Tex,
There are lots of possibilities. The likely explanation is the battery was not fully charged. Using the tongue jack depleted remaining charge.
I looked at the specs for your Aspen Trail. It seems typical for Dutchmen TT's. I expect there is no microprocessor energy management system and no 12 volt disconnect switch on a control panel near the door. The 55 amp converter/charger is connected to the battery and the house circuits through fuses. Plugging the TT in to shore power simply applies 12 volts to the battery and the house circuits.
Leave it plugged in for 14 to 18 hours and the new battery will be fully charged.
Measure voltage at battery terminals. It should be13.6 after 10 hours of charging.
Alternative cause:
The tongue jack may be on its own circuit through a fuse directly to the battery. The house circuits may pass through a self resetting circuit breaker to the battery box. That breaker may not be re-setting properly.
Battery will not charge properly.
Measure the voltage across the breaker. It should be zero volts when the TT is plugged in and battery is fully charged. It may be 0.5 to 1.0 volts if breaker is not re-set. Replace breaker.
Alternative cause:
Cable from battery to house circuit may have loose or corroded connections in either the positive cable or in the negative cables connected to the frame.
Battery will not charge properly. Frame negative connections often corrode.
Use your digital voltmeter to measure the voltage at the battery terminals. There is a charging voltage profile, a discharging profile, and a static profile. Yes, it can get complicated.
A fully charged battery that has been used, but not charged recently will have less than 13.0 volts (part of discharge and static profile). A battery being charged for 10 hours or more will have 13.2 to 14.5 volts (part of charging profile).
So, if the TT is plugged into shore power and the built in charger is working properly, the fully charged battery should read 13.6 volts.
If the built in charger is not working properly and you ran the tongue jack briefly, the voltage should be below 13.0 volts.
Voltage across any cable connector should be zero. Remove, clean, repair, apply electrical grease, and reconnect.
Charging profile:
Starting with a discharged battery at say 11.5 volts, the 55 amp charger should raise the voltage slowly to 14.4 volts. Four hours after charging begins, voltage should drop to 13.6 volts. Charging should be continued for a total of 18 hours.
Static profile:
State of Charge (SOC) can be determined using static charge profile. Static means no charging or discharging for 4 hours. 12.7 to 13.3 volts is fully charged. 12.3 to 12.2 is 50%. 11.4 is fully discharged.
Discharging profile:
The higher the current being drawn, the lower the voltage will be. A high discharge rate on a 50% SOC battery can be below 11.0 volts.
I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!
Linear Mode
