Airstream 390 - Manual (Page 86)

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ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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110-VOLT POWER
The 110-volt system works very much like your home. The circuit breakers, located
behind access door in the foot of the rear bed, supply the power to the receptacles
and appliances. If a circuit is over loaded or a short circuit occurs, the breakers will
“kick” out. To reactivate the circuits, turn the breaker to off, reduce the load or correct
the short, and tam the breaker back to on. One of the breakers is a GFI (Ground Fault
Interrupter) breaker. The intent of this breaker is to sense any loss of ground before
a harmful shock could occur, and kick the breaker out. These sensitive breakers are
installed in the circuit feeding the bathroom, outside receptacle, and galley area. These
are the areas where the use of water or the wet ground could put a person in danger
of shock. Since the GFI breaker is so sensitive, it is not unusual to have it kick out for
no apparent reason.
GENERATOR
Using the generator is very much like plugging into an external power source. The
generator has start switches located on the driver side armrest, next to the monitor
control panel, inside the bottom of the roadside bed wardrobe, and on the generator
located in the front nose slide-out compartment. When you start the generator there
is a built in delay of about 20-30 seconds before the circuits are switched and the
generator is providing all the 110-volt power to your coach. The electrical device that
has the delay and switching feature is called the generator switch over relay. The time
delay feature allows the generator to reach full operating speed before it takes the
“load”. The switching device has two sets of points. It is normally closed so city power
coming in goes through the switch and on to the main circuit breakers. When the
generator is started and the delay feature is satisfied the switching device goes to the
second set of points. This cuts the contact between the city power and the breaker
box and makes the contact between the generator and the breaker box. A latch at the
top of the front license plate area releases the generator slide out compartment Pull
compartment straight out for service. An hour meter is located with the remote start
inside the unit.
The generator manufacturer provides an operators manual that should be re-
viewed prior to use.
POWER CORD
The power cord is located on an electrically powered reel in the first compartment
behind the roadside rear wheels. A switch marked “in and out” controls the reel. You’ll
find this feature especially helpful in cool weather when the heavy power cord be-
comes less flexible.
If adapters are required when you plug into city Power You’ll be losing some power
capabilities and won’t be able to operate all the appliances at the same time. The
washer/dryer, air conditioners, microwave and 110-volt mode on the refrigerator are all
heavy load items. The easiest way to cope with the problem is to set the refrigerator
on gas then avoid operating the other appliances at the same time.
WARNING : If adapters are required to obtain 110-volt city power it’s
extremely important that the polarity (ground function) is not lost. With your
motorhome a circuit analyzer was provided. It is usually yellow and triangular
shaped with prongs shaped to fit a standard receptacle. Plug this into any
receptacle in your coach and it will indicate any polarity or grounding problem.
Loss of ground can be extremely hazardous. You might touch the motorhome
and feel a slight tingle (your body has become the ground circuit) or you can
receive a severe shock.