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04-04-2017, 10:25 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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12 volt system not working.
New to the Forest River forms. I have a 2016 29HFS XLR Hyper Lite, bought new in July 2016. I've been on 3 camping trips with this unit. When I'm hooked up to shore power everything in the trailer works great, I've never tried the 12 volt system, until yesterday as I'm getting ready for the new season. I connected the battery disconnect switch and tried the lights and other things and nothing works. I tested the battery, it shows 12.1 volts. I then checked the battery disconnect switch and it tested okay.I'm not sure what I'm missing, any thoughts out there?
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04-04-2017, 10:35 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,956
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Notheren Camper
New to the Forest River forms. I have a 2016 29HFS XLR Hyper Lite, bought new in July 2016. I've been on 3 camping trips with this unit. When I'm hooked up to shore power everything in the trailer works great, I've never tried the 12 volt system, until yesterday as I'm getting ready for the new season. I connected the battery disconnect switch and tried the lights and other things and nothing works. I tested the battery, it shows 12.1 volts. I then checked the battery disconnect switch and it tested okay.I'm not sure what I'm missing, any thoughts out there?
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Can I ask a few questions?
Did you test the battery while connected to any form of shore power? Actually a 12.1 volt reading is a battery at around 55% charge.
Where is the disconnect switch physically...... and when you said you checked it...did you check it for continuity/ohms or voltage?
The reason I asked about the physical location of the disconnect, cause if it is at the battery itself, there is usually a resettable fuse/circuit breaker on the frame rail that may have tripped. If the disconnect is downstream of this circuit breaker, then that wouldn't apply.
__________________
 2011 Flagstaff 831 RLBSS
A 72 hour hold in a psych unit is beginning to intrigue me as a potential vacation opportunity.
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04-04-2017, 10:43 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,956
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This post may help with the resettable circuit breaker:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1282341
You are looking for something similar to this that has a small button you press to reset it. Trace the positive wire on the battery to where it is on the frame rail underneath the front of the body.
__________________
2011 Flagstaff 831 RLBSS
A 72 hour hold in a psych unit is beginning to intrigue me as a potential vacation opportunity.
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04-04-2017, 11:21 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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12 volt system not working
Thanks for the reply--I checked the battery with out shore power and also with ground wire off. I will have to load test the battery, to see what the % is. The 12 volt disconnect is located under the front bed, access is from under bed and rt side storage compartment. I unhooked it and tested it with another battery and the continuity was good Then tried to touch the 2 wires together, which bypasses the switch and still nothing. Thanks for the tip on the reset-able circuit breaker, I will look for it tomorrow.
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04-05-2017, 12:35 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 597
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I had a 27hfs,on the front of the camper (outside) there should be a circuit breaker, it is under a cover. Check that, mine tripped one time and killed by truck battery. I was dummy and left it plugged into the truck for several days outside my house. You can also trace out the positive cable from the battery to camper and find it that way.
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04-05-2017, 12:54 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 597
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Sorry, didn't read WM's post. X2 on his comment.
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04-05-2017, 08:12 AM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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12 volt system not working
Thanks for the reply, I will be looking for the circuit breaker today.
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04-05-2017, 12:59 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Ontario, California
Posts: 2,147
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Notheren Camper
New to the Forest River forms. I have a 2016 29HFS XLR Hyper Lite, bought new in July 2016. I've been on 3 camping trips with this unit. When I'm hooked up to shore power everything in the trailer works great, I've never tried the 12 volt system, until yesterday as I'm getting ready for the new season. I connected the battery disconnect switch and tried the lights and other things and nothing works. I tested the battery, it shows 12.1 volts. I then checked the battery disconnect switch and it tested okay.I'm not sure what I'm missing, any thoughts out there?
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For practical purposes, at 12.1 volts the battery is quite
Low. 12.7 is full charge 12.0 is 50 percent and lower will harm the battery, by progressive degree depending how low and for how long.
Put a good charger on battery. At that point should read about 14v. Then test voltage from positive post to frame . Should be the same. Then throw a couple switches inside to create a load. Water pump is about the largest load handy with faucet open. Then test voltage at battery and battery positive to frame. Take the charger off and see if battery voltage holds up about as well in both tests.
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04-05-2017, 04:31 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cedar Creek Lake, TX
Posts: 3,484
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It sounds like you have a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker cutting off the battery power and also keeping the converter from recharging the battery.
__________________
Cedar Creek Lake, Texas
2019 Keystone Loredo 290SRL
2019 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins crew cab
Andersen hitch
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04-05-2017, 06:53 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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12 volt system not working
I found the circuit breaker on the frame with the reset button on it. Pushing on the reset button made no difference. I put the battery on a slow charge for 4-5 hours, and if the battery is not that good that should of at least turn on some lights. I even by passed the 12 volt disconnect and hooked the battery charger to the cables, with no results. Maybe something wrong with the converter, or breakers.
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04-05-2017, 06:57 PM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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I checked all the fuses, not sure how to check breakers.
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04-05-2017, 07:31 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 724
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Notheren Camper
I checked all the fuses, not sure how to check breakers.
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Check them the same way you check fuses. DMM either open or closed on ohms
__________________
2019.5 Rockwood 2509S
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04-05-2017, 07:37 PM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,300
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Check the two large current fuses in the distribution panel 30-40 amps. They are orange or brown. If you plugged in the TT with the battery very low, the inrush of current to the battery can sometimes cause them to blow.
__________________
2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
TV 2015 Silverado HD2500 Duramax
TST Tire Monitors
Honda 2000I + Companion
2 100W solar panels
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04-08-2017, 07:55 PM
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#14
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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12 volt system not working
An automotive mechanic friend came over and gave me a hand trying to find the problem, 1st thing he said lets look for a bad ground. He followed the neg cable from the battery and found the problem right away. The cable was connected to a ground wire going to the trailer, but not grounded to the frame, we scraped a bit of paint away on the frame, held the wire to the frame and checked the 12 volt lights and they worked. so we drilled a hole in the frame and attached the ground wire to the frame with a self taping screw. I guess it came out the factory like that, and the dealer missed it in their pdi.
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04-08-2017, 11:17 PM
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#15
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Notheren Camper
An automotive mechanic friend came over and gave me a hand trying to find the problem, 1st thing he said lets look for a bad ground. He followed the neg cable from the battery and found the problem right away. The cable was connected to a ground wire going to the trailer, but not grounded to the frame, we scraped a bit of paint away on the frame, held the wire to the frame and checked the 12 volt lights and they worked. so we drilled a hole in the frame and attached the ground wire to the frame with a self taping screw. I guess it came out the factory like that, and the dealer missed it in their pdi.
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Some pics
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04-09-2017, 09:11 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,502
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Something that both dealer and buyer should have checked during their respective PDIs.
Without any 12V DC power from batteries to camper, you put yourself and others at risk when towing because you had no power to enable the emergency break away switch should your trailer had become physically disconnected from your tow vehicle. 
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04-09-2017, 01:36 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,570
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Any chance the battery froze over the winter? If so it's toast!
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04-09-2017, 02:15 PM
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#18
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Just as confused as you
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: south central Wisconsin
Posts: 5,108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddupton
Check them the same way you check fuses. DMM either open or closed on ohms
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DO NOT use a DDM to measure ohms on a live 120v circuit, you will damage the meter or worse.
What I do on a live DC circuit is meter set to DC volts and black probe to ground, red probe to one side of fuse or circuit breaker the move the red probe to the other side. If fuse or circuit breaker is good you will have 12 volt on both sides.
__________________
Richard & Jill
2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS Classic Super Lite
2018 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 4WD All Star Edition
Camping since 1989, Seasonal since 2000.
Car Shredder Op/Tech, Scrap Metal Recycling - retired
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04-09-2017, 06:13 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 724
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrapper
DO NOT use a DDM to measure ohms on a live 120v circuit, you will damage the meter or worse.
What I do on a live DC circuit is meter set to DC volts and black probe to ground, red probe to one side of fuse or circuit breaker the move the red probe to the other side. If fuse or circuit breaker is good you will have 12 volt on both sides.
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He was not asking about line voltage he was only asking about 12 volts.
__________________
2019.5 Rockwood 2509S
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04-09-2017, 09:21 PM
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#20
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Just as confused as you
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: south central Wisconsin
Posts: 5,108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddupton
He was not asking about line voltage he was only asking about 12 volts.
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I realize that. I believe you can pop a DDM by measuring ohms on a live 12 volt DC circuit. I've never had it happen and I don't want it to.
If you read the whole reply, I go into explaining how to test a DC fuse or circuit breaker using the volt meter function on the DDM.
__________________
Richard & Jill
2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS Classic Super Lite
2018 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 4WD All Star Edition
Camping since 1989, Seasonal since 2000.
Car Shredder Op/Tech, Scrap Metal Recycling - retired
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