No 12v power from the breaker

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

STOP RIGHT THERE!!

Bobby, pardon me for barging in, but the statement above is a real red flag.

.

No pardon needed, We are all just trying to help. We are doing this in slow steps, so the OP can get an understanding of how it all works. I'm trying not to put too much in at one time.

It would help if Brad could perhaps take some pics with his phone and post them. if you don't know ho to do this with the pics, let me know and I will shoot you my email so you can send them to me that way and I will post them here.

First we need to see the battery and what all is connected there on both the positive and negative terminals. Then a pic of the 12 volt DC circuit breaker that you recently replaced, so we can see just what all is connected to both sides there.

That will help in then tracing backwards from the battery to possibly find a short (or break) in the cables.

The solar panels do add another dimension to all of this, but we will eventually get to that too as we trace things.

[bradhollander]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Do this test:
Leave the wire from battery to breaker (upstream) connected. Remove the other breaker wire (downstream). Now measure from each terminal to ground. If both terminals have the same voltage, the breaker is good, but it is tripping as soon as things are connected.

Sounds good. Not sure I'll have time to get to it tonight, but I'll let you know as soon as I'm able to test this. Thanks

I'll take photos while I'm down there as well.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by bradhollander

2022 Cherokee Wolf Pup

Brand new battery, multimeter giving a normal reading

Black wire going to negative, red going to positive

Brand new 12v breaker, says it's automatic reset

Multimeter not giving any reading from the breaker

What am I missing here?

Bad breaker or it is actually manual reset and you have to crawl around under there to find the button which is usually hidden.

[bradhollander]

Nah there wasn’t a reset on the old one and couldn’t find any with a manual reset at local auto parts store. Label said auto reset.

[pmsherman]

When the converter powers all of the DC circuits while the battery doesn't, you have one of two problems. Your fridge shutting off intermittently may also provide a clue to the issue.
1. The ground wire from the battery to the frame has a poor connection at one end. This usually occurs where it connects to the frame. The fridge issue enhances the chances of this being the problem.
2. There's a break in the positive wire between the battery and the distribution panel. This could be the circuit breaker, disconnect switch, connection at the distribution panel, or a broken wire. You can locate this type of problem by starting at the circuit breaker and checking for full voltage at each connection. Don't forget that this could also be a poor connection wherever a wire is connected to a post. A frequent issue when tracking down this type of problem is finding a good place for the negative lead of the meter. You might need to get a spool of wire and use it as an extension for the negative meter lead to run it back to the negative post of the battery.

An alternative to using a meter to locate this problem is to get an inexpensive 12V automotive circuit tester. These are a small screwdriver sized tool with an internal light bulb, a pointed tip, and a short grounding wire with an alligator clip at its end. You can test for 12V power anywhere by attaching the clip to a ground point and touching the pointed end to the test point. Non LED light bulbs don't care which side is positive so you could attach the clip to the test point and use the pointed end to make the ground connection. If 12V power is available, the bulb will light up. If you turn on the lights in the rig, you can test circuit breakers and switches by connecting the tester across the terminals of the device. If the bulb stays dark, the device is passing power. If the bulb lights up, the device is open and isn't passing power. This test assumes that the terminal of the device closest to the battery is receiving power from the battery.

This type of open circuit tester is used in DC distribution panels and fuses that have an LED that lights up when the associated fuse is blown. The LED is wired across the fuse. When the fuse is intact, the LED stays dark. When the fuse blows, the power to the device flows through the LED and it lights up. If you turn off the device connected to the fuse, the LED will go dark because there's no demand for power. If a fuse contains an LED, it may be critical which way the fuse is inserted in its socket.



Phil

[dave1650]

Originally Posted by bradhollander

Nah there wasn’t a reset on the old one and couldn’t find any with a manual reset at local auto parts store. Label said auto reset.

Just a thought I haven't seen raised. What is the amps of the new breaker you installed?

[dedobias]

Excellent instructions wmtire.

Check to see if the new and assumed to be charged battery is charged and good. A bad connection to the battery or truck can leave the batter dead. A bad NEW battery can also be an issue. What is the voltage across the positiive and negative terminals of the battery? If you turn on lights with shore power off does it drop dramatically? (BAD BATTERY) It happens that new batteries are bad or goes bad. It also happens that the store does not charge it and the trailer plug connections are poor and the truck can't trickle charge. A truck will NOT charge a discharged or very low charge battery in a few hours. It charges very slowly. Shore power and the conveter can charge fully in about 4 hours.

[Jcape]

Originally Posted by bradhollander

2022 Cherokee Wolf Pup

Brand new battery, multimeter giving a normal reading

Black wire going to negative, red going to positive

Brand new 12v breaker, says it's automatic reset

Multimeter not giving any reading from the breaker

What am I missing here?

You do realize, breakers are on the 120V A/C side not the 12V D/C side. The 12V uses fuses.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Jcape

You do realize, breakers are on the 120V A/C side not the 12V D/C side. The 12V uses fuses.

The OP is referring to the 12 volt DC circuit breaker that most all RV's have (including yours). This thread link below will explain them. There are such things.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1743883

[tomkatb]

It is pretty simple.

There is a set of two wires that run from the battery to the fuse panel. Make sure connections are good.

Test voltage on your car with the motor not running for several hours. Voltage should be 12.6. That is a fully charged battery. The tenths are important! This is to give you confidence in the meter.

Now test the rv battery. 12.0 volts is less than 50% charged. 12.6 is fully charged. Any higher numbers are operator errors , defective voltmeter, or something is charging the system.

Now check any device in the positive line. I.E. breakers etc.

Battery readings will be the same everywhere. Then test the wires at the fuse panel. Should be obvious.

Electrical breakers are sold defective.

If you own an electric fridge that, without additional batteries, makes boondocking difficult. Even one night.

A battery monitor is a good idea if you plan on boondocking.