Outlets not working in trailer

[maggiea]

Hi, we just bought our very first trailer. It's a 1983 Mallard 20 foot travel trailer. Got an old one to see if we would like taking care of a trailer. The man we bought it from had it parked for 3 years without moving it. We bought a brand new 12v battery and everything turned on as soon as we installed it. But the outlets didn't work. We tried plugging in a little radio to check the outlets and,,,nothing. The bathroom outlet has a ground and we pushed it and it clicked, but still nothing. I've checked everywhere for a manual,, impossible to find. The previous owner has no idea what could have happened. Help please.

[austinjenna]

I believe what you are talking about is an adapter, not a converter. The adapter simply lets you plug your 30amp cord into a 110 outlet. You will still be limited to the amperage of whatever your 110 plug is.

[maggiea]

Still researching on internet, and it appears, by the photos, the large adapter I found converts 120v to 30 amps. Thus,,, converter..I hope. Looks like I need a Twist Lock Female to 30 amp RV Male Pigtail Adapter. WOW! Boy oh boy I wish there was a manual for this rig. And yes, I called Fleetwood, who took over Mallard. No luck.

[maggiea]

Also, am I using the words "shore line" correctly? Is it just an extension cord you run from an exterior source? The trailer also has 2 outlets on the outside of it, but it looks like I need a cord with 2 'male' ends. Does that make sense? THANKS EVERYONE!

[maggiea]

Thank you all. I am beyond a novice and tried to look up some of your terms. So, no, I didn't know you had to be plugged into a shore line,,duh,, I thought the 12v batt would be sufficient. And, no it doesn't appear by the nice schematic Old Biscuit posted, that there is an inverter. There was a very large 3-prong adapter. Easy enough to plug it in, but it appears that I need an extension cord with 'spread apart' prongs to plug into this thing. Many of you have said to just plug a household cord into the trailer, but honestly, I cannot find where to plug a shore line into. Also, is the large plug I found a converter... I looked it up and several different photos show up, including some that look like the adapter i found. Thank you all so much again! Sorry for the delay,, work has firewalls on all our computers and has you blocked.

[tenbear]

Assuming you have the trailer plugged in, check the circuit breakers in the power control center. Don't just look at them but turn them off and back on. Look for a GFCI, reset it if necessary.

It would be nice if you answered some of the questions that others have asked. 🙂

[relaxin]

did you check the breaker box?
if no breakers are tripped, is any 110 at all working?, check the cord if no,

[Old-Biscuit]

This block diagram may help you understand the two different power systems in your rig......120 Volt AC and 12 Volt DC

[GENECOP]

I am still wayne_tw wrote:

GENECOP wrote:
Is there an inverter?

That is very doubtful on a 30 year old entry level trailer.

Known as updating.....

[I_am_still_wayn]

To maggiea:
Plug the trailer into a 120 volt electric source. The outlets will not work off the battery.

[I_am_still_wayn]

GENECOP wrote:
Is there an inverter?

That is very doubtful on a 30 year old entry level trailer.

[Hoppypoppy]

Batteries will run lights, pumps and something like a fantastic fan. Just about everything else requires 110 or a generator to run.

[Eycom]

I may have missed it.... but did you plug the trailer into an available 110v electric outlet at home? You would probably need a 30 amp to 20 amp adapter.

[SAR_Tracker]

maggiea wrote:
....We tried plugging in a little radio to check the outlets and,,,nothing. The bathroom outlet has a ground and we pushed it and it clicked, but still nothing.....

Are you plugged into 110v somewhere? If not, and you don't have an INVERTER (not a CONVERTER - that charges the battery, and supplies 12v), you won't have power to the outlets.

[popupcamping]

outlets do not work off of a battery

[GENECOP]

Is there an inverter?