Cedar Creek 36 CKTS problem with level up and slides

[KellyT330]

We have a 2014 cedar creek 36 CKTS. We got it Sept of 2013. We parked in San Antonio from October to March 31st. We have 18 cu ft residential refrigerator with 4 batteries and inverter. When I went to bring in slides the lights dimmed during the operation and they seemed sluggish. When I retracted the jacks after hooking up the level up kept saying low voltage. We were still plugged in to electrical at park. I managed to get all jacks up. When I turned on inverter it said error low voltage and kept beeping. I turned it off and decided to turn on again at first gas stop. We drove 3 days to northern Nebraska. Each stop same thing happened. But with patience and going slowly got everything to work. When we arrived in Nebraska where we will be for 13 weeks it seemed worse. I left trailer plugged into truck and truck running and was plugged into 50 amp. It took 2 attempts to get auto level up to complete. Wife was able to put out slides one at a time and waiting a few minutes between. Battery showed full inside. Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be. Batteries are wired in a series. I have a volt meter I can use to check them. We full time in our 5th wheel and wife starts work here tomorrow so putting it in a shop not an option

Thanks
Ray Townsend



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[BandJCarm]

Do you use a P.I EMS System? If so, what codes does it read?

[KellyT330]

Level up is a lippert and it just said low voltage. The Inverter is Xantrex XM 1000 and even now says low and gives error code E05. Thanks



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[davel1971]

since you say you have a voltmeter, the first thing you should have done is check the battery voltage. Maybe even check will the wife is operating something, to see how much it drops.

[KellyT330]

We will do this when wife is off next.


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[davel1971]

check all connections at battery. Maybe as simple as a loose connection

[DJNCJ]

I have the same trailer as you. 2014 36 CKTS with 4-6v batteries, inverter and fridge. The other day I noticed come corrosion starting on a few battery connections. I removed the battery caps and found the water (acid) level low as well. I will be adding distilled water to the batteries and cleaning & protecting all connections.

Your problem could be as simple as corroded or loose connections. The reading inside might be good but when the battery system is put under a load (such as when the hydraulic motor is run) the voltage cannot travel into the motor sufficiently. When you run the jacks or slides, carefully feel around on the cables. If you find a warn/hot one you likely have found your problem. The hydraulic motor is a 12 volt motor and gets its power from the battery bank. That is why it does not work better when plugged in to shore power. The shore power charges the batteries through your converter but does not deliver power directly to the hydraulic motor.

Since our trailers are the same age and my batteries need some attention it stands to reason that yours might too. Our batteries are too young to need replacing (yet not impossible) I bet it's a poor connection somewhere! Good luck!

[Big Bill]

S ee if the battery disconect is on??? it may affect charging of batterys

[wanderer69]

The label in the battery compartment when yours was built is incorrect. I've attached the new label which shows the correct series/parallel connects.
The inverter has nothing to do with the slides or landing gear. It operates only the refrigerator.
There could be a problem with the converter. This is what is charging the battery. They are known to be not a very reliable. It is located behind the sliding door on the left side of the basement. Use your multimeter to check. It should read 13.6 volts.
When hooked to 50 amp it will take about 72 hrs fully charge a depleted battery bank like yours.
It also could be that you may have one bad battery. Consider having a real load test done on each battery.

[Brentf]

Battery connections are notoriously prone to develop corrosion and lose voltage. They might even pass full voltage for a test meter but crash under load. I thought one time the charger on my boat was bad but taking everything apart it was a single ground wire connection that had corrosion in the strands. After checking and cleaning the connections use a dialectic grease or a spray sealer for battery connections. Helps prevent the problem.

[Jordyn]

We have a 2013 model. The batteries are a constant concern. I have one battery that "drinks" water and has to be filled every 2-3 weeks. Corrosion builds on the terminals on a regular basis too. Betting your problem is one of those areas. I fill batteries with a little hand-held transfer pump from Harbor Freight or Walmart. Wife pumps distilled water from jug while I guide the hose into the cells in the very tight space.

[Big Bill]

If your battery is using water that much it is being overcharged. a voltage and load test is in order

[dalford]

Originally Posted by KellyT330

We have a 2014 cedar creek 36 CKTS. We got it Sept of 2013. We parked in San Antonio from October to March 31st. We have 18 cu ft residential refrigerator with 4 batteries and inverter. When I went to bring in slides the lights dimmed during the operation and they seemed sluggish. When I retracted the jacks after hooking up the level up kept saying low voltage. We were still plugged in to electrical at park. I managed to get all jacks up. When I turned on inverter it said error low voltage and kept beeping. I turned it off and decided to turn on again at first gas stop. We drove 3 days to northern Nebraska. Each stop same thing happened. But with patience and going slowly got everything to work. When we arrived in Nebraska where we will be for 13 weeks it seemed worse. I left trailer plugged into truck and truck running and was plugged into 50 amp. It took 2 attempts to get auto level up to complete. Wife was able to put out slides one at a time and waiting a few minutes between. Battery showed full inside. Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be. Batteries are wired in a series. I have a volt meter I can use to check them. We full time in our 5th wheel and wife starts work here tomorrow so putting it in a shop not an option

Thanks
Ray Townsend



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Roy, Help me a little with your timeline. You say you got your RV in Sept 2013, then parked it from Oct to end of March. Was that then March of 2014? What has happened since then? That was 2 years ago. Was the unit stored somewhere? You really need to get your batteries tested. Unless you are not turning on you converter or your converter is not working, everything is telling you that your batteries are low. They may be bad depending on what happened over the last 2 years.

[Joe_GA]

Don't believe the battery test function inside the RV, especially, if you are plugged into shore power. It will always show a full charge. The state of charge of your battery bank is crucial to the operation of the hydraulics. Disconnect from shore power, operate the slides, wait about 5 minutes and measure battery voltage. Measure from the black and red connections that leave through the partition behind the batteries. Let us know your reading. I believe you will either find a bad battery or converter is the source of your trouble. Since you live in your RV, check the electrolyte level in your batteries monthly. A low electrolyte level is bad for your battery, but is also dangerous as it can cause the battery to explode.