Newbie - Perhaps a dumb question...???

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by tswiii

Really? The Green toggle switch in the outside panel has to be set to ON for the battery to charge? I thought this panel was just to designate which source ran the refrigerator - 12V, 110, or propane.

that's how i remember our two popups.
there's no such switch to charge the battery that i remember.
you just plug the trailer into shore power and the converter automatically starts charging the battery, along with providing power to the outlets and running the fridge on electric.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by tswiii

Thanks GalsofEscape, thank you for the welcome. As far as your comments, that's exactly what I thought I understood. Perhaps that dealer or the PO pulled the battery fuse to disconnect the battery so the carbon monoxide detector wouldn't drain the battery. Is that a fuse in the converter or is that fuse located elsewhere? Also, I should expect that the battery charges through my "light" cable from my tow vehicle, correct?
And Brother Les, I wondered the same thing so I checked the breakers in the power box and they were turned on. I plugged something into the 110 to see if the outlets were working and they were.
Oh, and I just had a thought. It seems like when we were working with the breakers on the converter last night... I turned it off and then I turned it on and then there was humming and then it faded out. I would turn it off again and then back on and I would hear humming and then it would fade out again (after about 5 seconds).

Those symptoms would normally mean

1. You have power to the converter.
2. Sumpting is wrong with it.

A 12volt digital multimeter would tell you if any charge is getting to the battery, but from what you are indicating, I don't think so.

It is not uncommon for the converters to go out and need replacing, they are frequently a weak link in the system. the temp fix is to charge the battery with a decent charger as it will perform the same function as the converter. Then look into replacing the converter with a similar size (amperage ) one that will fit in the space you have.

Good luck

[bakermaker04]

We are newbies and as soon as we got our camper home the next day our battery was dead. I could not figure out why but after reading these post my guess is that the carbon monoxide detectors were the cause.So I am going to look at removing the battery fuse. Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by bakermaker04

We are newbies and as soon as we got our camper home the next day our battery was dead. I could not figure out why but after reading these post my guess is that the carbon monoxide detectors were the cause.So I am going to look at removing the battery fuse. Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forest River Forums mobile app

the easiest thing to do, is install a battery disconnect switch.
and there are other parasitic power drains other than the CO detector.

[sratliff]

Originally Posted by bakermaker04

We are newbies and as soon as we got our camper home the next day our battery was dead. I could not figure out why but after reading these post my guess is that the carbon monoxide detectors were the cause.So I am going to look at removing the battery fuse. Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forest River Forums mobile app

Baker maker,

Is your camper new? I agree that installing a disconnect is a good idea, but your battery should not be drained overnight just from the CO detector. There is something wrong, something else on, or a combination of both.