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Old 08-08-2020, 10:53 AM   #1
LyS
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Newbie battery/electrical issues Help!

on the road for our first trip with our 2019 Roo 23IKSS.
We are having the following issues and don't know why - 1st we keep blowing the fuse on our tongue jack. Dealer suggested cleaning the contacts, did that seemed to work. However, returned to the lot where we park the trailer 2 weeks later to find our batteries dead. Coincidence?? So had to use truck to boost battery so I could open the slide to turn on the fridge (to propane) so that it would be ready for this trip. Return 2 days later to load up and hook up and the fridge has not been cooling - "check button" lit. And of course battery dead. So we attach an external battery so that I can ready the interior. Great, done, hook up time. The electric jack works to hook up then at last second, the fuse blows again. Any thoughts on what is wrong or what we are doing wrong??
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:48 AM   #2
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I would look up the info on the electric jack and check for the recommended fuse. Stranger things have happened. I assume there is an emergency handle somewhere! My understanding is these jacks are sort of fragile.

Is there an electric disconnect? Should be used when not using the rv. If not you have to disconnect the battery.

It will take 48 hours to completely recharge the battery.

The fridge should run for days if the battery is charged.

Best to find a full service site for a long weekend and experiment. A good voltmeter is a good plan. Near to an Ace hardware store.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:51 AM   #3
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i can't help with the jack. obviously the fuses should not blow. but i assume the jack has a momentary on/off switch so that it is not drawing power when the switch is not pressed. so i am assuming the switch and jacks are not the cause of the batteries going dead. of course i could be wrong, especially if the switch is defective. the only thing i can thing of is that perhaps the wrong size fuse is installed. look in the manual to see what the proper fuse size is.

many people report the batteries going dead in a 2 week time period. i had this problem. what many people do is take an action to fully disconnect the batteries while in storage. this can be accomplished by installing a battery disconnect switch or taking on of the battery cables off the battery. make sure the battery is fully charged before you do this. a fully charged battery can be stored for months is all loads are disconnected.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:56 AM   #4
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i can't help with the jack. obviously the fuses should not blow. but i assume the jack has a momentary on/off switch so that it is not drawing power when the switch is not pressed. so i am assuming the switch and jacks are not the cause of the batteries going dead. of course i could be wrong, especially if the switch is defective. the only thing i can thing of is that perhaps the wrong size fuse is installed. look in the manual to see what the proper fuse size is.

many people report the batteries going dead in a 2 week time period. i had this problem. what many people do is take an action to fully disconnect the batteries while in storage. this can be accomplished by installing a battery disconnect switch or taking on of the battery cables off the battery. make sure the battery is fully charged before you do this. a fully charged battery can be stored for months is all loads are disconnected.

How would we recharge the battery while we are using the Trailer? How would we do that?
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:56 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by LyS View Post
on the road for our first trip with our 2019 Roo 23IKSS.
We are having the following issues and don't know why - 1st we keep blowing the fuse on our tongue jack. Dealer suggested cleaning the contacts, did that seemed to work. However, returned to the lot where we park the trailer 2 weeks later to find our batteries dead. Coincidence?? So had to use truck to boost battery so I could open the slide to turn on the fridge (to propane) so that it would be ready for this trip. Return 2 days later to load up and hook up and the fridge has not been cooling - "check button" lit. And of course battery dead. So we attach an external battery so that I can ready the interior. Great, done, hook up time. The electric jack works to hook up then at last second, the fuse blows again. Any thoughts on what is wrong or what we are doing wrong??
Did you use the battery disconnect switch? The battery will be dead in 2 weeks, if not plugged into shore power or disconnected from the trailer. The switch should be on the tongue. RVs have numerous parasitic power drains that will drain a battery in a few days.
Did your dealer not show it to you? By not disconnecting the battery for two weeks, you may have done permanent damage to the battery.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:57 AM   #6
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How would we recharge the battery while we are using the Trailer? How would we do that?
Shore power, solar or inverter generator.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:20 PM   #7
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you have a few things going on.

do you have power where you store the trailer?
do you have a battery disconnect switch?

the easiest way to charge the batteries is to plug into shore power, even if it is a residential 15 amp outlet using an adapter. and you must have the battery disconnect switch set so that the batteries are connected. if you can do this set it up and let it charge for a day or two.

i'm also wondering if blowing the jack fuse is related to a low battery condition. it takes so much power to run the jacks. power is the product of volts and amps. if your batteries are low (volts) the jack may be drawing an increased number of amps to get the power it needs to operate. these increase amps are blowing the fuse. i do not know that this is really the cause but it might be possible.

get the batteries fully charged. you always want to have them fully charged when you are not using the rv.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:26 PM   #8
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No power source where we store. Interesting thoughts about the Jack issue.
Would the problem with the fridge not working on propane be related to no battery power?
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:58 PM   #9
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No power source where we store. Interesting thoughts about the Jack issue.
Would the problem with the fridge not working on propane be related to no battery power?
Lots of people store without a power source. They charge their batteries and then disconnect the negative battery cable while in storage. You're going to need a battery charger and perhaps take them home to charge or charge while in a campground.
The refrigerator has an electronic ignition for the propane, so it's not going to work with a dead battery.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:18 PM   #10
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Disconnect the battery when storing

If you only have a single battery then disconnect the negative (black) wires from the battery AFTER it has been fully charged. If you have dual batteries (12V) then disconnect the wires from the negative terminal where the wires go to the trailer frame. The other big wire will be coming from the other battery.

Even with everything turned off your CO/Propane detector and radio keepalive still draw power. On my trailer it is about 1/3 of an Amp. This would drain my two batteries in about 20 days. A single battery about 10 days.

Without access to house power, generator, or solar power you will only be able to camp for a few days and much less if the furnace is running.

Solar is so inexpensive right now that you could get a 100 Watt panel (or two 50 Watt panels) a good charge controller for under $200. I move my panels to follow the sun as I like to park my RV in the shade, if available.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:23 PM   #11
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Check for correct fuse rating
Possible short in jack wiring or motor. Measure current if possible Requires a DC amp meter
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:27 PM   #12
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No power source where we store. Interesting thoughts about the Jack issue.
Would the problem with the fridge not working on propane be related to no battery power?
YES, the propane side requires 12v battery power to ignite the propane.
You didn't answer the question about the battery disconnect switch.
Your Roo came with one from the factory.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:49 PM   #13
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Make sure your emergency brake cable is not pulled out of the brake switch unit on the frame of the trailer.. This will run the battery/s down quick..
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:58 PM   #14
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Yes we have a battery disconnect switch, but we did not disconnect. We understand that we only needed to disconnect when storing for the winter. From these posts I see that is incorrect, thanks!
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:59 PM   #15
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Make sure your emergency brake cable is not pulled out of the brake switch unit on the frame of the trailer.. This will run the battery/s down quick..


How would we be able to tell?
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:18 PM   #16
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How would we be able to tell?
An inexpensive dc ammeter that clamps around battery wire will tell if there are any loads. I added a disconnect to my negative battery wire to be sure all loads are disconnected when in storage. Always disconnect battery if not connected to power source. It will drain quickly. You need a strong battery for slides and jacks. Fuses will blow if voltage is low. 120 volt things like air and fridge (propane as well) need good battery for control side to work.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:28 PM   #17
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It sounds as if your PDI was not as helpful as it might have been - or perhaps you did not get a PDI if it was a private sale of a slightly used vehicle. Anyway, the breakaway switch is usually under the A-frame near the front, and the cable connects to your TV so that the TT will stop if it were to become disconnected from your TV during travel. It requires a charged battery to function. Find the breakaway switch, and as long as the pin that should be inserted into the switch is fully pushed-in, it is as it should be. If the pin is pulled out of the switch, it is probably activated and it will draw a LOT of power from the battery for a short while until the battery dies. I doubt this is your problem, since you said you were able to hitch-up and pull the TT. If the breakaway switch was activated, the wheels would be locked and you'd be hard pressed to pull it. But it's a good idea to check before each trip - and you have to connect the cable to your TV or the breakaway switch won't work if the unthinkable were to happen. Happy camping!
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:33 PM   #18
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Thanks so much - we did have a PDI but our "tour guide" was a newbie himself. Also they were super rushed because of Covid, no one could pick up their trailer for almost 3 months. Thanks so much for formative reply
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:56 PM   #19
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well you have received a lot of advice.

first thing to do is pull the batteries and get them recharged. i just bought a charger at walmart for about $50. it has a display on it that shows the battery voltage and the amps going into it. if you have multiple batteries you can charge them individually or together. make sure you take many pictures of how they are hooked up so can put them back with the same connections and don't miss anything! get them charged! check water level whil you are at it. and get a cheap multimeter so you can measure battery voltage while in the rv.

once you get the batteries charged take them back and reinstall them. i have a pretty strong suspicion that your jack and refrigerator problems will disappear with charged batteries.

however you do it keep the batteries charged and disconnected when not in use.
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Old 08-08-2020, 03:06 PM   #20
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Be aware that as voltage drops, amps go up. So as you drain an already weak battery, using your jack, the current will go up and up. Not surprising that the circuit breaks at that point.
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