Battery and power problem

[CAMINO2012]

I have a 2014 Rockwood UltraLite 2104s. Used it all last season (April-Oct) with no problem. Over winter we kept it plugged in and had a small thermostat controlled heater in the coach.
When we de-winterized, we found the power awning worked but the slide did not. Note that these coaches are advertised to have a mechanical bypass for slide operation. This coach has what looks like an incomplete bypass panel in the bin at left front near the water pump. It lacks buttons and lights as far as I can tell.
I found a burned out 40 amp fuse and replaced it. Thereafter no battery power in coach, even when I switched coach battery for fully charge RV battery. In short system does not seem to charge battery and none of the 12 volt systems work when coach is not plugged in to shore power. Even while plugged in, though power awning works slide does not, yet fuses are all okay. There is supposed to be another fuse in that bypass panel, I don't see it. Any ideas?

[fonzie]

Look underneath trailer near front tongue for a mini-breaker and press black button to reset. Follow positive lead from battery. Hope that will fix your issue.

[CAMINO2012]

Thanks Fonzie. I found the mini breaker, the fuse was good. That is the one I had understood was in the compartment above. I also found the little black button, but pushing it did no good, did not reset anything. The button was very easy, no resistance and no clicking or anything. Should I be opening the silver junction box or taking apart the connection with the black button?

[okiecowboy]

Camino, mine is a 2015. Has a manual crank on the entry door side of the trailer, located just above the dual wheels on the frame. Should be a handle in the trailer to fit the crank nut. Not sure why you are not getting power to the slide though.

[magpi26]

Cam, did you check both the breakers and dc fuses in the main panel? If you had a 40 amp fuse blow, that indicates a ground or faulty connection somewhere. I have found that sometiimes the breakers trip and they only way you can reset is to flip them off and back on even though they appear to be "on".

[CAMINO2012]

Thanks. Yes I did check the breakers a couple of times as have that same experience that you cannot really be sure otherwise. I am looking for a short, have found some blackening near underneath tongue fuse, but so far nothing loose or bad contact.

[magpi26]

Cam, my best wishes and sure hope you tell us how you solve this one.

[mrmichael]

I think the 40a fuses are reverse polarity fuses? Is your battery hooked up correctly?


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2014 Rockwood 2109S
2013 F-150

[mrmichael]

The slide on my 2109s is fused with a 30a fuse under the tounge of the trailer ( near where A frame meets the body


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
2014 Rockwood 2109S
2013 F-150

[Batts-toy]

Are you using a volt meter in your search, a meter will tell you exactly where the power stops flowing. Sometimes the breaker with the black button totally fails and must be replaced.

[Zolin]

I would suggest checking each 12 v fuse with an ohm meter. My Rockwood has two reverse polarity 40 A orange fuses and my slide has a 25 or 30 amp fuse at the bottom of the the stack of 12 v fuses. Not intending to insult you on meter use vs visual. I would also encourage you to take a volt meter to see if you have 12 volts coming off the converter by removing one of your fuses and putting the test light or meter on one of the two terminals. If no 12 volts there then flip all your 110 V breakers one at a time. One of those operates the converter itself. From there you may need to slide the converter out and start checking other things. Disconnect power first before you do this and exercise great caution as there are a lot of exposed hazards in that converter.

[Zolin]

On second read it does look like you are getting power to your 12v side while plugged to shore. Can you slide your converter out and check for 12V coming in? Of course, unplug from shore and make sure battery is attached. Do you have a battery disconnect switch?

[Zolin]

I agree with Batts-toy on circuit breaker failure. A meter will instantly tell you this. The contacts eventually corrode inside and the replacement cost is minimal. You can purchase one at an automotive supply like Auto Zone, Oreilly's etc. Take that little silver mini breaker with you. They are usually 25-30 amp. Clean all the wire terminals with sand paper until shiny and then install them back onto that mini-breaker. You might be surprised what a corroded terminal can do, including blow a fuse!

[CAMINO2012]

Thanks to all who responded. Some of the info has helped me locate unfamiliar trailer secrets, i.e. the hidden fuse at the tongue which seems to be the main fuse controlling power from battery. Never knew it was there. In the end, a young friend, very well read mechanical and electrical genius, came over and discovered a big part of my problem was I had pushed in the battery shot off button (I had it in and out trying to solve things) and did not reset it. All 12 volt problems amazingly solved. Now I am testing and checking the slide motor connections as slide now works but for how long, as this is how this saga started. One thing we noticed is that there is a column of fuses in the converter, to the left of that column there are two fuses, one 40 the other 30 amps. I am thinking those should be the same, likely 30. Aanyhow, thanks for all your help.

[Zolin]

Cam- Glad you found the issue. There are many knowledgeable people to help you. I have referenced this site many times for the invaluable resources of so many others. It sounds like those two fuses to the left are your reverse polarity fuses, one for neg and one for positive side. If so, they should match. Check your schematic or for a panel label. Mine are 40 amp each. I would also pick up some spares of each size to have on hand. Thanks for letting us know the ending story. Happy Camping!

[jimmyhof24]

Make sure battery disconnect switch is fully pulled out...mine has two steps...two cicuits...caused similar type problem...limited power

[bubbles]

Sometimes operator error is a good thing; gets you into the inner workings of how systems actually interconnect and function for when an actual failure occurs.