New to Us Palomini 179RDS: An Electrical Mystery

[Dave_n_Patty]

We bought a 2016 Palomini 179RDS a couple weeks ago. When we checked it out with the seller everything worked like a charm.

The past two times we've worked with it (we haven't taken it camping yet), the battery isn't powering the interior of the camper except for the refrigerator. Shore power is fine.

Dave is checking all along the bottom with a multimeter and there is power at the battery (brand new battery), and along the red/black cables to the camper itself. He's working his way around the junction box along the bottom at the front driver's side and there appears to be 12V coming in.

We are looking for a master fuse, master reset switch, *something* that we're missing. We have been getting our hands dirty with the rest of this, and we'd feel foolish having to take it to a big box RV center just to find out we are missing an obvious switch somewhere.

Documentation suggests there's a master reset somewhere, but we aren't seeing it. If someone here with the same model could show a photo of where we need to look, that would help. Thanks so much! This group is great!

[Dave_n_Patty]

Also want to mention it's a brand-new battery...12.7V across the terminals.

In the meantime I decided to install a battery disconnect and that checks out too. But all the way through the junction box I've got 12.7V.

-Dave

[Brad Wilf]

Usually there’s a box or a access panel under the front of the trailer follow + battery cable, look for something like this.

[tuffr2]

The items that work off the battery when unplugged are the radio, the lights, the refrigerator on propane, the hot water heater on propane, the water pump, the furnace as long as the battery holds out.

Did everything work with the seller when the trailer was plugged in?

You might try calling the seller to see if he had any battery issues.

With the trailer unplugged do the lights work or water pump?

[Dave_n_Patty]

Originally Posted by Brad Wilf

Usually there’s a box or a access panel under the front of the trailer follow + battery cable, look for something like this.

Thanks for the photo. What is that thing called? Is it the ground?

Dave thinks he saw it and there was power running through that part when he was testing around w/ the multimeter...12V of power was running thru into the circuit boards under the camper itself.

[Dave_n_Patty]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

The items that work off the battery when unplugged are the radio, the lights, the refrigerator on propane, the hot water heater on propane, the water pump, the furnace as long as the battery holds out.

Did everything work with the seller when the trailer was plugged in?

You might try calling the seller to see if he had any battery issues.

With the trailer unplugged do the lights work or water pump?

Thanks for helping us troubleshoot!

"Did everything work with the seller?" Yes. The first time we powered it up with the battery at the RV lot all seemed well. Every time since has been without battery power.

"With the trailer unplugged do the lights work or water pump?" We haven't used the water pump yet, but the lights don't work with the battery.

Only the fridge is getting power from the battery, which is weird.

[hillbilly3]

Originally Posted by Dave_n_Patty

Thanks for the photo. What is that thing called? Is it the ground?

Dave thinks he saw it and there was power running through that part when he was testing around w/ the multimeter...12V of power was running thru into the circuit boards under the camper itself.

That is an autoreset circuit breaker. So power is getting past that point?

[Dave_n_Patty]

Originally Posted by hillbilly3

That is an autoreset circuit breaker. So power is getting past that point?

Dave said "yes" that power is being measured beyond that point. He's measuring it at the junction box under the camper on the front driver's side.

Is there no reset breaker that can be manually triggered, rather than autoreset?

[Dave_n_Patty]

Dave here. Wondering if the autoreset breaker went bad. I checked with one lead on the positive past the autoreset breaker and one lead on the negative inside the junction box. So technically it wasn't both wires past the autoreset breaker.

I'm wondering if I just need to replace it.

[Dave_n_Patty]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

The items that work off the battery when unplugged are the radio, the lights, the refrigerator on propane, the hot water heater on propane, the water pump, the furnace as long as the battery holds out.

Did everything work with the seller when the trailer was plugged in?

You might try calling the seller to see if he had any battery issues.

With the trailer unplugged do the lights work or water pump?

Dave here again... The pumps run on shore power and used to run on battery but not now. The only thing that even gets an indicator light when only connected to battery appears to be the fridge.

Talked to seller...he's stumped. Never had an issue with 12V battery power ever. Just my luck, right?

[randomledder]

Have you checked the fuses in the breaker box? There is usually a row of DC fuses inside there.

[Brad Wilf]

If your not getting power on the “trailer” side If the auto reset then yes. Either bad connection, bad wire or bad auto reset breaker. Disconnect wire and ohm it out (should read 0 ohms/resistance) If you have access, temporarily by pass breaker with a regular fuse and power up, see if that works. While in there and under the trailer double check ALL connections and grounds, especially main ground going to frame.


Battey is hooked up correctly? “Normally” in rv’s Black is power white ground..

Might be worth looking at connections on the converter also.

[tuffr2]

Check and reset all GFI outlets. That might help some.

I had electrical issue when plugged into the house and running the A/C in the trailer I blew a breaker in the house. But reset the house breaker and everything worked on both standalone battery and plugged into the house.

[Brad Wilf]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Check and reset all GFI outlets. That might help some.

I had electrical issue when plugged into the house and running the A/C in the trailer I blew a breaker in the house. But reset the house breaker and everything worked on both standalone battery and plugged into the house.

Good call..seen it a couple time on friends trailers.