battery disconnect

[chrisgrissom1971]

Newbie question here. Does the battery disconnect by the converter on a 2013 233s work by pushing in our pulling out?

[Grizzlygibbs]

Mine is a 2014 233s, the converter shuts off (ie disconnects battery) when pushes in.

Your methods may vary.

Also, you will notice lights and fans will not work when the switch is in the off position, what ever position that may be on your 233s.

When I pull the switch out, a little green light and a fan come on at the converter (box near battery shutoff.

[mkp]

Grizzlygibbs,
We have a 2013 233s. We finished a trip today and when we went to disconnect electric and switch the fridge to gas for the way home, I noticed the green light you mentioned above was off. I checked the battery disconnect and pushed it in and pull it back out, but that did not change anything. The battery status on the monitor panel had 3 of 4 lights lit but they were faint. We hooked up the truck and the green light came back on and the monitor panel lights were as bright as usual. When we disconnected the truck at home, again the green light was off and the monitor panel now has 3 faintly blinking/wavering lights lit for each of the tanks and the battery. Any thoughts?

[rockfordroo]

Sounds like your converter hasn't been charging your battery. Or you battery's shot and there's nothing left to charge. How old is the battery?

[mkp]

The battery is the original. We purchased in Jan. 2013 and the camper is a 2013. When hooked to shore power, the monitor panel shows battery charge is a 4 out of 4.

[fonzie]

normally pull out and everything should work, push in and battery is disconnected from system.....

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by mkp

When hooked to shore power, the monitor panel shows battery charge is a 4 out of 4.

that always happens and has nothing to do with actual charge level of the battery. it's an idiot light and can't tell if the trailer is hooked to shore power or not.
you have to disconnect from shore power, to get the actual reading of the battery level.

[Grizzlygibbs]

There are a lot more experienced people than me but it definitely sounds like a bad battery. Mine had an interstate group 24 and it would not hold a charge for very long as I did not care for it properly. The converter may not be charging it fully and now has a bad cell.

The reason the lights worked well when plugged into the truck is because your truck supplies 12v through your trailer plug. The reason the monitor panel shows 4/4 is because it is kind of like an "idiot" light. You would have to have the battery tested properly, at an auto supply house or the like.

There are also good write ups on this forum that detail how to test voltage at the battery to see if your converter is charging your battery properly.

14.2v when bulk charging, 13.2 when it enters float charge I believe

These links should be helpful.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...not-60857.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ade-49398.html

[QCCowboy]

Before you go thinking you have a bad battery, check the breaker for your power inverter. Had mine trip a couple of weeks ago and after the battery was nearly drained I discovered the problem and cause. If that is the problem, flip the breaker off and back on.

[mkp]

Thanks everyone for all your help! Breakers look fine. I had my hubby check out the battery and it was pretty well dead and not chargeable. I found out that he stored it over the winter on a piece of cardboard on the basement floor. Usually we store the battery on a shelf away from the concrete. Thinking that probably drained it. It seemed to work on our first trip this season, but it must have been low enough to not accept the charge. Hopefully with proper care the new battery will last us much longer.

[rockfordroo]

The cardboard on the floor didn't hurt it. You can't just "store it" in the basement. You need to put it on a charger, a good one. Read the links Grizzlygibbs gave you in post #8.

[Roocrew1]

Anyone have pictures of your creative idea on how to protect this switch from accidental damage? A friend of ours experienced the pain of this switch being broken during a long haul camping trip...and had to search out a dealer to fix it... This switch location..under the fridge door...is not very smart...