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04-27-2015, 10:53 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chicagoland..Da Bears
Posts: 119
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Connecting the battery and....
Every time I have connected my battery I get a spark and I blow fuses. I have tried positive last, negative last, main breaker off (didn't think it would work), main fuse pulled (just blows when I reinstall the fuse). I will install a battery disconnect switch which might solve the problem but my other camper never had a problem when I connected it. Should this be an issue?
__________________
Ed and Jennifer Bianchina
2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab
2011 Puma 2011 26 RLSS
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04-27-2015, 10:58 AM
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#2
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bianchina3
Every time I have connected my battery I get a spark and I blow fuses. I have tried positive last, negative last, main breaker off (didn't think it would work), main fuse pulled (just blows when I reinstall the fuse). I will install a battery disconnect switch which might solve the problem but my other camper never had a problem when I connected it. Should this be an issue?
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While sparking is bad (you should add a shutoff switch), it should not be blowing a fuse. You most likely have a short somewhere.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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04-27-2015, 11:10 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: vancouver,wa
Posts: 122
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have you changed out any lights ?? I had same thing happen to me when I was rebuilding my old tt got a white wire mixed up and had had 110v hooked up as a ground wire on a clearance light. just a thought.
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Ron & Jan and black dog(Bella)
2011 Ram 3500 crew cab 4x4, 6sp manual,342's 8ft.bed
2014 CC Silverback 29ik
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04-27-2015, 11:48 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,167
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Make sure negative cable is the one that is connected to the frame of the trailer otherwise you will blow the converter reversing fuses (usually 40 amps)
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Fonzie
2011 Rockwood 8319SS with ProPride 3P hitch/GoodYear Marathons/TST TPMS 507
2019 F350 Ruby Red 6.7l diesel 3.31 axle electronic locker
Yamaha 3000iseb generator:Progressive Ind. EMS-HW30C : Eastern Ontario
Nights Camped: 2014 (18) 2015 (18) 2016 (36) 2017 (32) 2018 (42) 2019 (28) 2020 (35)
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04-27-2015, 01:26 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chicagoland..Da Bears
Posts: 119
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Thanks for the input. I didn't describe the issue enough I think. The fuses do blow but as long as the battery isn't connected (i.e. shore power) everything works fine. I don't think the issue is a short. It happened when not connected to shore power and, not surprisingly, when connected as well. It has blown both the charging fuse and the reversing fuse. Hmmmm.....
__________________
Ed and Jennifer Bianchina
2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab
2011 Puma 2011 26 RLSS
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04-27-2015, 02:40 PM
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#6
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bianchina3
It happened when not connected to shore power and, not surprisingly, when connected as well. It has blown both the charging fuse and the reversing fuse. Hmmmm.....
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The battery is backwards. You have the positive on the negative terminals.
You are shorting out to the converter.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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04-27-2015, 02:45 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Herk7769
The battery is backwards. You have the positive on the negative terminals.
You are shorting out to the converter.
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X2. Your cables are backwards, or your battery was completely depleted at one time and stuck on a charger in reverse polarity so you battery itself is now reverse charged.
Stick a multimeter on the posts when disconnected. If the battery was reverse charged you'll be needing a new one.
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04-27-2015, 02:51 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Newport News Va
Posts: 662
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I was not aware that you were shorting out the converter when the battery is connected backward. I just put my fully charged battery back in the Jammer,as a test I operated the jacks, and found that the polarity was reversed. Pushing the up button was down, so I reconnected it and they work like they are supposed to. I need to mark my cables. hope I have not caused damage. Everything seem to work ok, except my radio.
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Chuck " still in Va "
2012 3065w Windjammer
2012 f250 lariat Crew cab power stroke (of course )
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04-27-2015, 03:41 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 196
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I accidently crossed my battery wires once, blew the reverse polarity fuses and the little 5 amp fuse on the back of the radio.
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04-27-2015, 08:39 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chicagoland..Da Bears
Posts: 119
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I feel like a complete idiot. It was hooked up backwards! DUH!
__________________
Ed and Jennifer Bianchina
2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab
2011 Puma 2011 26 RLSS
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04-28-2015, 11:19 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 4,555
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bianchina3
I feel like a complete idiot. It was hooked up backwards! DUH!
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I hope I never do but nobody's immune to stupid camper tricks.
Perhaps some bright red paint on one end of the battery would help?
__________________
TV: 2021 Ford F-150 4WD XLT Crew w/ 3.5L EB & HDPP, payload: 2,416#.
RV: 2020 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2507S, Propride 3P hitch w/ 1400# spring bars
Camping nights: 2021, 52; 2022, 99; 2023, 88; 2024, TBD (Est: 80+)
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04-28-2015, 11:49 AM
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#12
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2016 Shamrock 183 Hybrid
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Solar Unfriendy Mid Michigan
Posts: 69
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Live and learn....live and learn.
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04-28-2015, 12:41 PM
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#13
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Firth
I was not aware that you were shorting out the converter when the battery is connected backward. I just put my fully charged battery back in the Jammer,as a test I operated the jacks, and found that the polarity was reversed. Pushing the up button was down, so I reconnected it and they work like they are supposed to. I need to mark my cables. hope I have not caused damage. Everything seem to work ok, except my radio.
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There's an inline fuse behind the radio.
TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"
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04-28-2015, 12:42 PM
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#14
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Common mistake.
Black in this case is positive not negative.
TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"
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04-28-2015, 12:46 PM
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#15
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Northen IL
Posts: 8,327
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TURBS
Common mistake.
Black in this case is positive not negative.
TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"
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The positive battery cable is black? Why would they do that?
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04-28-2015, 01:01 PM
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#16
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sulphur Springs, TX
Posts: 40
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Used my wife's red fingernail polish to color the positive terminal and some red tape on the cable.
__________________
Phil & Carla Kenley
2014 Rockwood ROO 21ss
2013 Ford 150 Platinum Crew Cab
(Looking at the Georgetown 329DS)
Nights camped in 2011/16; 2012/15; 2013/48;
2014/10; 2015/101 2016/55 yr to date
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04-28-2015, 01:47 PM
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#17
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iwritecode
The positive battery cable is black? Why would they do that?
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The ground is white.
TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"
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04-28-2015, 01:55 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
Posts: 320
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It is the normal trailer wiring convention to have the black wire positive and the white wire negative for the battery connections with the negative circuit tied to ground.
This can be confusing because in modern automotive wiring red is to the battery positive terminal, black is to the negative terminal with the negative circuit tied to ground.
To confuse things further, AC electrical wiring has black the “hot” wire and the white wire is “neutral,” which is tired to ground at the source wiring panel.
Lastly, in electronics, the black wire is for the common circuit, usually ground.
If there is a convenient place near the battery to use a sharpie, write down “White to Batt. Pos. (+)” and “Black to Batt. Neg. (-).”
__________________
2015 Wildcat 282 RKX
2011 F350 Lariat, 6.7 L. Diesel, 8 ft., SRW, Reese R20
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04-28-2015, 02:02 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Albany, GA.
Posts: 1,359
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This is one reason that I wish the manufacturers of ALL types of trailers would just send someone from each manufacturer to a meeting and they would decide which color wire to use for each circuit. My old TT did indeed have a black wire to the battery positive (+) and a white wire to the battery negative (-). My newer TT has a black wire to the (+) also but there is about four (4) inches of red shrink wrap on this black wire right at the terminal. The newer unit also has the white for battery negative (-). My cargo trailer has a red wire from the battery positive (+) to the circuit terminal and a black wire from the battery negative (-) to the circuit terminal. One thing I was going to mention as to the original posters message: I used to work in a plant that made lead/acid battery's. There was constantly about 3% of the battery's we made that had the terminal's reversed. There was a test machine which tested each battery made but for some reason it missed those 3% that got through. Many were later caught in manual battery voltage testing for QC.
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04-28-2015, 02:50 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 128
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You are not an idiot, we have all done DUH things!!!
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