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12-06-2020, 09:41 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 4
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Electrical Gremlins
I have a 2019 23dbh. It's parked next to my house and I keep a dedicated 30 amp line hooked up to it. Today I realized that I have no power to the lights, water pump, water heater, fridge or radio. All the outlets work, as does the microwave and the fireplace electric heater.
I checked and no fuses are blown. The battery was unhooked and hooked up again. Oddly, the radio speakers popped with static over and over and finally stopped when I turned the water pump switch off and on several times. I have no clue what is going on. I'm not an electrician. I don't know where to find the converter or how to check if it is working correctly. We've only used this thing about 6 times.
About a month or two ago the slide refused to work. Then it somehow fixed itself a few days later. This thing has been a pain since we got it. I'm thinking of selling it now and cutting my losses.
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12-06-2020, 11:07 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,854
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Sounds like the converter is bad and the batteries are drained.
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12-07-2020, 12:00 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 9
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It sounds like your 12 volts is the problem. Your ac seems fine.
I would take a voltmeter and measure the voltage at the battery and all the fuses that run on 12v. It sounds like it is low. If you heard popping from the radio when you flip the water pump on and off it may be there's some voltage there but not enough to power up. I am not that familiar with rv wiring and if I had a schematic I could tell you more but it sounds like very low 12 volts.
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12-07-2020, 01:55 AM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,736
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pezhead
I have a 2019 23dbh. It's parked next to my house and I keep a dedicated 30 amp line hooked up to it. Today I realized that I have no power to the lights, water pump, water heater, fridge or radio. All the outlets work, as does the microwave and the fireplace electric heater.
I checked and no fuses are blown. The battery was unhooked and hooked up again. Oddly, the radio speakers popped with static over and over and finally stopped when I turned the water pump switch off and on several times. I have no clue what is going on. I'm not an electrician. I don't know where to find the converter or how to check if it is working correctly. We've only used this thing about 6 times.
About a month or two ago the slide refused to work. Then it somehow fixed itself a few days later. This thing has been a pain since we got it. I'm thinking of selling it now and cutting my losses.
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If you are going to attempt to troubleshoot, you are going to need a basic understanding of a RV's two distinct electrical systems, which are the 120 volt AC and 12 volt DC. From your description, your 120 volt AC is working but items in your 12 volt DC are not.
Please read this thread about the converter:
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nt-152813.html
After you have read the above thread, we can move forward.
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2. If your 12 volt DC items do not receive power from the converter when plugged into 120 volt AC (which could be for several reasons which is also explained in the above thread in it's post #5)), then these items will operate directly from the battery until it is depleted, then they will not function due to the run down battery or non-functioning converter. Make sure to read post #5 in the above thread, especially since you mentioned unhooking the battery.
3. One more thing to check, which can be sometimes a simple thing, depending on exactly how your RV is wired, is the 12 volt DC circuit breaker.
This thread will explain what/where this may be:
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1743883
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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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12-07-2020, 02:12 AM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,736
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pezhead
I have a 2019 23dbh.
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Can you tell us what make RV this is? Our forums incorporate the entire FR product lines and divisions and there may be multiple FR brands/makes that have a 23dbh model. By telling us the make (ex. Rockwood, Coachmen, etc), it will allow others with the same to possibly help. Thanks
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...rv-200163.html
__________________
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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12-07-2020, 08:04 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,266
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Check the battery voltage with and without the RV connected to shore power.
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12-07-2020, 08:40 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Dayton Ohio
Posts: 3,567
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Modern rv’s are awfully complex.
Two wires run from the battery to the lights, easy. No. There are dozens of connections between them. Got to find the issue.
The solution is a decent voltmeter and two alligator clip connections. Makes testing easier.
You need a battery monitor. For the future so you know what is going on. If the converter is working the idiot lights of the rv should have 4 on.
A dead battery means the converter is not charging the battery. To test it plug the 110 in and measure voltage at the battery. Should be over 13. Mine has two fuses in the fuse box labeled as cross connection. Could be blown. Often the converter is at or near the fuse panel.
This is stuff all owners should be able to do. It will not be the last time.
You gotta be handy. It is all easy. Just not the first time.
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12-11-2020, 12:41 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 4
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Thank you for the information. After reading up on this stuff and checking out all the fuses and breakers, it appears to me that the converter is in fact dead, and is not charging the camper battery. I hooked up my car to the battery with jumper cables and magically everything worked. So now I have to start the long process of getting a new converter from the warranty company (Good Sam). This Grey Wolf has been a hassle since I bought it.
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12-11-2020, 01:23 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 1,680
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There is often 2 heavier fuses in the panel that are separate and are to protect the converter from a reversed battery. Check these before replacing the converter.
Also there should be a circuit breaker for the 120V input to the converter, turn this breaker off and back on. If you can't identify the breaker turn each one off then on
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12-11-2020, 02:32 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 4
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I checked those two 40 amp fuses, and they are good. Also, did the breaker off and on a few times. I'm just upset that the converter can be going bad on a camper that's less than 2 years old.
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12-11-2020, 04:05 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Payson, AZ
Posts: 3,862
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Do not just assume that the converter is bad. Prove that it is. Take 12 volt battery voltage readings at the battery terminals when connected to shore power and the again when not connected to shore power. You should get 13 volts or higher when connected to shore power. If you don’t the go take the same voltage measurements right at the converter 12 volt output terminals. Again you are like you king to see if you get 13 volts or greater when plugged into shore power.
One other thing that some people have mentioned is that some converters will not output a charge to a dead battery. When you measure the voltage at the converter when not plugged into shore power see if there is enough voltage to trigger the converter to attempts recharge.
Did you check those 40 amp fuses with a meter?
Sure the converter may be bad but don’t replace it until you know for sure.
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12-11-2020, 04:07 PM
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#12
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,736
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This 30 amp outlet at your house you are connected to...can I ask who installed it.
Is this outlet run on its own circuit breaker from your house?. I have a reason for asking these questions as they can pertain to the converter.
__________________
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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12-11-2020, 07:24 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 4
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It was installed by a licensed electrician and is a dedicated line for the camper.
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12-11-2020, 07:36 PM
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#14
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Grayson County, Texas
Posts: 21,502
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When we built our house, I asked my electrician to install a 30a make-up box for an RV through the wall from my inside power center. I wanted it for later use. When I got ready to use it, I found a double pole 30a breaker with 2 hot legs! NOPE!
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2015 FR Wildcat 295RSX / GMC Sierra
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12-11-2020, 08:42 PM
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#15
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,736
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pezhead
It was installed by a licensed electrician and is a dedicated line for the camper.
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The reason I ask this, is because if the 30 amp outlet is incorrectly wired for 240 volts instead of it's proper 120 volts.....it will blow the converter when you plug the RV in (and can cause other damage too).
I have been involved in many many threads on our forums where a dedicated 30 amp outlet was incorrectly wired for 240 volts...and by licensed electricians.
As for the dedicated line question, as to the 30 amp outlet having it's circuit breaker in your house panel...the reason for that question, was so a novice (not knowing your electrical expertise) could easily identify as to whether or not the outlet was wired for 120 volts or the incorrect 240 volts by looking at it's circuit breaker in your house panel.
This thread will explain all of this. Posts #1 and #3 are the important ones.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...let-27223.html
Hopefully we can ascertain as to how the outlet was wired, so as to make sure that a replacement converter doesn't get messed up.
__________________
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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