Battery / Electrical Problems

[RVpullinGuy]

I can't keep my batteries charged. So, I purchased new golf cart batteries from Costco... two 6-volt installed in a series.

After installing them, I ran them down quite a bit trying to get my generator started. So, hook them up to shore power and recharge them, right? Well, one week later the batteries are drained, even after being hooked up to shore power for a week. They were about half drained when I hooked them up.

I call a local RV dealer and ask how to tell if the converter is bad. He said if you can hear it working (the fan coming on and off) then it's working. BTW, I have a Parallax Series 7300 Model 7355 55amp converter. I checked all the fuses on the converter and none are bad or blown. While plugged into shore power, lights work, AC works, radio works, etc.

I am currently recharging the batteries one at a time with a 6-volt, 6-amp portable recharger.

Are there other fuses besides the ones on the converter panel? Short of taking it into an RV shop, what Can I do to trouble shoot and fix this problem? Thanks for your experience and help.

[RVpullinGuy]

BobWanderer wrote:
Do the lights etc work without shore power or the Generator running ??

My batteries are currently not connected because I am charging them with the portable charger overnight. I will verify your question tomorrow when they are done charging. Thanks!

[RVpullinGuy]

Yes, there is a junction box right behind the batteries where the cable bundle comes in from the wiring that plugs into the truck for the lights and brakes. But I don't think any of the wires from the batter go into it. I will double check tomorrow.

I couldn't see any fuse or junction box between the battery cut off switch and the converter either. But, the wiring is not visible much of the way between the two either. And, it doesn't run inside any cabinets in which I can see. It runs up above the fabric barrier on the underside of the trailer between the cutoff and the converter.

[enblethen]

Is there a junction box at then of the ambilical cable?
Trace your break away switch wiring.
Circuit breaker or fuse could be a junction point where beakaway switch wire joins with brake wires and ambilical cable.

[BobWanderer]

Do the lights etc work without shore power or the Generator running ??

[RVpullinGuy]

The two 6-volt batteries are connected properly in series and have been since I bought the trailer new in 2005.

I can't find or see an inline fuse between the batteries and converter. One large red wire runs from the batteries to the generator. No fuse that I can see. Two red wires run from the batteries to the battery disconnect switch and to the inside gen control panel. No fuse that I can see. Although, my wires are "wrapped" with a loose corrugated plastic conduit with a slit all along the wire. I looked inside this wrapped conduit directly behind the A-frame and don't see a fuse. I guess a fuse could be hidden farther back along the wire somewhere where I can't see it, but I don't think so.

Is the inline fuse in a housing?

I will try and test the voltage at the batteries. I'm just not good with electrical issues and don't understand them very well.

[BobWanderer]

Our rig has a manual reset breaker on the frame close to the front crossmember, a large 10 gauge wire runs from there to the inside panel.

[RoyB]

Everytime someone installs 6VDC batteries it is usually suspect they may not have connected them correctly.

This is simplified diagram of how the 6VDC BATTERIS should be wired up..


You need to physically find the word "NEG" or the symbol "-" stamped on the battery case and make sure this terminal gets wired in like shown above.

If they were installed in reverse then a couple of places may now have blown fuses. One will be real close to the battery terminals and may be an in-line fuse. Another place to look will be on the 12VDC distribution panel where all the 12VDC ATC fuses are and look for two fuses that are offset from the others and may be labeled REVERSE POLARITY...

The other thing to do is get a MULTIMETER and measure the DC voltage at the converter/charger terminals. It should read 13.6VDC. It should also read 13.6VDC at the battery terminals which is not apparently doing otherwise your batteries would have been charged up. They may have been hooked up wrong...

Roy Ken

[joebedford]

Disconnect the batteries and check your 12V from the converter.

Did you have 2 x 6 volt before or one 12 volt? If the latter, make sure you wired the 6V in series.

[enblethen]

Yes, there should be a fuse or circuit breaker adjacent to the batteries. Trace the positive wire from battery toward converter. Fuse/circuit breaker is normally close to where the TV ambilical cord changes to the rig's wiring.