Lightning Strike

[Jim4929]

After dealing with all the things destroyed in the house from a lightning strike, I finally made it out to the trailer to start work on it. It has been plugged into shore power for the last three weeks. I first tried to open the slide and neither of the three would budge. So here is what I know. Battery reserve is in the red with some alarm sounding due to low power. The micro wave it working off the shore power, at this point I have unplugged shore power and replugged and the battery "appears" to be charging some what. In the past the slides and other items have worked with the battery removed and on shore power but will not do so now. Any ideas?

[othertonka]

your battery is dead, should be 12.6 volts for a full charge. Try plugging into shore power and then use multimeter to see if your convertor is charging your battery, If it is charging It should read about 13.6 volts. If it does not read around 13.6 it could be the battery is too dead that it won't take a charge or the convertor is bad.

[NC_Hauler]

Jim4929 wrote:

...a multimeter/voltmeter could tell you how much power is being generated at this time from your battery, (not hooked into shore power)....

Hooked to shore power the battery is reading 7.4 volts

Don't know how long your battery hasn't been charging, but that low WITH shore power hooked up, it may not be charging, or has a dead cell or two....I'd have battery checked out. "IF" you have a spare 12 volt battery, I'd be half tempted to put it in the 5er, hooked up and see if your 12 volt power is there, (ie lights or a light just to see). Even try to THEN open your slides...how old is the battery?

Like you, I can open slides and do quite a bit while plugged into shore power, BUT there have been a couple of times, I had the battery bypassed, hooked to shore power and couldn't open the slides..the battery will give the additional "torque" you might need to open the slides,(the shore power won't be able to offer that much torque if needed) especially if they haven't been opened for a while.

[Jim4929]

...a multimeter/voltmeter could tell you how much power is being generated at this time from your battery, (not hooked into shore power)....

Hooked to shore power the battery is reading 7.4 volts

[Jim4929]

With shore power on, can you turn on 12 volt lights and they work? If so, your inverter is still sending 12 VDC to the 12 volt circuits....Did you try to turn on a 12V light without being hooked into shore power...just to see if it comes on at all, even dimly.

The lights come on but very dim. I didn't try to turn on the 12v lights without shore power

[NC_Hauler]

My slides will work off shore power also, BUT, if you need some initial "torque" to get them open...I'd let the battery charge and see what happens then....If your microwave and all 120 is working...you should be ok in that department...Question: With shore power on, can you turn on 12 volt lights and they work? If so, your inverter is still sending 12 VDC to the 12 volt circuits....Did you try to turn on a 12V light without being hooked into shore power...just to see if it comes on at all, even dimly...a multimeter/voltmeter could tell you how much power is being generated at this time from your battery, (not hooked into shore power)....