Clicking with Shore Power

[Bear9350]

Hello,

I just purchased a used 97 Jayco trailer. Started cleaning stuff up and getting things figured out at home last weekend. Saturday afternoon I wired up a 30amp 110 volt recepticale to plug it into shore power. I also plumbed the propane back up. I did a quick check Sat afternoon to see if the furnace and AC worked and checked most of the lights. Everything seemed good. At this point I new the battery was dead. I had previously tried to charge the battery that was on it but it would not take a charge.

Sunday when I walked into it I heard a clicking sound coming for what I assume it the converter. When I unplugged the shore power the clicking noise would slowly die out.

I did a little research online and read that the dead battery may be the problem. I purchased a new battery, fully charged it and installed it last night. Plugged it back into shore power and the clicking continued.

I am new to all this and am looking for any advice on where I should look next.

Thanks,
Brian

[myredracer]

enblethen wrote:
OK, I read back through the posts. There could be a breaker by the battery as shown in Westend's post. There also could be a fuse or a circuit breaker by the 12 volt DC distribution panel for the battery connection.

If the battery inadvertently got connected in reverse, that can make the mini-circuit breaker in the A-frame click, maybe every 15 - 30 seconds or so. These mini-breakers are normally near the battery but not always. We have one at the rear of our TT on the frame.

[enblethen]

OK, I read back through the posts. There could be a breaker by the battery as shown in Westend's post. There also could be a fuse or a circuit breaker by the 12 volt DC distribution panel for the battery connection.

[myredracer]

kaydeejay wrote:

T_in_Michigan wrote:
Get past the 110/120V issue. Most appliances are designed to work at 110V, 120V is the baseline voltage supplied by your Electric Utility.

Any electrician will tell you 120/240V is the voltage in your house.

Nominal voltage is 120V with a permitted variance of + or - 10%.
Appliances are therefore designed to work anywhere between 108 and 132 volts.

True, nominal is 120 volts, but utility companies follow ANSI C84.1 of +/- 5% (114 - 126V) under normal conditions and max. of +6% and -13% (104.4 - 127.2V) for infrequent occurrences. On top of that, the NEC allows up to a max. of 5% voltage drop at the point of utilization. Good explanation here: PG&E

For all equipment, appliances and motors, NEMA recommends that they operate satisfactorily in a range of +/- 10% of nominal (103.5 - 126.5V). Electronic equipment involves IEEE standards.

Motors and motorized equipment are often rated at a lower than nominal voltage like 110, 115 and 117 volts because the manufacturer makes an assumption that the voltage at the motor(s) will be less than nominal and rates the motor at a lower voltage so that it will put out closer to it's nameplate HP. The vast majority of ordinary appliances and electronics are rated at 120 volts.

For the clicking noise, perhaps OP can try a length of 1/2" hose and put one end near the sound and listen to other end of hose.

[westend]

enblethen wrote:
You should be looking for standard house hold style circuit breakers. Normally fairly close to the converter.

Disregard this. We are trying to determine if an inline 12V circuit breaker has failed. Not the breakers inside the load center. The breaker in question is close to the battery on the tongue of the trailer. It is about the only thing that can interrupt 12V power from the battery to the distro center. The OP has no lights with a new battery.

[westend]

Bear9350 wrote:

westend wrote:

I am wondering why my lights were not getting powered off my battery? I checked and still had 12+ volts at the battery and I was able to power the slide out with the battery but the lights would not turn on.

Again, check the circuit breaker that is close to the battery. It may have failed with the oscillating on/off clicking situation. You also have a converter problem if there is no output on the converter's terminals when powered.

Am I looking for actual circuit breakers or just fuses? I haven't seen any breakers but I have checked some fuses and they were good.

Look for a small metal can. It may be tucked into the frame rails or it may even be inside a junction box. Best practices is that it is within 18" of the battery but that is rarely the case in the RV world. Follow the (+) cable from the battery back towards the trailer. Look below the tongue.

This is what you are looking for:


Check for voltage on both posts if your battery is connected. Check for continuity between the posts if the battery is disconnected. This is a $5 part at an auto parts store.

[enblethen]

You should be looking for standard house hold style circuit breakers. Normally fairly close to the converter.

[Bear9350]

Doug33 wrote:
what does it cost to replace the converter?

I found the same models for around $177.

[Bear9350]

westend wrote:

I am wondering why my lights were not getting powered off my battery? I checked and still had 12+ volts at the battery and I was able to power the slide out with the battery but the lights would not turn on.

Again, check the circuit breaker that is close to the battery. It may have failed with the oscillating on/off clicking situation. You also have a converter problem if there is no output on the converter's terminals when powered.

Am I looking for actual circuit breakers or just fuses? I haven't seen any breakers but I have checked some fuses and they were good.

[Doug33]

what does it cost to replace the converter?

[westend]

I am wondering why my lights were not getting powered off my battery? I checked and still had 12+ volts at the battery and I was able to power the slide out with the battery but the lights would not turn on.

Again, check the circuit breaker that is close to the battery. It may have failed with the oscillating on/off clicking situation. You also have a converter problem if there is no output on the converter's terminals when powered.

[Bear9350]

enblethen wrote:
According to website the converter should have reverse polarity fuses on the outside.
DLS 45 sheet
Installation manual

I did check those also. They were both good.

[enblethen]

According to website the converter should have reverse polarity fuses on the outside.
DLS 45 sheet
Installation manual

[Bear9350]

So this afternoon I got my meter out and first made sure I had good power at the receptacle, 124 volts there. Then I plugged it in and of course everything seemed to be working fine. No more clicking or anything.

Turned a bunch of lights on and cranked the furnace up. Decided to leave it like that while I started working on prepping the water system. I did notice that the fan on the converter was running after a little while.

A while later I went back in and the lights were off and the furnace would no longer run. I checked a couple of outlets and still had 120V there. Ran through the fuses and got continuity on all of those.
Checked for voltage on the output of the converter. I assume I should have been able to get about 12V there but got nothing. I also checked the reverse polarity fuses on the converter and they were both good.

I am guessing that I burned the converter up or something. I checked and it is a Iota DLS-45.

I am wondering why my lights were not getting powered off my battery? I checked and still had 12+ volts at the battery and I was able to power the slide out with the battery but the lights would not turn on.

[CavemanCharlie]

I had a buddy that said his converter was clicking and it turned out that he had is battery hooked up backwards.

[kaydeejay]

T_in_Michigan wrote:
Get past the 110/120V issue. Most appliances are designed to work at 110V, 120V is the baseline voltage supplied by your Electric Utility.

Any electrician will tell you 120/240V is the voltage in your house.

Nominal voltage is 120V with a permitted variance of + or - 10%.
Appliances are therefore designed to work anywhere between 108 and 132 volts.