Alert Inspection of OASIS CH-50 Hydronic Heater 120V wiring recommended

[Neal]

I had a near fire situation in my 2017 Newmar Ventana motorhome but thankfully the circuit breaker(s) did their job. I noticed an electrical burning smell and then when resetting the breaker to check the situation a flame shooting out the electrical connections of the OASIS hydronic heater subsequently tripping the breaker. After a call to ITR I learned the problem was common and due to the way Newmar wired up the 120V connections to the OASIS unit. The real problem, in my opinion, is the design by ITR having too small of an area to stuff 2 x 120V lines into an area to contain the connections in which the metal edges are sharp and can strip the insulation off of the wires.

You can see from the attached pictures the problem and the burn through. It's amazing this didn't happen sooner, this was about 1-1/2 years into my coach ownership. To inspect your OASIS unit is not hard but take safety precautions. Disconnect from shore power, turn AGS off, turn both OASIS circuit breakers off. You can access the electrical connections from the bay next to the OASIS (pass through bay typically) and just unscrew the metal plate where the 120V lines go in. Remove the wires and inspect the connections, secure or redo if necessary, protect with electrical tape, carefully reinsert the wires and secure.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Holy crud, I’m glad you caught that!

When that huge thread came up, about the same time I picked my 19 DS up, I researched further, and was told to call ITR who...after being pressed...did tell me about the Newmar connection.

My dealer’s mechanic knew of the issue and said that Newmar had changed connectors completely. He opened the panel and we verified that, in fact, the connections were solid. I can’t remember now, but I think they were heavy-duty crimps.


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[Neal]

I think they switched to posi-locks or something different vs. twist locks. It's an easy inspection and I recommend all that have not done theirs or had theirs inspected to do so ASAP. It's painless.

 

[Buly]

Here is what I found on my Oasis.

Newmar connected the high load 110V vires using a spade slip on connectors. The poor connection overheated and melted the plastic spiral wrap into one big mess.

 

[Buly]

Also the electrical box on the Oasis is very small for the number of heavy wires and connectors. I installed a 4x4" electrical box on top.