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Old 05-07-2016, 05:55 AM   #1
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Battery, what is it for exactly?

Prior to Battery being installed for the season. I plugged in and opened the slide-out. no problems, opened up smoothly. Husband was mad because i didn't wait for him to bring out the battery and install it. What is the purpose of the battery? is it a back up if the electric at the park goes out?

Problem: i have 3 outlets that don't have power. 2 near the TV and 1 in the bedroom (over the bed receptacle) all others have power. and how do you take over the covers to check it out? there are no screws, do they just pop off? i don't want to break the cover to the electrical outlet. Thanks...
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:01 AM   #2
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STOP!

Check your GFCI outlets and reset the one that has tripped

Bruce
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:08 AM   #3
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The battery will power the lights and circuits boards for you fridge, furnace and water heater. Most important though, it operates the braking system if the trailer ever becomes detached while towing.
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:10 AM   #4
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The battery or batteries in your RV operate all the 12V items WHEN your not plugged into shore power (120V). Items like your lights, slides, refrig, water pump, etc all run off 12V which your batteries can/do provide. When you are plugged into 120V shore power, the converter in your RV converts 120V into 12V to provide power for those item so you don't use/need your batteries,
Your "dead" outlets sounds like you may have a GFE outlet "tripped". Look for an electrical outlet (may be more than one) somewhere in the kitchen or the bathroom with a "reset button" and press the button to reset your system. Typically a GFE outlet will be tied to several non GFE outlets and when it trips, all those outlets do not work.
Let us know how you make out. Good luck!
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:23 AM   #5
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If you have a slide out with the LIPPERT system the battery is needed to keep the slide locked closed during transport.
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:31 AM   #6
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Checked the GFCI

There is only one GFCI outlet, we checked it. it was fine. (it's above the bathroom sink in the bedroom)

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STOP!

Check your GFCI outlets and reset the one that has tripped

Bruce
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:34 AM   #7
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Battery...

Thank you, makes sense! We are permanently seasonal, no no worries of brakes.

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The battery will power the lights and circuits boards for you fridge, furnace and water heater. Most important though, it operates the braking system if the trailer ever becomes detached while towing.
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:36 AM   #8
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If you have a slide out with the LIPPERT system the battery is needed to keep the slide locked closed during transport.

In addition to that running some slide motors on the converter only is a good way to fry the motor depending on the slide system. Not so much an issue with a Schwintek with those small motors, but on a through the frame or above floor gear slide that pulls lots of amps, using only the converter without the battery is asking for trouble.
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:39 AM   #9
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Thank you for the clear response. It's not that i wanted to be right, about the slide out, i just wanted to make sure i didn't do any damage by not having the battery in.( i did ask the guy at the RV dealer, if i could open the slide out,without the battery in, he said yes.) Hubby was really ticked off at me for not waiting. i just get so excited to open her up for the season.
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Old 05-07-2016, 06:44 AM   #10
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heading back out there today...

To recheck the GFCS, hot water tank (no hot water yesterday either), i have used and printed out, the files provided to go over and make sure i un winterized the 5th wheel properly. The pictures in the water heater files are extremely helpful in understanding! I will let you all know how it goes tonight!
Thank you all so much!
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Old 05-07-2016, 11:18 AM   #11
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There is only one GFCI outlet, we checked it. it was fine. (it's above the bathroom sink in the bedroom)
Normally one in kitchen and may be one outside. Also check the breakers on your converter.

Jim
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Old 05-07-2016, 11:22 AM   #12
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Thank you for the clear response. It's not that i wanted to be right, about the slide out, i just wanted to make sure i didn't do any damage by not having the battery in.( i did ask the guy at the RV dealer, if i could open the slide out,without the battery in, he said yes.) Hubby was really ticked off at me for not waiting. i just get so excited to open her up for the season.
Remember, what you can get away with versus WHAT YOU SHOULD DO are often different in life. Hubby was right. The safer bet would have been to wait for the battery. Not only might you be doing harm to the motor if current marginal on just the converter, you might have put years of wear on the converter and the failure will come when it wears out/or burns out years before it's time. My mother in law lived to be 81. If she had never smoked she, like some of her ancestors may have made it to 100.

Also the battery serves to SMOOTH the power from the converter to create an electrically better quality of 12v DC current, which is better for all the 12v uses.
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Old 05-07-2016, 11:30 AM   #13
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Old 05-07-2016, 04:46 PM   #14
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There is a question referring to the batteries do you need to have the battery switch on when you're connected to shore power to ensure that everything works properly or can you turn it off
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Old 05-07-2016, 04:59 PM   #15
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There is no reason to have the battery switch off when connected to shore power. The battery needs to have the switch on to charge it.
If the power goes out when you are sleeping and you have no battery it is disconnected, your CO/propane detector may not operate.
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Old 05-07-2016, 07:32 PM   #16
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Lesson learned!

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I

Remember, what you can get away with versus WHAT YOU SHOULD DO are often different in life. Hubby was right. The safer bet would have been to wait for the battery. Not only might you be doing harm to the motor if current marginal on just the converter, you might have put years of wear on the converter and the failure will come when it wears out/or burns out years before it's time. My mother in law lived to be 81. If she had never smoked she, like some of her ancestors may have made it to 100.

Also the battery serves to SMOOTH the power from the converter to create an electrically better quality of 12v DC current, which is better for all the 12v uses.
i have promised to wait next season, for the battery and him! Which will be easy, because he retires next thursday. <3 He has been scheduled to work 5 or 6 days, 12 hour shifts, for the past 10 years. so it has always been a "wait for me" to open and close the camper. I totally understand now.
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Old 05-07-2016, 07:38 PM   #17
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Update on the issues!

Critters got in, in the underbelly storage compartment. chewed up some wires. all fixed now and the 3 receptacles are now working! The Fridge, it just needed an over night of being on, to get it cold, where it should be temperature wise. What a perfect day to be at the camper! Thank you all for your words of wisdom and suggestions! I have decided that hubby knows best, and told him how thankful i was that everything is working and i can now enjoy my life as a seasonal camper! <3 Kim
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Old 05-07-2016, 09:17 PM   #18
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I'm just thinking...you might simply have a tripped AC circuit breaker for all those outlets & possibly water heater. Hopefully your water heater is EITHER not empty from winterization OR IS set to gas rather than electric operation as turning on the electric heater on an empty tank can instantly burn our the relays/element. Suggest first step is finding the AC ciruit breaker panel and resetting any switches that are not "ON"...and fill the hot water tank first just in case!
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Old 05-08-2016, 06:34 AM   #19
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If you have a slide out with the LIPPERT system the battery is needed to keep the slide locked closed during transport.
Or you can get a Slide Out locks that you place on top of the slide outs when they are retracted. They ratchet into place as added security.
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Old 05-08-2016, 10:29 PM   #20
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Thank you for the clear response. It's not that i wanted to be right, about the slide out, i just wanted to make sure i didn't do any damage by not having the battery in.( i did ask the guy at the RV dealer, if i could open the slide out,without the battery in, he said yes.) Hubby was really ticked off at me for not waiting. i just get so excited to open her up for the season.
You didn't hurt anything. The WFCO converter will put out 13.6 volts max with or without the battery. It's regulated so there is no worry of voltage being to high. The WFCO is not particularly a favorite converter for boondockers, however it's pretty fool proof. It'll take just about any screw up including installing the battery wires backwards. It will blow a fuse but not damage the converter.

IMO, The GFI being tripped is not related to anything you did.
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