Electrical Transfer Switch is Buzzing - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

While we had company down from Kansas, Jo and I stayed in the Mobile Suites while her sister and brother-in-law slept in the house. (Yeah, we are down to minimal furniture in the house.) One evening, we had a few dim-outs of the electric in the house where the lights dimmed out and then came back on. After a few times, it stayed on full. I imagine it also happened at the camper pad electrical socket.

When I went out to go to bed, Jo complained about something that had started buzzing. Seriously, I don't remember whether the thing buzzed before or not, but I'll take her word for it that it started that evening, likely after the dim-outs.

We have an inverter and generator prep, but no generator. It is definitely the transfer switch (located right in the middle of the basement just behind the inside slideing doors) but I'm not electrician enough to know if it is a problem or if there is an easy fix for it. There is no heating of the box, just the buzzing.

Do any of you have any ideas for me as to the cause and a fix? We want to take a week later this month to a nearby state park and stay in the Mobile Suites. But, I'm wondering if I need to take the thing in and let the techs at the dealership look at it instead.

Any help with ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Terry

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry, You should PM Jack Mayer about this. He would be my goto for inverter/electrid questions. If you need help changing a light bulb, I might be able to help, but at that point my expertise is done.

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

It is not unusual to have some buzzing, but really, you should not have it.

UNPLUG your power cord, TURN OFF your inverter and then open the cover to the transfer switch. Check the contacts on the relays to see if they are burned. They should not be. Also, while there, tighten all the the wire retention screws. This should be done once a year on the transfer switches, and on your loadcenters wires. MAKE SURE the power is disconnected.

If it continues to hum after that you are going to have to live with it or replace the transfer switch. Usually they will continue to operate properly for years, but sometimes they burn out. I generally tend to replace them, because they annoy people. On almost all transfer switches, you can not get the component parts, so you will almost always have to replace it.

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

See? Told ya!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

53 Merc wrote:
See? Told ya!

Smart Aleck!!!