No power to RV after attaching fully charged battery

[PsYcHoSiD]

So I have a 2018 Kodiak Dutchman Ultra Lite. We bought it brand new three years ago. Last week we went to take it out, put the battery in like always, and nothing. Long story short replacing the 30 and 50 amp fuse (that's right next to the battery and looks like this did the trick. Was able to hook up, go to the camp ground, hitch it up and drop it back off at storage fine.

Well another week has passed - literally Sunday to now - and we went to get it again for another trip this weekend and we're having the same problem. Thought it might be the battery since I didn't charge it after the last trip, but I put it on the trickle charger and it was at 95%.

Any advice, suggestions or words of wisdom are appreciated.

Thanks!

[persistent]

I am not sure what "Thought it might be the battery" means. The battery blew the fuse? The battery was dead?

The fuses may have blown due to arcing when you disconnected or reconnected the battery leads. Make sure the connectors do not touch anything when you remove and replace. Many people remove one connector and immediately wrap it to prevent accidental arcing. Then wrap the other when it is removed.

Both the battery and the converter/charger (if plugged in) can provide high current.

I have two fuses there. One is a 30 amp. The other is a 40 amp reverse polarity fuse. Yours may be similar but for a larger converter/charger.

You can tell battery state of charge by measuring the voltage at the battery terminals. Static voltage is when there is no discharge and there has been no charging for 4 hours. 13.0 volts static is fully charged. 11.4 static is fully discharged. 12.2 is 50%

Always store the battery fully charged. Fully charged means 14 to 18 hours on an appropriate sized regulated charger. Storing less than fully charged causes sulfate crystals to build up on the plates. The deeper the discharge and the longer time, the larger the crystals become. The more crystal build up, the more capacity is lost.

I recharge on return from a trip. My AGM's show 13.0 volts after resting for a while. They hold that static voltage for several months so I do not trickle charge them.

Battery University https://batteryuniversity.com/

How does the Lead Acid Battery Work? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...ased_batteries

Charging lead acid batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...d_acid_battery

How to Charge and When to Charge? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...o_charge_table

How to Store Batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...tore_batteries

Summary of Do’s and Don’ts https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._battery_table

How to Measure State-of-charge
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...tate_of_charge

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

[kjlarson]

We have a 2020 Kodiak 201QB with 12V electrical problems, barely will turn the lights on and does not have enough power to run an 800 watt 6.6 amp coffee maker for the 2-3 minutes it takes to brew a cup of coffee. So, I'm installing thee 100ah 12V batteries and have the chassis ground disconnected to do the work along with the shore power disconnected, should be no power right. Without thinking I raised the tongue jack by pressing the retract button, guess what? It worked, so I now know that there is something strange in the way Dutchmen wired the trailer. I'll have to trace the wiring for the jack to discover the issue, probably wired directly to the batteries. Even more strange is that the lights work. Now I have to find out what Dutchmen did so I can rest easy that I will not have an electrical fire. How much do you want to bet that if I ask Dutchmen for an electrical schematic that they will refuse to provide one? What I have discovered so far is that there is little to no pride in workmanship by the factory; wiring is a rats nest, drawers will not stay closed when traveling, there is even a pressurized water line that dumps into the cabinet beneath the sink with thankfully a closed valve in the line. There is a switch labeled "electrical' on the control panel by the door, when I asked Dutchmen support what it was for they could not tell me; does not seem to do anything as far as I can tell. So, if you are having electrical issues I fully understand the frustration. Good Luck in getting your issues resolved.

[dsol]

Originally Posted by kjlarson

We have a 2020 Kodiak 201QB with 12V electrical problems, barely will turn the lights on and does not have enough power to run an 800 watt 6.6 amp coffee maker for the 2-3 minutes it takes to brew a cup of coffee. So, I'm installing thee 100ah 12V batteries and have the chassis ground disconnected to do the work along with the shore power disconnected, should be no power right. Without thinking I raised the tongue jack by pressing the retract button, guess what? It worked, so I now know that there is something strange in the way Dutchmen wired the trailer. I'll have to trace the wiring for the jack to discover the issue, probably wired directly to the batteries. Even more strange is that the lights work. Now I have to find out what Dutchmen did so I can rest easy that I will not have an electrical fire. How much do you want to bet that if I ask Dutchmen for an electrical schematic that they will refuse to provide one? What I have discovered so far is that there is little to no pride in workmanship by the factory; wiring is a rats nest, drawers will not stay closed when traveling, there is even a pressurized water line that dumps into the cabinet beneath the sink with thankfully a closed valve in the line. There is a switch labeled "electrical' on the control panel by the door, when I asked Dutchmen support what it was for they could not tell me; does not seem to do anything as far as I can tell. So, if you are having electrical issues I fully understand the frustration. Good Luck in getting your issues resolved.

I believe they typically wire the tongue jack directly to the batteries because you want to be able to use it without turning on a disconnect. I know with my 5er the landing gear works when the disconnect is turned off. The landing gear, like your tongue jack cannot be left on to drain the batteries because operation requires you to physically press a switch. Whereas you could leave lights, fridge, etc turned on in the trailer without knowing.

If I was you I would remove every cable from the batteries myself before touching anything. Take a picture with your phone first to see the creative way they got all the wires connected too. And like suggested above, tape or bag the ends so you don’t accidentally make contact with a battery or ground when working there.

As far as the schematic goes I fear you are correct and Dutchmen will be zero help. You will likely find help in this forum from someone who has a similar or the same model as you.

[IMGordon]

I had the same problem! Found that the primary ground point on the trailer frame was very badly corroded. Probably not in the same place on all trailers... ours was close to the batteries. Drilled larger hole and put in stainless bolt with dialectic grease applied.

Found this because we found everything worked perfectly when the trailer was plugged into the truck, and not when disconnected.... trailer was grounding through truck’s 7 way plug.

Something to check. Good luck!

[Snowman53]

I have found that many electrical problems seem rooted in a poor ground. I would look that way as well.

On the battery question, my one year old battery tested at 13.9 volts when fully charged but would not work on the trailer. Batteries Plus determined that while it showed adequate voltage, it had no ability to provide current (do "work" with real power.) It was, in the words of the Batteries Plus guy, "toast". New battery No. 3 needed on a 2018 Aerolite. Working fine now. Seems to be a seasonal thing. I will be careful this fall and maybe it will work again next season.

[kimbo@alum.mit.edu]

You want to keep your battery trickle charged over the winter or whenever unused. A battery left to its own devices will slowly discharge and discharged batteries become "toast". If you can add demineralised or distilled water when fully charged.

Before somebody says it's better to charge once a week. Well maybe if you remember to do that once a week and if you fast charge once a week well that's not the best either or if you forget to shut down the charger or don't charge enough. If the measured voltage from your trickle charger matches the measured fully charged voltage than no current should flow except to replace what is lost and ordinarily it's impossible for the trickle charger current to flow in reverse.