Do I need to replace converter? What is the issue?

[marcarolle]

Hi guys, before I call my RV Tech, I would like your input as to what happened, and what needs to be done. I’ll provide you with all the details (maybe too many) so you can help me pinpoint the problem. My knowledge with electrical stuff is very limited, (and so is my capacity to understand it!!!)

My 2008 Gulf Breeze has the WFCO 8955PEC converter (I know, everybody says they are garbage).

We camp 98% of to the time in serviced campgrounds (water + electricity). At home, the trailer is always plugged-in the exterior house power outlet (20 amp I think). We don’t use A/C or Micro Wave at home.

When we camp in cg sites with 20 amp, we make sure to use only 1 “high power” item at the time (either AC, micro-wave, toaster, etc). We understand that 30 amp sites provide a bit more flexibility.

So this past week-end, the only site available to us at the campground was a 15 amp. In fact, when looking at the breaker, next to the electric outlet where I plugged in, it was written 10 amp! Anyway, I used my 30 to 20 adapter, and it was fine.

We used the microwave oven once. The cg outlet tripped, I reset it and we stopped using the microwave. We used the AC fan (not the actual cooling AC) throughout the hot week-end.

Starting Saturday night, I noticed the lights in the trailer were more dim. I suspected it was because of the low amperage provided by the campground. Later Saturday night, we turned all lights on, and the alarm of the propane detector (that looks like this one http://cdn.blog.rvshare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/propane-detector.jpg?de6dcd) went off! Turning all the lights back off stopped the alarm.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon, ready to go back home. My electric front jack is barely moving, the slide out won’t come in. I checked the monitoring panel, and the battery was dead. I manually pushed the slide out back in while my wife used its switch, which provided enough power (I could not find the actual manual cranking spot – I’ll have to find that out as well).

The battery is an RV deep cycle/marine battery, used for 2.5 seasons, and well maintained. Based on some reading online, I know I have to check the water level in the battery tonight.

I hitched up the trailer to the truck, and by the time I had finished my gray/black duties at the dumping station, the battery indicated 75%, enough to hit the road (knowing that the emergency brake cable is powered by the trailer battery, hence not being 100% legal…).

When I got home, I plugged in the trailer to the house power outlet. Lights seemed to be strong enough; yet it was not dark outside. The plan was to let the house power recharge the battery and then today put the battery on my battery charger.

When I went back to check the lights later at night, it was pitch black. No lights. But the micro wave’s clock, the TV red light (on/off) had power. Fridge was not working off power, and gas did not kick in, possibly due to dead battery.

I have checked the converter’s breakers, but I haven’t yet checked the fuses in the converter. I know there are other fuses I must check, but I don’t know how to locate them.

If it’s of any help, the trailer spent from July 7 to July 13 sitting in a friend’s field, not plugged in, and fridge was on gas. When we picked it up on the 13, battery was dead (we lost some food, but that’s ok). The battery recharged completely when plugged-in first through the truck, then at the campground. I then figured the reason the battery went dead was because my friend moved my trailer 20 feet with his tractor during the week. I had left the torsions bars on the floor, next to the sofa, right in front of the door. And there is a switch on the side of the sofa; that switch is for 4 small LED exterior lights at the bottom of the skirting, on the door side. That switch was on when I picked up the trailer. I assumed that the torsion bars might have come in contact with the switch during the move.

I’m now wondering why is my battery going dead when plugged in house power? No lights, no fridge, but electrical outlets are working. Do I have to replace converter? Does this have to do with the 15 amp campground, or just coincidence?

My apologies for long text. I wanted to cover everything.

Thanks in advance for your help
Marc

[wa8yxm]

THere are many ways Converters fail. the WFCO's have a favorite mode and you have NOT described it at all. Just so you know but other failures are possible.

OPNspaces did a good job of covering most of them.. And I do not think the only one left is possible with your WFCO But It is with my Progressive Dynamics
(It is a plug in model with a cord and plug that plugs into an outlet.. I suspect you can guess that from time to time I snag the cord and unplug it).

If the unit needs to be replaced.. Progressive Dynamics is the way to go in my opinion They are simply the best. Period.

[rrupert]

It wasn't mentioned but if the campground power wasn't up to par there could have been a low voltage condition that may have contributed to the 120-volt breaker tripping when the microwave was operated. I don't know what effect that could have on the converter.

[myredracer]

Our WFCO died in it's 3rd season. It tripped the 120 volt breaker and I could smell overheating wire. It also killed the battery. I *think* the WFCO never did charge the battery properly from new as it never seemed to keep a charge very long at all. They are known to overcharge and boil out batteries and often don't go into bulk charging mode. You can read the stories about them being garbage but may not believe them until it happens to you. If you were to see a PD unit beside a WFCO, you'd be amazed at just the physical difference alone.

You might also try checking the ground and positive connections between battery and charger/converter including mini-circuit breaker. Using a voltmeter and with battery disconnected, what voltage is the charger showing and same with battery?

After replacing our WFCO converter with a PD unit and upgrading to an AGM battery, I also installed an LED voltmeter so I can regularly keep tabs on the voltage.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Analysis via derivatives is extremely risky. Get a volt panel meter that has been certified accurate by testing and user comments and reviews and that will improve diagnostic accuracy by 90%. The risk implied is arriving at an incorrect diagnosis wasting time and money.

Include battery VOLTAGE readings along with derivative comments and you are sure to get comments that are light-years more on-point and accurate. 🙂

[Veebyes]

Get your own load tester. About $60.for a decent one. Saves having to remove & lug battery anywhere. It will tell you if battery is at fault very quickly.

[opnspaces]

Before spend money on an RV tech take a moment and do some basic investigation. Check your fuses and breakers, the dim lights when plugged in are a dead giveaway that the battery is not getting charged and the battery was powering the lights. Either a breaker is tripped, a fuse is blown, or the converter/charger is dead. Below I put some basic troubleshooting steps in order of difficulty from easiest to hardest.

RESET ALL THE BREAKERS:
With the shore power cord unplugged go into your coach and turn off every circuit breaker. Make sure they are all off. If one of the breakers only looks mostly off push it firmly to the off position. Then turn all the breakers back on

CHECK THE FUSES:
The easiest way to check a fuse is to unplug it and look at it. You should see a bridge between the two blades of the fuse. If the bridge is broken or missing, the fuse is blown and needs to be replaced. While it is entirely possible for the fuse to be blown and the bridge still looking intact, that scenario is pretty rare.

LOOK AT THE LIGHTS:
This step is easier with a helper but can be done alone. With the shore power still unplugged go into the RV and turn on a light and judge the brightness. Now while still looking at the light have your helper plug in the shore power cord. If the light gets brighter your converter/charger is probably working. If there is no change with the power plugged in then the converter charger is probably bad.


TAKE A PICTURE OF THE BATTERY AND GET IT TESTED:
Use your phone and take a picture of your battery while it's still hooked up so you know where all the wires go. Then charge the battery up and take it in to an auto parts store to be tested. If you would rather not pull the battery just skip the previous sentence, but still take a picture of the battery and the wires hooked to it.

BUY A METER:
Buy a digital multimeter from Walmart,Canadian Tire, Harbor Freight, or any auto parts store. A cheap meter should be $20 or less and every RV'r should have one. Open up the package and ask the counter person to show you how to check the voltage of one of the batteries on the rack. You should see somewhere in the 12.x volt range. Now take your battery (or a new battery) home and hook it back up. (You could also has a friendly neighbor to show you how to use the meter)

CHECK WITH METER:
Use your meter to take a voltage reading on the battery and write that number down. Now plug the shore power back in and take another voltage reading. If your converter/charger is working the plugged in reading should be around 13.6 volts or higher. If the reading is unchanged when plugged in then your converter/charger is suspect.


CONCLUSION:
You mentioned early on that you have very limited knowledge so I tried to keep this fairly basic. If at this point you believe your converter/charger is bad then it's probably time to call the rv tech. But at least you will know that you did some basic troubleshooting before laying out your hard earned money.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
Your tests at home support a converter/charger problem. The lights and refrigerator (even on propane)are battery powered, the microwave is shore powered.

Your friend probably did not affect your trailer when moved with his tractor. An RV refrigerator running on propane will only make it about a week on battery power. Sure the LED's on didn't help, but the refrigerator and lp detector are really what killed the battery.

The 15 amp plugged in at the campground did not cause this. It really sounds like your converter/charger is dead which is why the battery is not charging when plugged in at home.

Good luck with your trailer and let us know the ultimate outcome when you get it resolved.

[marcarolle]

I love everything I'm reading so far. Keep your tips coming, if you have any. I will print it all and take it home with me tonight. Looks like I got my workplan cut out for this evening! Thanks so much!

[bob213]

The depleted battery when you got home may have pulled too much juice when you hooked up to a good 120v source. Check the resettable fuse near the battery and charge the battery with a stand alone charger. See what that does. Regardless, if you replace the battery, check that fuse usually mounted on the frame near the battery.

[time2roll]

Yes get a new converter and a new battery.

http://www.bestconverter.com/PD4655MBA-WildKat-55-Amp-Main-Board-Assembly-for-WFCO-8955

[2chiefsRus]

by the way, if you unhook the battery, take photos of how it is hooked up before removing it so you don't cause bigger issues by rehooking it up incorrectly.

[BFL13]

The converter is not working. Either no 120v input, or has that, but no 12v output. Your 12v system is working ok on battery (except battery is too low) so you are good from battery to DC fuse panel. Has to be the converter. You don't necessarily need a new converter--first check for 120v input.

[ndrorder]

While at the auto parts store, pick up a cheap multi-meter. It may very well be that the battery is dead. Use the multi-meter to verify the converter is providing 13 or more Vdc to the battery, or a second battery may be damaged.

[schlep1967]

Charge the battery and take it to be tested. That is free so that is where I would start. If the battery tests good then you want to look at your converter. Running your battery completely dead certainly does not help its lifespan.

[2chiefsRus]

After you rule out the fuses in the converter, I would take the battery to an auto parts store and have it load tested. If the battery is shot, it may still read as being 75%, 90% or etc charged charged but will not hold that charge under a load.