12V problem

Problem solved...it was a 50 amp fuse between the battery and the camper. Replaced and everything is working great now. Thanks all...

PamfromVA wrote:
One the hitch there is wiring coming from the battery to some kind of a connection. The reason I am vague is because it is right next to the battery box so hard to see the entire thing. Anyway, when the camper is unplugged, there is the correct voltage from the battery but nothing on the other side. When the camper is plugged in, there is voltage on both sides. Next weekend my husband will be unhooking the batteries and removing the boxes to get to that connection. Not sure exactly what is in there yet - if there is a fuse or not because you just can't see it with the box in the way.

Does the voltage, as read on the battery terminals, increase when plugged into shore power and drop somewhat when unplugged?

One the hitch there is wiring coming from the battery to some kind of a connection. The reason I am vague is because it is right next to the battery box so hard to see the entire thing. Anyway, when the camper is unplugged, there is the correct voltage from the battery but nothing on the other side. When the camper is plugged in, there is voltage on both sides. Next weekend my husband will be unhooking the batteries and removing the boxes to get to that connection. Not sure exactly what is in there yet - if there is a fuse or not because you just can't see it with the box in the way.

When is the last time you checked the water level in the cells of the batteries? Took a Specific Gravity reading of each cell? Added distilled water to the cells to top them off?

You ever do any battery maintenance on your batteries?

Don't make the assumption that the batteries are good. You need to disconnect the RV from power and read the voltage at the batteries with a multi-meter. 12V or less and the batteries are dead. If plugging the coach in now shows the batteries are charged, the batteries need to be replaced.
If you have no power and the batteries are still showing good then you should be able to use your multi-meter to follow the 12V power cable until you find a place where 12V power is no longer available. You should find a switch or a fuse (or a bad connection) at this location.

WFCO 8955

What RJ said. You have 12v power but the 12v power is not getting through the distribution panel for some reason. Give us the model of your converter/charger and someone might know if there is a specific fuse or breaker somewhere to look for.

The converter is powering the interior lites, so the converter is good.
The batteries are NOT powering the interior lites, so either the batteries are dead, or there is a disconnect (bad connection) between the batteries and the converter at the DC distribution panel. This could also be a blown DC fuse at the distribution panel I suppose.

The batteries are good. The camper is plugged in all the time. We use it all year.

PamfromVA wrote:
Thanks for the ideas. There is no battery disconnect. That would be too easy :).

And the lack of one could be the cause of your problems. If the batteries are always active and the rig sits for any appreciable time, the parasitic draw from alarms and circuit boards will drain the battery. Do this a few times to a hybrid marine/start battery and it will be toast.
If the battery is sulfated (toast), when shore power is first powered into the rig, the draw to the converter may be so large that it trips the converter circuit.
I would suspect that the battery/s are bad.