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Old 08-07-2022, 08:01 PM   #1
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Will my converter keep lights etc from worKing?

Full batteries- new. Arrived empty, charged with Genset . (EVERYTHING WORKS WITH GENSET ON EXCEPT SLIDES)
With Genset off, no lights, no panel lights . Did not even touch slides . Last night, at 12.6, house lights eventually worked after flipping house switch, main switch, converter switch and all of a sudden the bedroom led overheads went on . Tonight, at full, nothing.
Any ideas?
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Old 08-07-2022, 08:20 PM   #2
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If everything works with genset on ; then converter is doing it's job .

Erratic power from the battery , first thing to do is check connections at the battery .

" Arrived empty " ???
Do you mean the batteries were dead when you took delivery ??

THAT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN !

What brand and type of batteries have you installed ?
Flooded call ?
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Old 08-08-2022, 03:39 PM   #3
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Skip is spot on
If new batteries arrived dead..that is no good
Would take more than genset to do a proper charge
Need to be independently restored
And I would be talking with whoever sold those to you
They could be toast
Check fluid level if lead acid

Let us know
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Old 08-09-2022, 01:27 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gnvrvin View Post
Skip is spot on
If new batteries arrived dead..that is no good
Would take more than genset to do a proper charge
Need to be independently restored
And I would be talking with whoever sold those to you
They could be toast
Check fluid level if lead acid

Let us know
Greg
They are AGM 100 ah and charging with a smart charger off the Genset. Currently at 13.9 with no load. Tried to get Trojans again but hard to get!
Even if I get to 14.2, I still cannot get slides to work. No problem with slides in six years.
No DC in coach when gen is turned off. Living by candlelight!
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Old 08-09-2022, 01:52 PM   #5
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Ok ; questions .

You are currently operating without shore power ; correct ?

The only 120volt power you have is from the genset ; correct ?

You installed the batteries and have managed to use power from the batteries only once for; interior lighting for a short period of time : correct ?

Your converter is not providing charge voltage to your AGM batteries ; you're having to use an external smart charger ; correct ?

There maybe a manual or auto reset 12 volt circuit breaker in the wiring between the battery bank and the converter ( similar to the photo below ) should be withing 3' of the battery positive post ; connections and continuity need to be checked .
The second photo is a circuit breaker that could be the slide issue , power supply to the slide motor could be separate from the power to the rest of the RV.

EDIT: site computer posted photos in opposite order.
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Old 08-11-2022, 06:28 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Foothillscal View Post
They are AGM 100 ah and charging with a smart charger off the Genset. Currently at 13.9 with no load. Tried to get Trojans again but hard to get!
Even if I get to 14.2, I still cannot get slides to work. No problem with slides in six years.
No DC in coach when gen is turned off. Living by candlelight!
Two cents -- I just went through a similar problem: No 12 VDC in the coach at all. Turned out to be a loose ground wire at the 12 VDC distribution panel in the coach near the converter. I would also check the connections and voltages on both sides of the battery disconnect relays.
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Old 08-11-2022, 07:32 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip426 View Post
Ok ; questions .

You are currently operating without shore power ; correct ?

The only 120volt power you have is from the genset ; correct ?

You installed the batteries and have managed to use power from the batteries only once for; interior lighting for a short period of time : correct ?

Your converter is not providing charge voltage to your AGM batteries ; you're having to use an external smart charger ; correct ?

There maybe a manual or auto reset 12 volt circuit breaker in the wiring between the battery bank and the converter ( similar to the photo below ) should be withing 3' of the battery positive post ; connections and continuity need to be checked .
The second photo is a circuit breaker that could be the slide issue , power supply to the slide motor could be separate from the power to the rest of the RV.

EDIT: site computer posted photos in opposite order.
Wow- thanks for a complete reply and especially photos. I have not seen anything that looks that, but my converter and my ATS are in a tight compartment under a closet- floor level. Is the red button the reset for the breaker?
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Old 08-11-2022, 07:42 PM   #8
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Me again...
My batteries are in the front driver's side outside compartment.
My converter is wall mounted at the back of the 33' coach, just outside the bedroom.
Any suggestions where to look for the possible circuit breaker, and/or loose wires?
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Old 08-14-2022, 05:00 PM   #9
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These comments solved it!
Starting with the Hermes2 who shared about a loose wire .
I have no idea what I touched or moved, but a few minutes later, I realized that the fridge was on.
The wires are so tightly packed in this space...I did not actually detach or reattach anything...but this will save me SO much money, and I don't have to wait near Brevard until the end of September for the mobile tech.
At 14.2, the slides went out faster than ever - THANK YOU!!!
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Old 08-14-2022, 05:08 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermes2 View Post
Two cents -- I just went through a similar problem: No 12 VDC in the coach at all. Turned out to be a loose ground wire at the 12 VDC distribution panel in the coach near the converter. I would also check the connections and voltages on both sides of the battery disconnect relays.
Everything is working!!!!!
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Old 08-14-2022, 05:12 PM   #11
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New Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip426 View Post
If everything works with genset on ; then converter is doing it's job .

Erratic power from the battery , first thing to do is check connections at the battery .

" Arrived empty " ???
Do you mean the batteries were dead when you took delivery ??

THAT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN !

What brand and type of batteries have you installed ?
Flooded call ?
I should have said 12.2 at first charging...
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Old 08-15-2022, 09:56 AM   #12
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Possibly Batteries are pooched

Running batteries dead is not good as the plate materiel within the battery will deplete thus the batteries won't hold a good charge. If the gen set runs and the lights come on, this would be from the converter powering up from the generator set thus the lights are now operating because of the converter. When you turn the gen set off, the batteries might have charged a bit from the converter but not enough to keep then on for a long period of time, or the batteries never even took on any charge and the light when out when you turned off the gen set. Also, the house battery switch has a 12V relay that needs energizing in order for the switch to latch, if the batteries are dead, this relay won't energize thus the switch won't connect. I would perform a load test on your batteries. Just measuring the battery voltage with a meter will not tell you the health of your battery. A load test will tell you what you need to know. My guess is your batteries are in poor health. It also makes sense that with the gen set running, the slides would not operate. This would be because the batteries are dead, and with the gen set running, the converter (like I said previously) is powering the lights but it would not have the current required to operate the slides. It takes fully charged batteries to operate a load like the slides. So, this again points to the batteries being in poor health and may need replacing.
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Old 08-15-2022, 10:15 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Foothillscal View Post
These comments solved it!
Starting with the Hermes2 who shared about a loose wire .
I have no idea what I touched or moved, but a few minutes later, I realized that the fridge was on.
The wires are so tightly packed in this space...I did not actually detach or reattach anything...but this will save me SO much money, and I don't have to wait near Brevard until the end of September for the mobile tech.
At 14.2, the slides went out faster than ever - THANK YOU!!!
I'd suggest going back in there and checking/tightening every connection. More than likely something is loose and you'll have the same issue again.
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Old 08-16-2022, 02:18 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pawsbys View Post
Running batteries dead is not good as the plate materiel within the battery will deplete thus the batteries won't hold a good charge. If the gen set runs and the lights come on, this would be from the converter powering up from the generator set thus the lights are now operating because of the converter. When you turn the gen set off, the batteries might have charged a bit from the converter but not enough to keep then on for a long period of time, or the batteries never even took on any charge and the light when out when you turned off the gen set. Also, the house battery switch has a 12V relay that needs energizing in order for the switch to latch, if the batteries are dead, this relay won't energize thus the switch won't connect. I would perform a load test on your batteries. Just measuring the battery voltage with a meter will not tell you the health of your battery. A load test will tell you what you need to know. My guess is your batteries are in poor health. It also makes sense that with the gen set running, the slides would not operate. This would be because the batteries are dead, and with the gen set running, the converter (like I said previously) is powering the lights but it would not have the current required to operate the slides. It takes fully charged batteries to operate a load like the slides. So, this again points to the batteries being in poor health and may need replacing.
New AGM 100 AH batteries were installed and charged with a smart charger off the Genset for 12 hours . They are being kept at 14.2-14.4 and are holding the charge, despite cooler nights. With temps dropping to mid 50s, we should be losing 10-20% for every ten degrees below 80, but that is not happening.
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