Battery power blocked

[Odchrist]

I have a 40 fdqs 2005 . I am finishing a weekend of frustrating camping. My system was plugged into a 30 amp power source so I used my inverter to power the rest of the coach. Something happened like a blown breaker and all usage of the battery bank went down. They were at 43% so I put my portable charger on now the batteries are at 100% but nothing which uses those batteries is working. I can't retract my slides or my awning . My control panel says I only have 7.5 voltage. All breakers are on and not tripped. I am beat. Is there some main switch or breaker somewhere other than the panel back by the toilet???
Help
O d Christensen

[J Birder]

I can't entirely understand what you were doing. If you were plugged into shore power, why were you using the inverter?

Is sounds like using the inverter for 120 VAC power ran down your batteries. It is not entirely clear as to why you converter has not been charging them.

Are you sure that the pedestal is actually providing power? If it is, I would suspect that your transfer switch has failed. A sharp rap on it with a hammer might jar loose the contacts. If that doesn't work, you will have to bypass it.

For future use, be aware that discharging the batteries that nuch will habe greatly shortened their life.

Joel

[twinboat]

If your inverter is also the charger, then your batteries will run down. An inverter/charger can't do both at the same time.

You may be charging the wrong batteries or only some. Do you have 6 volt batteries?

Does your inverter have a reset?

[DrDaveMA]

First if you are at 100% then you cannot be at 7.5 volts, something is wrong with these statements, you may be reading the chassis batteries (there are2 of the ) not the house batteries (there are 6 of them)? It sounds like you are new to this coach, are you aware of the cutoff switches, 1 is in the entry stairwell, if it is shutoff you will not be able to use the slides, awning, etc. the other is in the battery compartment, it controls the chassis (think engine) functions. Check the stairwell switch it should point to the door.

Also put a little more faith in fellow Alpine owner's replies, we know our coaches, other replies maybe be good, but WRV had it's own way of doing many things, and they were different from other manufacturers, so other owners of some other brand may lead you in the wrong direction.


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Dave, Bobbi and Fenway

[Ken T.]

Originally Posted by Odchrist

I have a 40 fdqs 2005 . I am finishing a weekend of frustrating camping. My system was plugged into a 30 amp power source so I used my inverter to power the rest of the coach. Something happened like a blown breaker and all usage of the battery bank went down. They were at 43% so I put my portable charger on now the batteries are at 100% but nothing which uses those batteries is working. I can't retract my slides or my awning . My control panel says I only have 7.5 voltage. All breakers are on and not tripped. I am beat. Is there some main switch or breaker somewhere other than the panel back by the toilet???
Help
O d Christensen

Not sure how you could remain plugged in and run off your inverter. If what you meant was that you did not plug in and ran off your inverter then you probably simply ran your batteries down. Depending on the portable charger you have it might take a long time to recharge the batteries. You might try starting your engine and let the alternator charge the house batteries. Where do you read 7.5 vds and what tells you that the batteries are 100%

Ken
34' 2005 Alpine

[tinytom]

Do you have an Onan inverter? If you do it sounds like the inverter is not passing AC and needs to be reset. The only way I've found to do this is to shutdown all power at the switches. Unplug 110 V. Just disconnecting the positive or negative lead at the battery has never worked for me.
In the battery compartment on the wall behind the batteries you'll see a black cover remove the black cover and you'll see a very large fuse disconnect the positive lead from the fuse wait 30 seconds and reconnect. Go to the Onan panel in the front of the bus and shut it down turn it on again and let it reboot. If this doesn't work I would check your transfer switch.

[Rusty Bear]

Your inverter/converter should have a reset button, also if the house batteries are 100%, then also check all 12V fuses in your hall panel.

[Old Scout]

As you can tell by the responses thus far, most of us are confused by your explanation of what has/is happening with your 120v power. Sorry to ask, but are you new to this coach and/or overall inverter operations?

Whether 20, 30 or 50 amps at the campground, your inverter grabs one leg of the power and distributes it via a "by-pass" function to selected circuits in your coach--like the mircrowave, TV or other low/med draw applicances [but not high draw like ACs or water heater which are powered directly from shorepower]. So as long as you are on shorepower, all circuits in your coach are powered [same applies if you are on generator]. If you are inverting from batteries, only selected circuits are powered.

If you drew the bats down--it would takes hours if not days to recharge the house bats with a normal 10 amp charger [eg your coach inverter charger is over 100 amps]. There are two 30 amps breakers in the two boxes under the bathroom sink that control BOTH 120v input and output from your inverter--make sure they are on.

Keep us post.....

[J Birder]

I am beginning to suspect that part of the problem here is confusion obthe inverter and / converter.

A converter takes 120 volt ac power, either from a generator or from shore power, and puts put 12 volt dc power to charge the batteries and operate the lights and other 12 volt devices in the RV.

An inverter is just the opposite. It takes 12 volt dc from the batteries, and puts out 1420 volt ac power fot the tv, microwave, etc.

Virtually all RVs have a converter. Many, but not all, also have an inverter. The converter and the inverter may each be in their own case, and may be at some distance from each other. Alternatively, they may be in a common case, ofter called a converter / inverter.

If the OP was saying inverter, when he actually was referring to the converter, some of this thread might make a little more sense.

Joel

[Jeff and Cheryl]

J Birder,
All Alpines have an inverter/converter in one box. The manual refers to this as an Inverter.

[twinboat]

Many inverter/chargers are 1 unit. Sort of like a reverse cycle heat pump, in the HVAC world.

When there is 120 v power available It charges 12v and when there is none, it makes it from 12v. The same electronics do double duty.