Will shore power run equipment when battery is dead?

I don't have the slightest problem running the 13 ft slide in our 5er with just the Parallax 7355 converter (single 13.8v) and no battery at all, as long as I do the vice grips trick to complete the paths

The Lippert slide out on ours specifies and has a 30 amp fuse on the pos wire. Highest draw is about 25 amps going over the hump at the edge of the floor so it ends up level all across when out. No sweat for a 55 amp converter.

There is nothing magical about our 5er, so I don't see why others can't do it.

EDIT I just did it again. The 25 amps seen on the Trimetric is with battery only on the job. With no battery the Tri shows no amps like that, but the voltage drops from 13.7 to 13.4/13.3 when the slide is running on converter only.

I am on a 50ft #14 extension cord from the house to the shore power cable, which can make a difference to the amount of 120v to the converter--not measured during that test--, but it would be in the lower range.

SidecarFlip wrote:

BFL13 wrote:

snowpeke wrote:
With a dead battery the lights should work, but the slides and front jack for 5 wheels need a battery.

Not really. They need the wires that go on the battery to be connected as though on the same battery posts, but the battery can be dead.

If no battery is installed, then just use vice grips to hold the wire terminals together and you have your path completed same as though on the posts, so the converter can run the slide and jacks.

I have seen warning signs in Jaycos near the slide IN/OUT switch that you need a battery to run the slides, but I don't believe it if you just connect the wires with vice grips.

Problem with that method is the converter cannot supply enough amperage to run the motors for the duration they need to be activated. The storage battery picks up the slack. You'll find that warning in every RV manual (if you read it) and that is why.

Jacks/Landing gear, slides wired directly to battery due to high amp draw.....

BFL13 wrote:

snowpeke wrote:
With a dead battery the lights should work, but the slides and front jack for 5 wheels need a battery.

Not really. They need the wires that go on the battery to be connected as though on the same battery posts, but the battery can be dead.

If no battery is installed, then just use vice grips to hold the wire terminals together and you have your path completed same as though on the posts, so the converter can run the slide and jacks.

I have seen warning signs in Jaycos near the slide IN/OUT switch that you need a battery to run the slides, but I don't believe it if you just connect the wires with vice grips.

Problem with that method is the converter cannot supply enough amperage to run the motors for the duration they need to be activated. The storage battery picks up the slack. You'll find that warning in every RV manual (if you read it) and that is why.

snowpeke wrote:
With a dead battery the lights should work, but the slides and front jack for 5 wheels need a battery.

Not really. They need the wires that go on the battery to be connected as though on the same battery posts, but the battery can be dead.

If no battery is installed, then just use vice grips to hold the wire terminals together and you have your path completed same as though on the posts, so the converter can run the slide and jacks.

I have seen warning signs in Jaycos near the slide IN/OUT switch that you need a battery to run the slides, but I don't believe it if you just connect the wires with vice grips.

With a dead battery the lights should work, but the slides and front jack for 5 wheels need a battery.

I think OP has abandoned us.

As a last ditch try for the battery, connect jumper cables from your tow vehicle for a half hour with the tow vehicle running. IF the battery shows life at this point, it may, be salvalgeable.

Yes, unless the battery is actually shorted inside.
Then nothing will help.

Check your AC power first. Then the AC breaker to the converter. Every outlet should be working. Even the bathroom Ground Fault Interrupter Receptacle.

Check your AC power first. Then the AC breaker to the converter. Every outlet should be working. Even the bathroom Ground Fault Interrupter Receptacle.