Battery dead, connection issues

[A_Miel]

Well, I have the beautiful new Winnebago on the property now, and won't be getting the 50 amp power post for a few weeks. The battery is completely dead, so that not even the carbon monoxide light is on. I went to youtube and to this forum to read up on recharging the battery/using power from the house, which is about 50 feet away. This is what I did, and it did not work:
1.) bought 2 dogbone style power adapters - 50-30 and 30-15.
2.) plugged in the 50 amp cord that came with the rv, then connected the adapters and plugged into a heavy duty extension cord, then into house outlet.
3.) Made sure extension cord and house outlet are working (I plugged the RV television into the extension cord and it has power)
4.) Made sure the battery disconnect stayed on (battery is connected)and turned off all battery operated and electric switches.
5.) Let it sit for several hours - still totally dead
6.) Went to hardware store and replaced the 30-15 adapter just in case. I have not replaced the 50-30 one yet, but they both look to be in perfect, new condition.
7.) Plugged everything up again and let it sit for several hours.

I called the RV dealership and they think it should work. Only suggestions were to suspect the adapters and make sure the battery disconnect is on.

I understand that the long extension cord can cause the power to trickle, but it had juice for the television in the rv. Seems like it should have at least delivered some power to the battery or be operating some of the lights. Everything is still completely dead.

I may have to get an electrician out but first, thought I would ask my trusty, experienced fellow RV'rs out there. Thanks in advance for troubleshooting advice!

[enblethen]

No, the converter should work with out the battery connected.
When plugged into shore power the converter will supply power to the 12 volt DC panel.
The converter may have reverse polarity fuses. Check to make sure they are good.
Does any of the 120 volt items work? Display on microwave? outlets?

[A_Miel]

Thanks - this is all so helpful. I would never have guessed that there needs to be some voltage for the converter to allow the electric from the extension cord to work. Would breathe a huge sigh of relief if it works. Will charge battery then try the electric when I get back there tomorrow and give a report. 🙂

[enblethen]

Yes, the power to some for operating the battery connect or disconnect comes from the battery side of the relay.
Adjacent to the battery ther could be a resetable circuit breaker.

[2oldman]

A.Miel wrote:
Battery disconnect is on - meaning the battery is connected still. (hope that is right)

lol.. it would make more sense to me if it was called 'battery connect.'

[centerline]

the charger uses so little 120vac and converts it to 12vdc, that 200ft 16ga cord would work in a pinch.

EDIT...after re-reading, I see you are using the house converter, and NOT an aftermarket charger.
the converter should produce 12volt power regardless if a battery in installed or not... so there is another problem elswhere

the following concerns the new triple stage chargers that do a much better job of optimizing the charging of the batteries...

here is the problem with dead batteries and modern chargers... for what is called safety, but more accurately described as "liability", the better chargers NEED to see about 9 volts for it to know there is a battery attached.. no battery, or a fully dead battery, NO OUTPUT....

the circuitry is so light in these modern chargers that running hard for so long in an attempt to charge up a fully dead battery would cause it to fry itself...

the REMEDY... use jumper cables to connect another battery up to the dead one. use your car if you dont have a spare batt laying around, then let the dead batt charge for 15 minutes...
then while the jump cables are still attached, connect the battery charger to the dead battery, and then disconnect the jumper cables... the charger will now work normally and charge the battery.

[A_Miel]

Battery disconnect is on - meaning the battery is connected still. (hope that is right)
New Winnie 5th wheel, model 28SGS

I did not find any other battery switch.

Bud - "Some battery disconnects are electrically held. You may need to use jumper cables to battery to get disconnect to hold in until converter takes over."
- are you meaning that the power is not being supplied directly from the house because the converter which does that, may not working since there is no juice from the battery? So that when I get the battery charged up, the power supply should also work?

[enblethen]

Battery disconnect should be on.
Check for battery switch next to entrance door.
Get a battery cgarger and attach directly to battery.
Some battery disconnects are electrically held. You may need to use jumper cables to battery to get disconnect to hold in until converter takes over.
Model of Winnebago?

[Crazy_Ray]

GOOGLE 12 volt side of life READ and LEARN

[2oldman]

Seems like a switch labeled 'battery disconnect' should be off.. but not sure.

This is a new coach and stuff isn't working? You posted in 5th wheels.

[A_Miel]

Battery disconnect is on.
Battery has been dead for 3 days.

Yep I will charge the battery separately. But still want to be able to use some low-level power from the house to keep the battery charged and use some lights. I had understood that power from the extension cord should BOTH charge the battery AND supply immediate power. Aside from the battery issue (at this point) shouldn't there be some power coming into the rig through my setup?
Or am I still missing something?

[ScottG]

Agree with others. Get a DVM and measure voltages.

[MFL]

Depending on what converter/charger you have, it may take quite a while to charge a very low/dead battery. If battery has been discharged for a long while, it may not fully recover. If you have a separate battery charger, that you can hook up direct to battery, this may be your best option.

Jerry

[2oldman]

Post make/model of converter. Some won't charge dead batteries. Have you verified with a VOM that it is, in fact, dead?

[newman_fulltime]

battery disconnect switch on?