No 12v power without shore line...

[AuDa]

Hi,
I am Damian from Switzerland and we bought an 1996 Damon Intruder, a half Year ago.
Everything worked fine, untill we gave it to the Trucke Mechanical...
I asked himm if he could testing the house batteries. Common answer 2 No prob!".
Next time I heard from him, he called me the drivers side window went down, but it will no longer go up. He asked me " Is this normal?". I said no, is'nt, the window where up when i brought You the RV...
I went to him,to take a look on it.
When I came into the garage, I saw they clamped on the batteries a big normal battery charger, without diconnecting the batteries from the RV power net...
I asked him, what about testing the batteries?
At home I have also an battery charger, that's not the problem. The problem is to test the batteries, with an real batterie tester (by measure the battery when he is discharge the battery). He said whe have'nt one...
Then we fixed together the driverside window...
Next time he called me: We have no 12v power in the whole RV, is this normal?
You see, what I mean???
He only had to test the batteries and make some mechanical work on the RV and then, nothing going one...
Couple days later he asked me " I have to search any longer? I have no idea, what or where the problem with the 12v is or can be."
I said to him, I will take a look at this at home, a little exasperated...
At home, I saw, the batteries are no longer charged from the batery charger (Magnetek 6300 series).
I searched around the Internet and lots of trouble with this old battery charger...
Ok, bite the bullet and get an 4645 Progressive Dynamics replacement unit.
Built in, works and charge now the battery very well.
But still no 12v power without shore line...
Batteries are tested, water and acidity, looks fine. Battery disconnect switch is also tested, works too.
The switch for shore line power, or inner power, by the step does also work fine (I can hear the inverter starting).
Now I have no idea where I could still looking...
There is a little relay (but 30 amps) near the step, I thought it might be for the stairs, but it ( the relay) do'nt works, either when I pull in the stairs by the normal switch, or with the ignition...
But the stairs work...
I think they brought in too much amps with his big battery charger an eventually melted something down...

Can anyone help me, please?
Did anyone had the same?

Thank You for every help in advance.

Best Regards,
Damian, Switzerland

(Sorry about my poor english...)

[RV_Tech]

could be various problems, burnt fuses etc but as far as only power when on ac shore power i would start with the large main fuse near the batteries as well as verify power out from the main switch and or solenoid. also wouldnt hurt to verify that they hooked everything back up properly at the batteries.

[Gilleshps]

Your English is fine,

Have you checked for 12v power at the inside fuse panel yet?

[AuDa]

I made a mistake.
Even because the lamp is on by the battery charger, that does not mean that the battery is also charged.
When it is on shore line, the battery charger makes 13.6V on the inside fuse panel.
But it makes no change by the battery. Still 12.9V...
So it has to be anywhere between the batteries and the fuse panel.
But I can't see a breaker anywhere and the real battery disconnect switch works fine...
Is it possible that there are some fuses by the fridge?


Thanks for all Your help!

P.S. The fuses on the inside panel are allright, also the fuses under dash and the fuses under the hood...

[Gilleshps]

12.9v at the battery sounds like it is possibly getting some power from the battery charger/converter.

What is the voltage at the battery after it sits disconnected from shore power?

[AuDa]

No power from the charger/converter to the battery.
I measured it out with the voltmeter.
It is 12.9V because we have solar panels on the roof and the power of those goes directly (via solar charger) to the battery.

[Gilleshps]

Well like RV Tech recommended, your wire or fuse from the battery to the internal fuse panel is not connected. So you're only getting 12v from the converter when on shore power. You need to trace that HOT wire from the fuse panel to the batteries.

When the power stops, there's your problem.

[AuDa]

This day, I searched around for this fault...
Now I have some other news: The pd4645 unit seems to work (because of the green LED), but it does'nt charge the batteries.
No 12V without shore power. Ok I took a look on the charger/converter and - it has no output power!
I can unscrew the battery output cables from the charger and I have 12v with shore power, but no 12v without shore power...
And the new battery charger makes nothing ecxept the little flashing LED...
I do not understand anything...

[Gilleshps]

Ok now I'm confused. Yesterday you said you had 13.6V at the fuse panel?

Were you on shore power at that time, or was that solar?

[AuDa]

I'm confused too...
Yes it was at this time on shore power and I thought that the charger/converter makes this 13.6V power for charging the batteries.
But today I putt the converter cables from the fuse panels and there comes 13.6V from anywhere...
But only if it's on shore power.

[Gilleshps]

It does charge, usually at 14.4v for a short period of your batteries are low, then goes to float at 13.4-13.6v.

So you also had 13.6 at the batteries too?

[AuDa]

Unfortunately not.
By the batteries was it 12.9V because of the solar panels...

This day, I will re-replacement the whole charger/converter unit.
So I can rule out any errors from the converter...

[RV_Tech]

just a suggestion, either pull the fuse or disconnect the solar from the system and check voltage.

[AuDa]

Thanks all for Your support!
First of all, the converter works. But still no 12V power without shore line...

I made a mistake by myself. On the new fuse panel from Progressive Dynamics, there are 2 30A fuses, for battery reverse. First, I had to take out this 2 fuses, otherwise I became wrong measurements...
Thanks to the very quick customer support from Progressive Dynamics!!!

If the 2 fuses are away, than I could measure the 13.6V from the converter.
And at the other side, I have seen no power from the batteries (at the fuse panel).

Must be really this hot wire...

Next step I heard on RV_Tech and disconnected the solar from the system.
Still no power on the fuse panel, but short time after disconnecting the solar, still 13.5V by the batteries. I think they sould be ok.

But there is my next question:
Now, everything is working while it is on shore power. But still no 12V without shore power (maybe the hot wire).
But is this normal, when I push the button on the fuse panel, the charger goes on boost mode, thats ok. But then I have on each ceiling lamp and all the other consumers 14.4V? (Yes I do, I've measured it)
Seems to me not really helpfull for LED lights or other sensitive consumers...?


I have nothing changed on the wiring behind the converter, this is still the same since 1996.


Now I have to search around the hot wire...
Is it possible, that the hot wire goes under the hood?


Greetings from Switzerland