Greetings!My rig is a 2007 Chateau Sport Class C. On a recent camping trip I experienced the following:I was plugged into the campground power.Over a two-day period, the lights grew progressively dim. On the 3rd day, the water heater pilot shut off. We were leaving the next morning, so we just put up with it. In the morning, though, the fridge also had shut off.Basically, all the hard-wired appliances were dead...but everything plugged into an outlet (like our microwave) worked fine. I had checked to be sure that the campground power was good (it was). As a test, I fired up the generator and everything worked fine. Drove home, plugged into house power, and - lo and behold - the problem was gone! I had company stay in the RV for several days and the problem did not re-occur.Until today. Now it's started again as I'm preparing to go on another trip. Lights dimming, etc. I'm pretty sure my coach battery is on it's last legs, but I don't understand how this would affect things when I'm plugged into house power.I'm pretty good at fixing things, but a lousy trouble-shooter. Can anyone offer some suggestions? Thanks!

Failing converter, loose wires, bad battery.

Plugged into 120VAC gives you AC PowerThe fridge, water heater, lights etc NEED 12VDC to functionSounds like your converter/charger is failing and possibly that battery can not hold a charge (how's the battery water level....do you check it?)Need to test converter/charger DC outputDisconnect battery pos cable Then with 120VAC input...converter should have 13.2VDC out at minimumTake battery to any Auto Parts Store and have it Load Tested.....FREE

How did you start the generator with a dead house battery?The converter worked on gen but not campground shore power and it worked at stick house shore power for w while then quit again.Is the converter getting its 120v from a receptacle that is on GFCI that was ok with the gen but not shore power? But then what changed while on stick house power?---what did you do while "preparing for the next trip" that could have caused that?

Your converter isn't working properly to keep the battery charged and provide 12V power, and the loads are consuming the battery charge. The problem "fixed" itself because the house battery got charged from the engine alternator while you were driving home.If basic troubleshooting doesn't reveal something simple like a loose wire or a blown fuse or popped circuit breaker for the converter, it probably would be as well to simply replace it with a good multi-stage unit as I suspect the factory converter is a simple single-stage converter. A newer multi-stage one will recharge the batteries faster and be gentler on them once they are charged.

Yep converter dead and battery dead because converter not charging it.

Strange Electrical Issue | Good Sam Community

2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 29, 2020
Failing converter, loose wires, bad battery.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Aug 29, 2020
Plugged into 120VAC gives you AC Power

The fridge, water heater, lights etc NEED 12VDC to function

Sounds like your converter/charger is failing and possibly that battery can not hold a charge (how's the battery water level....do you check it?)

Need to test converter/charger DC output
Disconnect battery pos cable
Then with 120VAC input...converter should have 13.2VDC out at minimum

Take battery to any Auto Parts Store and have it Load Tested.....FREE
BFL13
Explorer II
Aug 29, 2020
How did you start the generator with a dead house battery?

The converter worked on gen but not campground shore power and it worked at stick house shore power for w while then quit again.

Is the converter getting its 120v from a receptacle that is on GFCI that was ok with the gen but not shore power? But then what changed while on stick house power?---what did you do while "preparing for the next trip" that could have caused that?
DrewE
Explorer II
Aug 29, 2020
Your converter isn't working properly to keep the battery charged and provide 12V power, and the loads are consuming the battery charge. The problem "fixed" itself because the house battery got charged from the engine alternator while you were driving home.

If basic troubleshooting doesn't reveal something simple like a loose wire or a blown fuse or popped circuit breaker for the converter, it probably would be as well to simply replace it with a good multi-stage unit as I suspect the factory converter is a simple single-stage converter. A newer multi-stage one will recharge the batteries faster and be gentler on them once they are charged.
opnspaces
Navigator II
Aug 29, 2020
Yep converter dead and battery dead because converter not charging it.
time2roll
Nomad
Aug 29, 2020
What is the battery voltage indicated on your voltmeter? Measure direct on the terminals.
Then measure the voltage in the 12v distribution panel.
Post the results.

Actually not at all a strange condition.
jdc1
Explorer II
Aug 29, 2020
Or it could have simply been a bad outlet at the campground. You probably used a multi-meter to test the outlet at the campground? One end on hot, one on neutral? Those contact points might at the CG box could have been warn out.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Aug 29, 2020
Sounds to me like you have a 50 amp rig. . One leg was missing, the leg the converter is on. And you did not use anything else on that leg.

Thus the batteries ran down

Alternate answers...
YOu somehow reset a tripped breaker without knowing it
Or.
On my coach the converter is a plug in model.. Well... if the plug is loose then in packing to hit the road you may have pushed it back in.
brucegwhite
Explorer
Aug 30, 2020
Thank you all for the comments.

BFL13 - I got the generator started with a dead battery by turning on the RV engine; l the generator kicked right on. I didn't do anything different getting ready for the trip. Just turned the lights on and then noticed that they were starting to quickly go dim again.

Several of you mentioned the converter. Forgive my ignorance but is this the same as the inverter? I have an electrical box with fuses and circuit breakers that controls everything in the coach and my understanding is that this is the inverter. It failed 2 years ago and I had it replaced.

I will start by having my coach battery tested as you suggested.

Thank you all so much!
DrewE
Explorer II
Aug 30, 2020
An inverter and a converter are different things.

A converter takes 120V power from the shore power or generator and turns it into 12V power to charge the house battery and power the 12V systems when the generator is running or you're connected to shore power.

An inverter takes 12V power and makes it into 120V power so you can run 120V stuff, at least to a limited extent, when you don't have the generator running or shore power available. Thus, it's the exact opposite or complement of a converter. (Some better/fancier/more expensive inverters are combination inverter/charger units, and these can take the place of a converter.)

The electrical center could very well house the converter; that's one common arrangement. In such cases, the converter itself is typically the lower section of the electrical center, with the circuit breakers and fuses above it. Alternately, the converter may also be a separate standalone box that's mounted just about anywhere in the RV.

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