Off Grid TT, newbie needs help. Electrical issues!!

Many trailers (most) have a circuit breaker or fuse close to the battery near the tongue. Sometimes, they're tucked down near the frame. Check to make sure that circuit breaker isn't tripped, there may be a reset button on it (tiny).

You really need to get a multimeter, especially when going off-grid. You will be your own power plant so you will need to know where, when, how much electricity is going to what, when, how, and how much. Cheap multimeters can be had at Harbor Freight, Sears, Home Depot, etc.

When we know that you have power at a certain point, we can diagnose and help you get going. It's not difficult. If I was going completely off=grid, I'd have solar working for me immediately. The price and logistics of getting gas into the generator and the noise would be the two things I can live without. I have a single 235W module that takes care of all my power needs. I run a small dorm fridge, a 32" LCD screen, stereo, and all the other 12V stuff with the solar. My furnace doesn't use 12V but I bet yours does and the draw of the furnace will be significant. This is where additional batteries come into play. LED light bulbs at $2/bulb will save you a lot of juice, too.

First, get that meter and post back where you have 12V and we'll guide you through.

OnTheProwl wrote:
Thanks for the info. I have connected to shore power before and everything did work. I also looked for a switch to turn on for the battery power to work. Could not find such a switch, also called the PO and he said there was not such a switch.

OK, that's one thing that's eliminated, now check the fuses.

One other thing you could check before digging in is the ground. make sure that it is not corroded and that it has a good metal to metal contact point.

Thanks for the info. I have connected to shore power before and everything did work. I also looked for a switch to turn on for the battery power to work. Could not find such a switch, also called the PO and he said there was not such a switch.

Everyone was a beginner at sometime and learning about electricity pays dividends when you can look after it yourself. There is plenty of good information that can be had on this site as well as the rest of the inter web. One page that you will find referred to often is the "12 volt side of life", lots of really good information there.

Start by checking the fuses, your distribution panel should have one or more fuses that look about 2-3 times bigger than the regular branch circuit fuses. Also look for a battery disconnect switch, on the older rigs, many of them came with them from the factory and are usually close the the distribution panel.

Use either a test light or multimeter to check for power on both sides of the fuse, don't rely on a visual inspection, fuses can loo OK, but the filament could be broken.

If you don't have a multimeter I would suggest that you get one, you will need it somewhere down the road.

The key to successfully diagnosing a problem in your 12V system is to start at the beginning of the circuit and follow it all the way to the end.

Here is a little tutorial to get you in the zone:

The 12 Volt Side of Life

For no lights, check your converter.

For power, you may find you don't need more than what you have depending on how long you're out.

Like you, I only use battery power for lights and the water pump. Fridge is older and doesn't have 12v-only required parts. Lights are fluorescent (overhead) and LED (reading). I use battery operated LED puck lights for seeing inside cupboards, etc. My water pump is left on all the time, but only kicks in when a faucet is running.

For charging my cell phone, I use a 4-D battery pack (02 fan & battery). I have charged it for over a week without changing batteries. Laptop, I limit my use and use the house battery or an external power pack to charge. (portable power pack). I usually only charge once every 4 days due to limited use.

I have one 12v group 31 AGM battery for the house. A four-day trip without worrying about power will not even put a dent into the house battery. Although I haven't tried, I suspect with how my battery handles my needs, I could go 2 weeks without recharging. If I need more than that, I would go with a solar power setup rather than the generator - it would be more than sufficient to handle recharging needs without any added cost for fuel.

I would start by looking at the circuit box for fuses that may be burnt, you could have a disconnect switch that is used to keep the battery from running down when not in use. If all else fails check the bulbs.