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usmcbecker's avatar
usmcbecker
Explorer
Mar 25, 2016

Converter Humming, probable short

Good day everyone,

I usually don't like coming on a forum and taking up all your time, but I feel like I have hit an impasse with my trailer that I cannot overcome. I have a 2014 Autumn Ridge by starcraft with an electrical issue. I am unsure what is causing the problem. The biggest issue that is driving me crazy is the converter box is humming. Not overly loud, but if there is nothing on, you can hear it all the way in the bedroom. I've pulled all the fuses to see if I could pinpoint where it is with no prevail, it still hummed. I have sanded down the ground points to the frame to ensure a good ground.

The battery won't hold a charge either, even when shore power is or isn't connected. I've charged my battery up and let it sit a day in my garage and it held a charge fine. My power tongue lift keeps blowing fuses as well. The fuse is currently blown as I felt keeping that out of the mix would probably be best until I have found the issue.

Any advice would be much appreciated, since I felt I have done everything in my power to try to locate this possible short without luck.
  • Lots of good testing advice in this thread.

    Couple of things though. You mentioned your battery is getting drained. That is actually a normal condition because of propane leak detector and possibly other parasitic devices. So, make sure you don't confuse normal parasitic drain with potentially a non-existent "problem". This condition is exactly the reason many, myself included, have a battery disconnect on their system as the batteries will drain in a week or two without a battery disconnect and not connected to shore power.

    Second. A battery holding its charge overnight is not a true test that a battery is good. You would need to load test that battery to know if it was truly a good battery. Any shop that sells batteries can load test your current batteries.

    This is not to mention your converter isn't having an issue... but keep in mind if there is a charging or other issue, your batteries could also have been ruined. Isolate the issues and good luck.
  • Do you have a battery disconnect switch? If you do it may be off. Or the inline breaker to the battery may be open. Then when plugged in the converter will always run because there is no battery for back up voltage. When my battery gets loaded (a lot of the 12V is used) the fan/charger will run more. Without a battery it will run all the time. I would check for 12V at the battery connection without the battery hooked up and the trailer plugged into 110V. Then take it from there.
  • Alright everyone. I was able to fix the issues. The first was in fact a bad converter. A friend and I were able to knock it out in no time. The second issue was that the battery was in fact bad. It will no longer hold a charge, even if Advance Auto parts says otherwise. The short was coming from a miswired tongue jack, which was causing the blowing of fuses. SO far the converter is converting, and the new battery is battery holding a charge, and not draining. Thank you everyone for your input, it helped me greatly in getting my trailer working as it should.
  • Thanks for posting back with the solutions to your 12 V issues. I'd suggest that you buy an inexpensive voltage meter so that you can keep battery SOC measured.
    Good luck!