this device (which I suspect is bad according to the cover of the device) just went bad a day after I refilled my batteries with water. I allowed them to get too low. They took a cup and a half in each of the 6 cells. They are 4D's, I have 8 of them and they were new in April of this year but this is the first time I put water in them (Duh). I don't think one has much to do with the other........however......I had the coach plugged in the night before this happened with only one of the two Trace chargers going and it was on 8 amp float is all all night. I did this because I was plugged into a standard house outlet in front of a friends house. Could that have imbalanced this surge protector somehow ? There certainly was no "surge" as the inverter was powered down to a 15 amp shore cord and I had it on 8 amp maximum charge. Since I brought that up, I've always been skeptical that this "power down" feature where you set the remote to tell it to limit you to a small shore power is not working. I put it on 10 or 15 amps in the past and the breaker for that outlet trips over and over. That is why I turned the charger down to an 8 amp maximum charge. If the power down for shore power worked, I should be able to to leave the charger on 25 amps and the shore power adjustment should over ride that setting.

I regress. Any ideas ? I believe the tech that diagnosed my "bad" automatic transfer switch was mis-diagnosed. I had another problem instead. This has happened to me OFTEN by techs. Always in the last place you look type of thing.

This brain trust is 50 times better than any tech; hence the post.

Help or simply confirm that the red light and the "this component is bad" as a result of the red (and audible) alarm is in fact probably the case. One final clue. I remember hearing the alarm a day or two before it actually stopped letting power into the bus. Maybe it was on it's way out but still limping by. ????

garyde
12-05-2007, 11:47 PM
Hi Jeff. A couple of things; The Surge protector also checks for correct polarity, so when you were plugged into 120 volt , there may have been a incorrect polarity . If it will not reset, it may be fried. Camping World have plug-in type and hard wire type Surge protectors for much less $$ so check them out.
Chasis battery charging with low water in batteries can reek havoc on your electrical system. Having said that, I don't believe this would effect your shore power surge protector.
The Automatic transfer switch would probably not switch to shore power if your surge protector was not letting power thru. Because it would not read any power available.

In reading about the leviton, it looks like it is interupting the coil which switches the transfer switch to and from shore, instead of being a 'in-line' Surge Protector', so you might have to order the same item.

gmcbuffalo
12-06-2007, 12:18 AM
Jeff after refilling and charging the batteries are they working? Can you run your lights without being plugged into shore power? If not your batteries could be dead and the charger has been over charging trying to bring dead batteries up to charge, and possibly effecting the Leviton device.
GregM

Jeff Bayley
12-06-2007, 04:06 PM
Thank you for the tips.

What I did yesterday was take it out and dropped it off at this electronics repair palce I used before to fix my 24volt charger on the bus for the chassis batteries. These things are like $400. I coldn't find a more reasonable "deal" on one. Strange since you can get a proffesional heavy duty mechanic tpe battery charger for way less than that. They fixed it for $100.

They called me today to say the surge protector was fixed. Just a little part component they replaced. Around $90 so I put it back together the way it was designed anyway. I can't belive they have the nerve to charge $700 for those new.

Mango Mike make a post about an inline surge protector which I plan on buying for good measure and using when I'm plugged in from now on. This should give me redundant protection.

Based on my two experiences with getting parts fixed, let that be a word to the wise for any electrical parts you have go bad. If you don't want to have them fixed or can't afford the time or are on the road and can't source a repair place, DON'T be to hasty to toss the bad ones away. Save them and get the repaired later as a spare or drop them off at a UPS store and give them my phone number and I'll pay to have them shipped here for spares, he,he. The place I went to repairs TV's, computers, and all sorts of stuff. I suspect they're around in every town.

Below is an email I got back from Nick Hessler who I think is a member.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Nick Hessler [mailto:omnitech_nick1@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 2:28 PM
To: jeff@skincarepro.com
Subject: Re: Prevost help with surge protector


Jeff,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I would recommend the following: Remove the faulty component, DO NOT replace it. Use a surge guard, the type that plugs into the external 50 amp plug, and your shore
cord plugs into it. This will do the same job as your original piece, for less money, and it is not hard wired like the original. The piece mounted above your transfer switch was an add-on upgrade by the
original manufacturer of the transfer switch, and they have a high failure rate.