Allegro RED Owner's Manual - Tiffin Motorhomes

TIFFIN MOTORHOMES –ALLEGRO RED® Chapter 7 ELECTRICAL FEATURESFigure 7-9. 120 VACReceptacle120-Volt AC (VAC) ReceptaclesYour Allegro RED Motor Home is equipped with several 120 VAC receptacles (Figure 7-9) located throughout the interior of the motor home. These 120 VAC receptacles are ofthe “three prong” variety; the third prong being a grounding pin which providesadequate grounding to protect one from any electrical shock. For these receptacles towork properly; do not use an adapter, cheater, or extension cord which defeats thefunction of the grounding pin. For the same reason, never remove or bend away theground prong or pin from any three-prong AC plug so that it would fit a two-prong ACreceptacle (i.e., an ungrounded AC receptacle).Never operate the Allegro RED if there is an electrical short present, as an electrical short may deliver an electricalshock to anyone coming in contact with the exterior of the unit. If you should feel even the slightest of electrical shock,immediately disconnect the unit from the 120 VAC power source and locate the electrical fault (i.e., typically, it is abreak in the grounding circuit). Do not reconnect the 120 VAC power until after that electrical fault is fixed—thegrounding circuit must be continuous from the frame to the distribution panel, to the power cord, and to the earthground so that electrical-shock protection is realized.12-Volt DC (VDC) ReceptaclesYour Allegro RED Motor Home may be equipped with a 12 VDC receptacle conveniently locatedon the dashboard or bulkhead (i.e., the “black” connector plate in the figure). This 12 VDCreceptacle (Figure 7-10) can be used for providing power to various items, such as cellular phonesor personal computers or portable communications equipment. This receptacle is usually found onthe bulkhead in front of the passenger’s seat so that it is conveniently available to be used by thepersonnel in the cockpit area.Ground-Fault-Circuit-Interrupt (GFCI)ReceptaclesIn the kitchen and bath areas, there are 120 VAC GFCI receptacles (Figure 7-7) which provide greater protectionagainst inadvertent electrical shocks. These specialized GFCI receptacles provide both overload and short-circuitprotection for the user. The electrical receptacles located in the slide-out are wired throughthe kitchen GFCI. The exterior receptacles are wired through the bathroom GFCI.Figure 7-811 GFCIReceptacleFigure 7-10. 12 VDCReceptacle (Black)Consequently, if an appliance plugged into a slide-out or exterior receptacle is not working,check for a tripped GFCI in the kitchen or bathroom. All GFCI-protected receptacles aremarked as such, but only one of them may have two pushbuttons on the receptacle (asshown in the picture). The upper pushbutton is a “test” button which can be used to assurethat the GFCI function is working—all one need do to test this function is to push thatupper button: There will be a momentary “click” and the circuit will be disconnected (i.e., no power is available at theGFCI-protected receptacles). To reset this GFCI breaker, push the lower button (the “reset” button) to restore power toall the GDCI receptacles on this circuit.In addition, these receptacles protect the user from ground faults between an electrically “hot” wire and ground. TheGFCI will not reduce the shock hazard if the short is between a neutral and “hot” wire, or two “hot-load” wires.The GFCI should be tested at least once a month. The 120 VAC electrical system must be “on” for the GFCIto be tested. To test the GFCI the reset button needs to be pushed in fully before starting the test. Push thetest button; this will cause the reset button to pop out which means that the protected circuits have beendisconnected. Push the reset button back in until a “click” is heard—this will re-activate the protected circuit.If the GFCI is working properly, the reset button will remain in the “in” position.7-7