Went out to prep the Roadtrek for a short trip tomorrow, and was surprised to find that the batteries appear to have run down, despite the RT being plugged into the house. No lights and no juice to the refrigerator. Circuit breakers and battery disconnect switch seem to be properly positioned, so I'm not sure of the cause here. When I started the Chevy engine, I did have power for lights and fridge, and the battery indicator lights showed full power. The house batteries seem to be too weak to start the generator, but I thought I'd drive around a bit to try to charge it up enough to see if the generator would start. I could probably make do on my trip if I at least had generator power, even if hooking up to shore power was a problem. However, there are a lot of people on here more knowledgeable about electrical systems than I am, so any suggestions? Am I (hopefully) missing something simple? Thanks in advance.

Sounds like the shore power battery charger has failed. Sometimes referred to as an inverter but it really isn't.OR....from another recent thread:For the coach batteries to charge off of shore power, the battery disconnect switch must be in the ON position. When it is OFF, the batteries are disconnected.......from EVERYTHING.

Vulcan Rider wrote:Sounds like the shore power battery charger has failed. Sometimes referred to as an inverter but it really isn't.Proper terminology is a CONVERTER, which transforms 110V AC to 12V DC to run most of your RV plus charge the batteries. An INVERTER produces 110 volts AC from 12 volts DC

But batteries may have just died. How old are the batteries? Drive it around and see if they hold a charge.

It might be the converter, or it might not. It could just be a loose wire. What you have to do it check the converter output right at the converter terminals. If you have good converter voltage there, then you have bad wiring from the converter to the battery.I found out this from experience, and as I checked it out, I wiggled the negative wire on the converter terminal strip. All of a sudden the lights came on bright, and I had found my real problem. Changing out good converters usually results in tightening of the associated wiring, and presto, suddenly you have a several hundred dollar bill for no good reason.

Drove around a bit, and was able to get the generator started. Hoping the house batteries will now charge up. Not sure I have the expertise to do too much more. I noticed when storing the power cord that there were some ants in & around the storage bays. Sprayed a bit, and cleaned off the pollen and debris that had accumulated on windshield, and saw a few ants there, too. None on the inside (yet), but I wonder if some could have travelled along the power cord and caused a problem that prevented the batteries from charging while I was plugged in?I should have fairly mild weather on my short trip, so I won't need a lot of A/C, and I think I can get by with just running the generator to make coffee and use the microwave a bit, while cooking outside on the grill. Might have to run the refrigerator on propane, too, but I think I can get by, and then have the RT dealer check it out after I return, although any additional input here is welcomed.

Electrical Problem | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

booster
Explorer
Jun 08, 2015
If you are in a campground that has the "normal" plug in setup, you may have a GFCI outlet in the box with the 30 amp. It would be a good place to check out your adapter and also see if the GFCI trips when you plug in. Be aware it won't trip immediately because the transfer switch has a built in delay.
booster
Explorer
Jun 08, 2015
NoVa RT wrote:
Good news! When I got to the campground, I plugged in, and everything works. I'm thinking the problem must have been the 30-amp-to-20-amp adaptor I had used to plug in to the house. That's an inexpensive item, so I consider myself pretty lucky. Thanks to all for their suggestions.

That is very good news! As I mentioned earlier, the Tripplite inverter/chargers are known for tripping GFCI outlets, so that is by far the first place to look. There doesn't appear to be any solution to the problem other than wiring up a non GFCI outlet to plug into at home.
avanti
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
Great!
Perhaps you blew a breaker in your house? I do that all the time when plugged in using those adaptors. If you are plugged into an outdoor or garage outlet, it is probably GFCI, so check there first.
NoVa_RT
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
Good news! When I got to the campground, I plugged in, and everything works. I'm thinking the problem must have been the 30-amp-to-20-amp adaptor I had used to plug in to the house. That's an inexpensive item, so I consider myself pretty lucky. Thanks to all for their suggestions.
Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
I do this not for you but for others who may be reading:

mkguitar wrote:

a duff battery is a huge load on the system.

removing a battery protects the vehicle should there be a fault.

and removing the battery allows the connections to be cleaned and renewed on install

In the VAST majority of cases when a battery wears out, the internal resistance goes UP not down; thus it won't charge properly and actually presents LESS of a load not more.

If the vehicle is OFF at the time, it is isolated from the battery for the most part and can be completely isolated by disconnecting ONE cable; no need for physical removal.

Cleaning and tightening the cables also can be done without removal. Batteries are heavy and somewhat dangerous to handle; people are clumsy.

Your "one in a million" story about a battery catching fire is the exception and not the rule. I would ask you for the details but I'm a bit skeptical that it ever happened.....since NONE of the components of a common battery are likely to burst into flame even if you try.
avanti
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
mkguitar wrote:
an abundance of caution requires only extra time.

Yes, exactly. And my time is precious. I try to spend it on things that are actually likely to make a difference.
mkguitar
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
Vulcan Rider wrote:

Well yes that sounds logical but..............

The charging system in question is, presumably, designed to do just that.

And unless your batteries are in a small enclosed compartment without any ventilation, removal is NOT necessary.

the charging system can be overloaded- the cost of finding the weak link in the chain is costly--- equate this to driving around dragging an anchor.
a duff battery is a huge load on the system.

removing a battery protects the vehicle should there be a fault.

a wiring fault or internal problem with the battery can result in fire- either from gas or a short
( I have had a battery short internally and burn...had it been in my motorcycle, I would have lost the bike...maybe garage.
as it was I threw the thing onto the driveway where it burned more.)

an abundance of caution requires only extra time.

and removing the battery allows the connections to be cleaned and renewed on install

mike
booster
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
+2 on removing batteries. The 190 Roadtrek would have AGM batteries in 2013, in ventilated side pod battery compartments. They won't gas unless severely overcharged, which surely doesn't look to be the issue here, which is non charging.
avanti
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
+1Vulcan:

The charger, not the battery, has control of how "huge" the load is. A modern alternator will supply current up to its rated maximum and no more.

As for outgassing, it depends entirely on the battery technology. Many modern AGM batteries are fully sealed and cannot outgas. Moreover, non-sealed batteries outgas WHENEVER they are charged. If you can't trust your vehicles venting arrangement during a manual recharge, you can't trust it during normal operation, either.

Get your problems properly sorted, then relax and enjoy your system as it was designed.
Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015
mkguitar wrote:

to "drive it around" puts a huge strain on your vehicle charging system which could cost hundreds to repair if it fails...

best to remove batteries from the vehicle as when charging they may out gas hydrogen

Well yes that sounds logical but..............

The charging system in question is, presumably, designed to do just that.

And unless your batteries are in a small enclosed compartment without any ventilation, removal is NOT necessary. Hopefully enough ventilation was provided in the design and the amount of hydrogen produced is tiny except at VERY high charging rates.

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