Batteries, dimming lights, etc.

[melissajean0]

Okay, so I know that RV's should run without a battery when they're plugged in. It seems like every time we either move the 5th wheel or if it storms and the power surges (or goes out and runs off the battery), or if it flickers off because of a storm then back on, the battery always goes dead. Every single time; even though we're plugged in to a 50 amp outside. Today we swapped batteries, turned the air on, a few hours later the new battery was dead. So we went and bought a batter charger. Put the charger on the battery, waited an hour (didn't remove battery from charge), still no 12v lights, ac/heat thermostat not working, and fridge not working. We have a 2008 Forest River Sandpiper, model 345RET. We have flipped the breakers, checked the fuses, and nothing seems to be working. Does anyone have any idea on what could possibly be causing this?

Thanks in advance 🙂

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
ifi see right in that pic your trailer is generator preped see the second breaker under converter that does say gen right

That's what it looks like. But Jeremy said he doesn't have any idea where a generator hookup would be.

[newman_fulltime]

ifi see right in that pic your trailer is generator preped see the second breaker under converter that does say gen right

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
mellissa call me please sow can diagnose this better

Phones dead, charging it now lol. Will do in a bit.

[newman_fulltime]

mellissa call me please sow can diagnose this better

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
yes if no 12 v the converter is gone.

Jeremy said that he took the battery out and it did that; no power at all. So, it's definitely the converter box, eh?

[YC_1]

Ok, before throwing the baby out with the bath water it is obvious you are a confident techno savvy person,. Just being able to post that picture here proves it.

This is a very simple system. That box sends charging voltage to the batteries. It is just a garden faucet and the wires are just hoses to deliver the water to the batteries.

The area you show is all 12 volts and will not shock you. It is safe to take all the measurements you want in the area.

Post back your measurements and this should get sorted out quickly. Two or three measurements will tell the story.

At this point you should buy a cheap digital multimeter and look at you tube videos on how to run one,. Very simple and not intimidating at all after a quick three minute lesson.

Measure the voltage on the large red wires. Write the voltage measurement downs and do not rely on memory. Use the metal case for your black lead of the meter.

Now measure the voltage across the large battery terminals. Put your test probes on the center of the posts and not the connectors. The voltage should be 13.5 or so. That is, the voltage at the converter should be within a volt of the battery voltage.

Your intermittent situation is probably due to a loose wire or perhaps a bad thermal breaker near the battery. Simple enough to chase with a voltmeter.

Getting measurements before tightening screw etc will give you confidence once you find the hole in the hose.

Twelve volts has very little push/pressure and simply cannot push past any loose connections.

[newman_fulltime]

yes if no 12 v the converter is gone.

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
have you checked the resetable fuse that comes off the batt?

Jeremy said he checked it and it was okay.

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
your converter should work with or without a battery

So if we take out the battery completely and don't have 12v stuff working, that means it's the converter box, right?

[newman_fulltime]

have you checked the resetable fuse that comes off the batt?

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
ok you have wires getting wet somewhere causing the converter to go into a safe mode type thing when it dries out it comes back on.check the wireing under your slides

But it doesn't happen only when it rains. It happens on clear days just because of a power surge. We were in MS when it happened too. Clear day, power surged. It went out for about a minute, then came back on. 12v dimmed more and more over the course of 2-3 hours and we had to charge the battery. But no issues after that until the power went out again. Stuff running off the 50 AMP worked fine. TV, satellite, AC in the bedroom (doesn't run off thermostat), fans, etc., were all fine, just the 12v was screwy.

[newman_fulltime]

your converter should work with or without a battery

[newman_fulltime]

ok you have wires getting wet somewhere causing the converter to go into a safe mode type thing when it dries out it comes back on.check the wireing under your slides

[melissajean0]

I don't know if my other post made sense. Let me try to re-word.

Why would the 12v system work fine, without having the battery on charge. Then we have a power surge of some sort or outage and instead of the 50 AMP charging the battery, it seems that it kicks it out of whack and the 50 AMp stops charging the 12v. This doesn't happen when the powers knocked out for long periods, this happens with a power outage that lasts even 10 seconds or less. But when the 12v battery gets recharged it works for months and months at a time with no issues, and it's not hooked up to a charger. It's like once the battery is charged by an outside source, the 50 AMP decides to keep it charged again.

Would that still mean it's in the converter box?

[melissajean0]

newman fulltimer wrote:
do you have the generator prep on that trailer?If so lookfor the auto transfomer switch

Jeremy said we don't have a generator prep.