Electrical Issues??????

[The_Girls]

I haven't used this forum in a while but now that I am having some issues this is the first place I thought to go. We have a 2008 Keystone Hornet Retreat parked on a seasonal site. We have not had any issues until last season. Let me paint the picture....the trailer stays plugged into shore power all the time while in season but last year we noticed that the overhead lights started to dim and got worse as the season went on. The alarm went off a couple of times. I will say we are really bad, we use a lot of things at once, we are a trailer of 3 girls. Last year was the first time since purchasing the trailer that I replaced the battery, crazy I know. So I purchased the battery in April and then by September that battery was dead. Even with the new battery we still had the dimming of the lights, everything else worked though. I made sure that we brought the new battery home with us this season but now we are getting ready to open up for the season and am wondering what I will need to do and check. Kinda freaked out by electrical but trying to figure out if the problem could be a simple fix and save this single mom some money. Thanks!!

[westend]

Back in the day when all we had was top post batteries that just had the two large terminals, reverse polarity wasn't an issue. All positive terminals were larger than the negative so easy differentiation was possible. With the use of the threaded post terminals, reverse hookup becomes easier but every battery is still marked on the top with a (+) and a (-). The (-) terminal will always be attached to the RV frame and the (+) cable will be connected either through a junction box close to the batteries or lead directly to the distribution center and converter.

A hand-held meter set to DC Voltage will make the job of identifying which terminal is which and using the Continuity or Ohm Resistance setting will disclose which wire is ground (-) to frame.

[Hippilongstocki]

These issues sound similar to mine.

I'm kind of a new jack to this scene (2007 Rockwood Ultra Lite TT), and I just purchased a 12V battery to hook up in parallel with an existing battery. The cords are faded, so to tell where each one goes was a little tough---especially since there is red/white/black, etc.

So I hooked them up, and I have a key I place in the driver side of the frame to turn it over to battery power. I did it, and it ran great---all except the tv and radio. Everything I was reading was saying that it was reverse polarity (which is very possible), and the 40 amp fuse blew--as well as the 15 amp in the radio.

The problem is now that my TT's lights did come on with the battery power--but quickly began to fade. I also plug into shore power with no luck whatsoever. The microwave beeps on, but the water pump has no juice.

I still have a 40 amp fuse to replace, and then we will see if it is just the battery or the inverter. We are getting ready to drive to Austin tomorrow....so this is not the most exciting news, as everything was working great before the battery hook-up.

I thought I'd lay my story down because it sounds eerily similar to TheGirls story.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

[uscgcolletti]

Not sure about fuses causing dimming lights.
Could be loose connections or a bad converter. Honestly if you don't know your way around a meter find someone who does.

[opnspaces]

if you're handy you can pick up a cheap multimeter and find out if your converter is charging the battery. Here's a few links to inexpensive meters.
Harbor Freight
Walmart

If you get or have a meter we can help you use it.

[Old-Biscuit]

Dimming lights, battery not recharging fully.......

Converter!

With 110V AC power ON.....converter DC output should be at least 13.2V DC
Lower than that converter is failing

[Artum_Snowbird]

Your converter and battery may be in perfect condition, but you might have loose connections in the wiring from the output of the converter to the battery.

I had that problem. When we were driving the camper battery would charge from the truck, but when we were plugged in to shore power the converter was producing full output voltage as it should have, but one of the wires on the terminal strip of the converter output was loose. When I wiggled the wires, suddenly the lights inside the camper came brightly on and I knew I had found my problem.

If you have a visual light bar that shows your battery level you should see all lights lit up when the converter is charging the battery, or when the charging current is coming from the engine, and a good battery will show two out of four or five bars when it is disconnected from charge. If you only have one bar showing, you do not have a charged battery.

Loose connections produce heat and do not conduct electricity well, and a temperature laser gun available for about $20 would show you a hotspot very quickly without touching anything.

[BurbMan]

The Girls wrote:
Now just another question......could it really be a bad connection or loose connection from the trailer to battery or the converter wires? The reason I am asking this is because the site that the trailer sets is waterfront....salt air not too good but would the battery really have made it for that long if it was a bad connection. Thanks!!

Yes. Most trailer electrical uses the trailer frame as the ground path on the (-) side. Look under or around the battery on the trailer tongue and you will see where the ground wires connect. If this connection is corroded, it may not be allowing enough current to flow to charge the batteries completely. You could also have a loose connection in or around the converter itself. You sound pretty handy and this would be a good place to start.

As Don mentioned, you can get a multimeter for $10 at one of the big box stores. The voltage output from the converter should be 13.6v, if it less at the converter, then the converter is bad. If it's less at the battery then it's either the converter or a bad connection between the converter and the battery.

Again, I don't think it's the reverse polarity fuses because if they were blown the battery would not get any charging current at all and it would have gone dead in a week or less. If the converter was not putting out any 12v at all, you would have no lights at all. The fact that the lights are on but dim would indicate that the converter is working but not putting out enough juice.

It's not uncommon for these things to fail so in all probability that's what it is, but as Don said, you need to check with a multimeter to be sure. Here is good tutorial on YouTube on the basics of using a multimeter.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

In my rv, there are two fuses (called reverse polarity) on the output of the converter. There are also two automatic circuit breakers. One is at the converter end, the other at the battery end of the connecting wires. There is also a disconnect switch. When using the rv that needs to be in the "on" position.

Go and get a cheap voltmeter and learn how to use it.

[westend]

Yes, if you're close to water, you want to check all your connections for oxidation and corrosion. It can be that simple.

A handy RV owner will own a hand-held meter to diagnose electrical problems. When powered by 120V, your converter should supply the battery with at least 13.5V. measured across the battery terminals.

[The_Girls]

Burbman thanks so much for the info. That is what I was thinking too. If the battery was able to last for so long, it probably isn't a breaker or fuse. I will definitely contact Best Converter. I am pretty handy so I will probably be able to replace it myself. Heck I can replace ceiling fans so hopefully I can figure this out. Now just another question......could it really be a bad connection or loose connection from the trailer to battery or the converter wires? The reason I am asking this is because the site that the trailer sets is waterfront....salt air not too good but would the battery really have made it for that long if it was a bad connection. Thanks!!

[myredracer]

I think you might also want to try checking the ground connections. Check tightness of the terminals at the ground bus (DC) at the panel and the connections to the frame (in tongue area). Clean the connections at the tongue and re-tighten.

[TucsonJim]

Disconnect shore power and the battery. Pull the converter out of it's housing. There are usually 1 or 2 fuses on the side or back of the converter. Check them. If they are okay, then your converter sounds like it has failed. Of course, if you have access to a volt meter and have some trouble-shooting skills, you can verify this with 100% certainty.

[BurbMan]

The converter takes 110v shore power and converts it to 12v to charge the battery and power 12v items like the lights, circuit board in the fridge, furnace, etc.

If the battery you bought in April didn't die until Sept that tells me the converter is working but not putting out as much power as it should. Had the converter not been working at all, (as in a blown fuse) the battery would have died in a week. So I don't think this is a simple fuse issue, the converter is bad and needs to be replaced.

A good choice is the Progressive Dynamics 4600 series. They are made to replace your stock converter without having to remove the entire electrical panel box. Open the cover to the fuse panel and see what brand you have now, then call the guys at Best Converter and they will get you the right replacement. These come with step-by-step instructions. All you do is remove the fuse panel cover, disconnect 2 wires, slide out the old converter and slide in the new one. If you are the least bit handy, or have a handy neighbor this is an easy job.

[beemerphile1]

Tell us what converter you have.