1993 Dutchmen Classic 5th Wheel electrical questions

[CooP]

Hi. I have a 1993 Dutchmen Classic 5th Wheel. I bought a new battery for it. All lights, furnace, fridge, seemed to work ok. The next day, the battery was dead. I think the gas sniffer drained the battery. The sniffer wires were unhooked from the battery when I got the camper, but I hooked them up when installing new battery.

I noticed the last accessory fuse (15amp) was blown. ( last fuse on right in picture below red wire) I replaced it and it immediately blew again. Is this fuse for battery charging system or power converter, or appliance? I don't think my battery is charging when hooked to my truck.

Also, should there be a ground cable connected from the negative battery terminal to the trailers metal frame? Mine doesn't have one. Thanks in advance for your advise and guidance.
CooP

[wahoonc]

Several possibilities...

What type of truck do you have? Not all of them come ready to hook up to a trailer 12v. Fords in particular require a relay to be installed under the hood, in the fuse block. For some reason it is usually in a bag in the glove compartment rather than installed.

I am not sure what the 15 amp fuse is for, but if it keeps blowing you have a short somewhere. Perhaps it powers the LP detector that was disconnected? Though they are a pretty low draw item. Unfortunately you are going to have to figure out what is what when it comes to fuses and wiring.

Aaron

[CooP]

Thanks for chiming in Aaron. The truck is a 1996 Ram 2500 V10. I bought it with the camper. It was the truck that the previous owner used to tow the Dutchmen. It came with the connectors for the camper.

I called my local RV center about the missing ground cable from negative battery terminal to trailer frame. And they confirmed that it should have one. As I suspected. I'll get that installed.

I've been a vintage audio/guitar amp enthusiast for many years, so I have some experience with using a multi meter. I agree there's a short on that 15a fuse circuit. For sure. I'll trace that down ASAP.

I've already completely remodeled the bedroom from the frame up. What a job that was. Lol

[CooP]

I contacted a local RV dealership, and they confirmed that there should be a ground cable connected to the negative battery terminal to the trailer frame. So, I have that done now. I unhook the gas sniffer,and battery, when not using the camper. The blowing fuse went to my hitch light. I just unhooked those wires from the fuse box, for now. I tested the 120v AC and all is good. Battery is charging. My next objective was to test the air conditioner. And to my surprise, It works good. Even after sitting for 10 years. Any other 1993 Dutchmen Classic advise is highly welcomed, and appreciated.