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Old 04-26-2014, 01:59 PM   #1
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Just bought a 2000 Forest river TT 206tld - electrical troublshoot, please help a noob

Hi all, I am completely new to having a tent trailer and so I need some guidance with getting power from the battery.

I connected my brand new battery and cant seem to get any power. I checked all the fuses and breakers in the junction box and everything seems good and switched on.

What would be the next step to trouble shoot why I am not getting any power to the outlets or indoor lights ?

Your help would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 04-26-2014, 02:24 PM   #2
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I am not familiar with tent trailers but i seem to remember reading that they have safety switches that shut the juice off when the top is stored,maybe stuck perhaps that is the problem

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Old 04-26-2014, 02:54 PM   #3
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When you say you checked the fuses, did you just check the fuse(s) or did you check for voltage at one side of block where the fuse plugs in?
Some trailers come with a re-settable breaker in the line between the battery and the converter. In many cases the wiring is not attached tightly or the posts on the breaker are corroded, or the unit is failed.
But first is to verify that there is voltage to the fuses.
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Old 04-26-2014, 02:58 PM   #4
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Remember the "outlets" are powered by household 120 volt supply via your coiled power cord. The cig lighters and all lights and accessories are DC 12 volt from the battery. There may be a resettable fuse near the battery with a small reset button. With a unit 14 years old check all cable connections including the battery to power panel and the overlooked battery to frame connection. The cutoff switch is located in the swing down kitchen furniture to prevent battery drain when stowed.
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Old 04-26-2014, 03:39 PM   #5
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Your outlets work off 110 only and your lights work off of the battery
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Old 04-26-2014, 03:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f5moab View Post
When you say you checked the fuses, did you just check the fuse(s) or did you check for voltage at one side of block where the fuse plugs in?
Some trailers come with a re-settable breaker in the line between the battery and the converter. In many cases the wiring is not attached tightly or the posts on the breaker are corroded, or the unit is failed.
But first is to verify that there is voltage to the fuses.
I just did a visual check of the fuses, but I can do this next. thanks for the suggestion.
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Old 04-26-2014, 03:58 PM   #7
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Remember the "outlets" are powered by household 120 volt supply via your coiled power cord. The cig lighters and all lights and accessories are DC 12 volt from the battery. There may be a resettable fuse near the battery with a small reset button. With a unit 14 years old check all cable connections including the battery to power panel and the overlooked battery to frame connection. The cutoff switch is located in the swing down kitchen furniture to prevent battery drain when stowed.
I checked the fuse by the battery and its good, unfortunately there is no reset switch. I also checked the fuses and switches on the power panel and they look good,
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Old 04-27-2014, 01:33 AM   #8
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The trailer has to be plugged in to a 110V source for the outlets to work.
The battery has an in-line fuse on the positive wire somewhere near the battery. It may be underneath the trailer. It looks like this.



The fuse is inside. It may have blown. It should be a 30 amp blade-type automotive fuse.



Here is a pic of a good vs. blown fuse so you know what to look for.

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Old 04-27-2014, 02:56 AM   #9
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Isregina, just so you know, TT stands for Travel Trailer, not tent trailer, on RV forums.

as others have said, your outlets do NOT run on battery power. they only operate when you have the shore cord plugged into electric hookups.

you may have tripped the resettable breaker. they are silver or gray and have a tiny black button to reset it.
it almost always is hidden along the wiring in the A-frame.
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Old 04-27-2014, 03:59 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
Isregina, just so you know, TT stands for Travel Trailer, not tent trailer, on RV forums.

as others have said, your outlets do NOT run on battery power. they only operate when you have the shore cord plugged into electric hookups.

you may have tripped the resettable breaker. they are silver or gray and have a tiny black button to reset it.
it almost always is hidden along the wiring in the A-frame.
It could also be the GFCI breaker inside the trailer if it has one. I was surprised to learn that when that trips, it shuts off the entire trailer on mine.

We use "Popup" or "Pup" for folding/tent trailers, "TT" for hardside/travel trailers (Caravans in Europe/Asia), "HTT" for hybrid travel trailers (hardsides with bunks that pop out like a popup trailer), and Fiver/5th Wheel for the fifth-wheel trailers that attach in the back of a pickup truck bed.

They all can be referred to as "holes into which you pour money into." Some of them are bigger holes than others!
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Old 04-27-2014, 09:19 AM   #11
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Isregina, just so you know, TT stands for Travel Trailer, not tent trailer, on RV forums.

as others have said, your outlets do NOT run on battery power. they only operate when you have the shore cord plugged into electric hookups.

you may have tripped the resettable breaker. they are silver or gray and have a tiny black button to reset it.
it almost always is hidden along the wiring in the A-frame.
I see, thanks for the info, ill follow the wires under the frame and try to locate this button.
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Old 04-27-2014, 09:35 AM   #12
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Also, none of the overhead lights will work unless the sink is flipped up. There is a safety switch to prevent the lights being activated with the top lowered. Verify your sink is upright and that the wires to this switch weren't knocked loose (common, as they're moved every time the sink
Is raised and lowered).
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Old 04-27-2014, 10:24 AM   #13
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Also, none of the overhead lights will work unless the sink is flipped up. There is a safety switch to prevent the lights being activated with the top lowered. Verify your sink is upright and that the wires to this switch weren't knocked loose (common, as they're moved every time the sink
Is raised and lowered).
I'll check this as well, thanks for the tip!
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Old 04-27-2014, 10:39 AM   #14
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First off apologies if any of my questions seem dumb, but I am completely new to this and appreciate any and all the advice I can get.

So, I inspected all the wires along the frame and they are all intact and in good shape, however I did not locate any reset button along any of these wires. There is a main fuse right after the positive terminal at the battery and that is all, no button or switch, just the fuse.

I then inspected the junction box fuse terminals (without the battery connected) and found that one of them (labeled lights) is showing 0 ohms across the terminals, so I am thinking this might be the culprit for my issue ? What should be my next step ?
Here is a pic:
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Old 04-27-2014, 11:23 AM   #15
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My last trailer was a 2280BH, so I'm fairly familiar with them. When you say 0 ohms, do you mean infinite? 0 would be no resistance and would actually be fairly accurate checking it across those terminals...at least it should be very little. Do you happen to have any outside 12V lights? Also, do you have any other 12V accessories like a power roof fan or propane furnace? If you do, see if they'll work with the 110V unplugged. If it's only the inside lights not working, you could try finding the power wires to the overhead lights. It's sewn into the canvas on the side by the galley. Mine had a connector down by the trailer body that had come unplugged at one time. If it's not unplugged, unplug it and check voltage at the trailer end. If you don't have any, move back to the galley switch(es) and check voltage on the converter side.

Also, something to check...will the lights run when plugged into the 110V at the house?
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Old 04-27-2014, 09:16 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Isregina View Post
First off apologies if any of my questions seem dumb, but I am completely new to this and appreciate any and all the advice I can get.

So, I inspected all the wires along the frame and they are all intact and in good shape, however I did not locate any reset button along any of these wires. There is a main fuse right after the positive terminal at the battery and that is all, no button or switch, just the fuse.

I then inspected the junction box fuse terminals (without the battery connected) and found that one of them (labeled lights) is showing 0 ohms across the terminals, so I am thinking this might be the culprit for my issue ? What should be my next step ?
Here is a pic:
There are four fuses missing from the DC bus marked 15 and 8 amps. Did you pull these for your tests?
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Old 04-27-2014, 10:03 PM   #17
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There are four fuses missing from the DC bus marked 15 and 8 amps. Did you pull these for your tests?
Yes,
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Old 04-28-2014, 07:53 AM   #18
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That converter also also handles distribution. To test outputs ground one lead of your tester and touch each fuse clip with the other. 4 should be hot and bottom 4 will be open
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Old 04-28-2014, 01:37 PM   #19
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My last trailer was a 2280BH, so I'm fairly familiar with them. When you say 0 ohms, do you mean infinite? 0 would be no resistance and would actually be fairly accurate checking it across those terminals...at least it should be very little. Do you happen to have any outside 12V lights? Also, do you have any other 12V accessories like a power roof fan or propane furnace? If you do, see if they'll work with the 110V unplugged. If it's only the inside lights not working, you could try finding the power wires to the overhead lights. It's sewn into the canvas on the side by the galley. Mine had a connector down by the trailer body that had come unplugged at one time. If it's not unplugged, unplug it and check voltage at the trailer end. If you don't have any, move back to the galley switch(es) and check voltage on the converter side.

Also, something to check...will the lights run when plugged into the 110V at the house?
The other terminals all show no conductivity between them, which is what you would expect without the battery and fuse connected.
Unfortunately I only have the indoor ceiling lights and nothing outside, I plugged it in last night and did get power to the recepticals but still no lights. I will try out the furnace/fridge tonight to see if the power problem is isolated to only the ceiling lights.
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Old 04-28-2014, 02:35 PM   #20
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The converter will supply 12V even without a battery connected, so make sure you're unplugged when you try the furnace. That way you can tell if the problem is between the battery and the converter or on the other side of the converter.

Actually....never mind, just reread that. You don't have lights even when plugged in, so it's got to be downstream of the converter.
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