Did I fry my power converter?

[Utah_Jay]

Hello community - I need your help please.


Background - 2 winters ago I did not remove my batteries. I plugged in about once a month for a few days at a time to keep them charged up. Last summer worked fine. This winter I left the coach plugged in all the time. (1995 P30 Adventurer) Throughout the winters I will start the coach up and run it for about 20 minutes or so each month.


In January I went to start it and noticed my van battery was dead. The battery is almost 5 years old so I figured I would be replacing it before the season starts.


About 3 weeks ago while working outside I heard an alarm going off from my coach. It was the propane detector. A google search showed a common cause for this is overcharging the batteries. I unplugged the coach but the alarm wouldn't stop. I had to disconnect the coach batteries for it to stop.


A side note: the outlet I was plugged into had some serious charring marks on it. Made me feel like I got lucky in avoiding a possible fire. My coach is on a 30 amp cord but I use an adapter to allow me to plug into a 110v outlet 20a.


Today I bought a new van battery and a new coach battery deep cycle. The van started right up and runs fine. The coach has no power - no lights (except the propane alarm lights up green), the levels test indicator has nothing.


I checked all the breakers and fuses they are all intact. I found a 40amp circuit breaker under the dash that says coach power or something to that affect. It was "up" I pushed it down. Still no power.


I decided to plug back into a 110v outlet. There was a small pop and spark when I made the connection - not sure if that is normal. But I did get power back to the coach portion. Unplugged it and nothing.


Am I missing something? Is there an easy way to test the power converter.


A big thank you in advance for your help!

[Utah_Jay]

Now I feel REALLY stupid. My auxiliary switch was off disconnecting the coach batteries. Hopefully problem solved.

Please respond about the spark issue when plugging into 110v if you have any input

Thanks again!

[twinboat]

The second you plugged in, you powered up the converter.

If anything, 12 volt powered, was on, it can cause a draw. That's like plugging in an appliance while it's on.

[Jim_HiTek]

Whenever plugging in a RV to shorepower, use the breaker to turn off or on. That prevents most arcing. A worn outlet can cause problems so if yours shows burn marks, replace it.

Running the engine without exercising the rig on the road is often considered worse than just letting it sit without starting the engine. In future, just disconnect the negative leads from the battery banks after fully charging them with 20 minutes on the road. Batteries will easily overwinter without being charged continuously as long as they're in good condition...if they're disconnected. They do need to be charged in the spring before use though.

After disconnecting the batteries: If you are connecting to shore power to keep something powered in the RV over the winter, like the refer (recommended), or a small heater to keep moisture at bay, just run power to that item not the coach because converters aren't suppose to be run without a battery load. Check your manual though, as some can be without problem.