AN INEXPENSIVE MULTMETER (Less than $20) from WALMART-LOWES-AMAZON is good thing to have available to us with your RV...
Your charged-up battery should read 12-5.6VDC at its's terminals... When it is being charged it will read 14.4-13.6-13.2 depending what smart mode charging voltages is coming from your converter/charger unit...
Using the multimeter you can work your way back from the battery terminals to the RV BATT Connections on your converter/charger unit and see where it is not working properly... i.e. If you are reading 12,2VDC at the Battery terminals and 13.6VDC at the BATT CONNECTIONS on the output of the CONVERTER/CHARGER unit means you are not connected to your battery. Another clue is when you turn on your trailer ceiling lights when not on SHORE POWER or GENERATOR and they don't work. Another clue you are not connected to your battery or it has totally failed on you.
The magic words read here is "I just installed a new Converter..."
This is a typical WFCO 8900 Series Power Distribution Panel I use on my trailer that houses my converter module in the bottom compartment and has all of the 120VAC Circuit breakers and ATC Fuse 12VDC fuses...
Google image
Note the large RED CABLE on the bottom and one of the LARGE WHITE CABLES on the top will go to the battery connection. You will want to measure here with your multimeter and measure the smart mode DC VOLTAGES listed above. These two wires goes directly to your installed Battery and the RED LEAD will go through an IN-LINE FUSE installed close to my battery bank. If you have just one battery this FUSE will be rated at 30AMPS. Also note on the Distribution Panel there is TWO ATC FUSE's off to them self. These are probably two 25AMP ATC fuses in series if you only have ONE Battery and is called the REVERSE POLARITY fuses. These are suppose to blow if you connect your battery cables up backwards or accidently brushed the positive cable to ground causing a spark when you was installed things...
The DC OUTPUT terminals of the CONVERTER/CHARGER shown above should always be putting out 13.6VDC when you have shore power or generator hooked up. This will also show the different smart mode DC VOLTAGES depending what smart mode the converter/charger is doing at the time when you are making measurements...
Just passing along on what we do keeping track of our CONVERTER/CHARGER operations. I probably check my batteries once a day when camping to make sure all is good for the trip we are on...
Let us all know what you find out...
Roy Ken
Your charged-up battery should read 12-5.6VDC at its's terminals... When it is being charged it will read 14.4-13.6-13.2 depending what smart mode charging voltages is coming from your converter/charger unit...
Using the multimeter you can work your way back from the battery terminals to the RV BATT Connections on your converter/charger unit and see where it is not working properly... i.e. If you are reading 12,2VDC at the Battery terminals and 13.6VDC at the BATT CONNECTIONS on the output of the CONVERTER/CHARGER unit means you are not connected to your battery. Another clue is when you turn on your trailer ceiling lights when not on SHORE POWER or GENERATOR and they don't work. Another clue you are not connected to your battery or it has totally failed on you.
The magic words read here is "I just installed a new Converter..."
This is a typical WFCO 8900 Series Power Distribution Panel I use on my trailer that houses my converter module in the bottom compartment and has all of the 120VAC Circuit breakers and ATC Fuse 12VDC fuses...
Google image
Note the large RED CABLE on the bottom and one of the LARGE WHITE CABLES on the top will go to the battery connection. You will want to measure here with your multimeter and measure the smart mode DC VOLTAGES listed above. These two wires goes directly to your installed Battery and the RED LEAD will go through an IN-LINE FUSE installed close to my battery bank. If you have just one battery this FUSE will be rated at 30AMPS. Also note on the Distribution Panel there is TWO ATC FUSE's off to them self. These are probably two 25AMP ATC fuses in series if you only have ONE Battery and is called the REVERSE POLARITY fuses. These are suppose to blow if you connect your battery cables up backwards or accidently brushed the positive cable to ground causing a spark when you was installed things...
The DC OUTPUT terminals of the CONVERTER/CHARGER shown above should always be putting out 13.6VDC when you have shore power or generator hooked up. This will also show the different smart mode DC VOLTAGES depending what smart mode the converter/charger is doing at the time when you are making measurements...
Just passing along on what we do keeping track of our CONVERTER/CHARGER operations. I probably check my batteries once a day when camping to make sure all is good for the trip we are on...
Let us all know what you find out...
Roy Ken
