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Old 05-28-2019, 03:10 AM   #1
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Batteries won't charge or supply power

Hi all, newbie TT owner.
I have a 2010 Dutchmen Sport 27b and have been having battery problems.
I have one battery that is 3 years old and one that is brand new..both 12v
They won't charge or supply power to the unit. I checked all the fuses and they are all good.
Everything works fine if it's plugged in or on the generator.
Also where is the inverter located?
Any help or pointing to a thread with the info would be awesome. We're heading out again this weekend!
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Old 05-28-2019, 04:02 AM   #2
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Have you tried to charge them outside the RV with a regular battery charger? You can get one at harbor freight for $29. You could even plug it into the generator, if your converter is not charging the battery. It sounds like a wiring or converter issue. You wouldn’t have an inverter unless you added one.

So you batteries don’t work with your 7 pin to run you trailer lights and trailer brakes?
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Old 05-28-2019, 02:24 PM   #3
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It is time for you to get a digital multimeter from you local hardware store ($10). Use is to follow the voltages.

1) There may be a battery disconnect switch that is turned off. The switch prevents small parasitic loads from discharging the batteries while in storage.

2) One of the battery terminal cables may be disconnected to prevent battery discharge during storage.

Troubleshooting the power flow is as follows:

Shore power --- 115 volt Main breaker (30 amp or 50 amp) --- Branch Breaker (15 amp) --- Converter/charger --- 12 volt 30 amp fuse--- Battery Bank

Use your multimeter to follow the power.
Connect the shore power cord to 115 volt outlet or generator.
1) Voltage on a battery that has not been charging or discharging will be less than 13 volts DC. / Check battery connections or disconnect switch.
2) Voltage on a battery that is being charged will rise slowly (hours) to between 13.3 and 14.4 volts. If voltage does not rise over time, it is not being charged. // Check 12 volt 30 amp or 40 amp fuse
3) Voltage from the Converter/charger when not charging the battery bank will be 13.3 to 14.4 volts DC. Check voltage at any 12 volt light socket or cigarette lighter socket. Lights and water pump should work. / If no voltage, Check 30 or 40 amp reverse polarity protection fuse on 12 volt panel.
Voltage may be lower if charging a large battery bank that has been substantially discharged.

An inverter converts 12 volt battery power to 115 volt A/C power. It may be located anywhere, but is usually near the battery bank. A stand alone inverter would not cause the symptoms you describe.

Sometimes an inverter is combined with a charger and a transfer switch. A transfer switch, switches between multiple A/C power sources, like shore power to inverter power. It would be unlikely for it to cause your problem
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Old 05-28-2019, 03:52 PM   #4
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Deep cycle batteries like to be the same age, one old and new do not work well together.
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Old 05-28-2019, 10:53 PM   #5
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The battery reads 13 volts. Replaced the 40amp fused and still nothing. Checked all the wiring and it looks good. No power at all unless it’s plugged in
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Old 05-29-2019, 03:03 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by CaptainInstructo View Post
The battery reads 13 volts. Replaced the 40amp fused and still nothing. Checked all the wiring and it looks good. No power at all unless it’s plugged in
Would check to see if your inverter is getting power at the inverter (without shore power) from the batteries if it is... then it's the inverter or a fuse or Circuit Breaker IN the inverter.
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Old 05-29-2019, 04:34 PM   #7
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The battery reads 13 volts. Replaced the 40amp fused and still nothing. Checked all the wiring and it looks good. No power at all unless it’s plugged in
13.0 volts on the battery terminals means the batteries are fully charged, but not being charged and probably not being discharged.

The next step is to follow the voltage from the battery to the charger/converter. Plug in the TT shore power cord. Recheck the voltage on the battery terminals. If the voltage is still 13.0, follow the battery cables to the next connector. Measure the voltage there. Do both positive and negative cables. Then move on to the next connector until you get to the converter/charger.
Where ever the voltage jumps up to 13.3 or more is where the disconnect is.
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Old 05-30-2019, 02:09 AM   #8
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13.0 volts on the battery terminals means the batteries are fully charged, but not being charged and probably not being discharged.

The next step is to follow the voltage from the battery to the charger/converter. Plug in the TT shore power cord. Recheck the voltage on the battery terminals. If the voltage is still 13.0, follow the battery cables to the next connector. Measure the voltage there. Do both positive and negative cables. Then move on to the next connector until you get to the converter/charger.
Where ever the voltage jumps up to 13.3 or more is where the disconnect is.
So I replaced the breaker in the box at the front of the TT. Now when I check the battery power inside the TT, all it shows is 1 bar, which won’t power the lights or anything. At least now I have power there now! The batteries are still charged, so could it be the converter? When I plug it in to shore power the fan turns on for a split second than turns off.
Any thoughts?
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Old 05-30-2019, 08:33 PM   #9
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The converter fan turning on for a few seconds is normal start up process for the converter/charger. Mine does the same.

I am not sure what one bar is, but it appears to be very low 12 volt supply to house 12 volt side. When the converter is on, you should have 13.6 volts and it should be charging batteries.

Batteries should be supplying a full 13 volts to the house if the converter is not. That means battery bank is disconnected from the house 12 volt side. Either a disconnect switch or loose or burned connection.

The converter is not connected to the house 12 volt side or is not producing 12 volt output. It could be a disconnect switch turned off or loose connector or burned or defective converter.

You replaced the main 115 volt breaker and the converter made running noises. A defective main breaker may be just a defective main breaker. But since there is still more things not working, it suggests a catastrophic event such as plugging the 30 amp 115 volt shore power plug into a miss wired 230 volts socket. If so then converter may indeed have been trashed. Other things may be trashed as well.
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Old 06-07-2019, 07:22 PM   #10
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Sounds to me like a dead 12 v self resetting circuit breaker, check all over the tongue of the trailer, should be two of them. One will go to the trailers converter, and one will go to the vehicles charge line
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Old 06-09-2019, 07:50 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainInstructo View Post
So I replaced the breaker in the box at the front of the TT. Now when I check the battery power inside the TT, all it shows is 1 bar, which won’t power the lights or anything. At least now I have power there now! The batteries are still charged, so could it be the converter? When I plug it in to shore power the fan turns on for a split second than turns off.
Any thoughts?

First thing you need to do is get a multimeter. The LED indicator is all but useless.

Here is a link to the WFCO Troubleshooting Charts. Several possibilities have been raised as to the source of your issue. The WFCO converters are not particularly robust and a stray power surge can be enough to fry them. I ALWAYS use an EMS on my RV when plugged into shore power. If you do discover that the converter is bad and it is a WFCO, I strongly recommend that it be replaced with a similar sized Progressive Dynamics unit.

Aaron
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