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Old 07-09-2020, 09:56 PM   #1
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[SOLVED]....Switches suddenly started working backwards

I have a 2020 Rockwood Mini Lite 2507S. I had the camper in the shop two weeks ago as they need to replace the Furion Radio. When I picked it up, they must have left the power on as the battery was dead. I plugged the 7 pin into the truck so I could raise the jack and connect to the truck. We went straight for a weekend of camping. Everything seemed to be working fine. On Sunday we left and I went and parked the camper in the storage space I keep the camper. I prep it like always, turn off the battery disconnect switch and plug in my solar trickle charger to the pre wired port on the camper. Here is where it gets interesting. I go to pick it up today in order to br8ng to house to prep it for camping this weekend. I turn back on the cutoff switch and go to raise the jack. I notice it is running opposite (when I push EXT the jack goes up and when I push REV it goes down. I go inside the camper and nothing is on. Not even the led on radio, which always comes on when I turn back on battery cutoff. I tried to switch on inside lights and no lights. I push the slide button,and just like the jack button, when I push slide in the slide goes out and when I push slide out the slide comes in. The same thing happens when I push the awning button. So I turned back off the battery shut off and brought the camper home. I plugged into my 110 extension cord. Still the same thing. The only thing that came on in the camper was the led on the microwave. All of those switches were still running in reverse. Does anyone have any ideas? I am lost and have no idea as I did nothing different or out of norm. I read a lot of threads in battery being hooked up backwards, but I have never disconnected. Haven’t really even ever taken off the cover, but I did take it off to make sure.

Potentially the two 40 amp reverse battery fuses may be blow (can’t really tell), but not sure how they can be blown if the battery was never connected backwards.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Thanks

Scott

Solution found. See post #40.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2364603
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Old 07-09-2020, 09:59 PM   #2
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Usually, this is because you have connected the battery backwards, for the DC switches to run opposite.


Are you sure that someone else may not have connected the battery backwards? Dealer or storage yard? Someone may have borrowed your battery without your knowledge. May have even swapped your good battery for their bad one.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:03 PM   #3
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I have read that a lot in all my research, but I have never disconnected the battery. And it worked correctly when I was camping two weeks ago.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:05 PM   #4
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I have read that a lot in all my research, but I have never disconnected the battery. And it worked correctly when I was camping two weeks ago.

As I stated. someone may have switched/swapped batteries with you at the storage lot, unbeknownst to you.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:08 PM   #5
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Usually, this is because you have connected the battery backwards, for the DC switches to run opposite.


Are you sure that someone else may not have connected the battery backwards? Dealer or storage yard? Someone may have borrowed your battery without your knowledge. May have even swapped your good battery for their bad one.
I am new to owning a camper. But it would have to still be connected backwards for the switches to be running backwards, correct? I took off the cover and the black is connected to the negative side of the battery and the red is connected to the positive side of the battery. I even check and made sure the black was the one bolted to the frame.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:09 PM   #6
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I am new to owning a camper. But it would have to still be connected backwards for the switches to be running backwards, correct? I took off the cover and the black is connected to the negative side of the battery and the red is connected to the positive side of the battery. I even check and made sure the black was the one bolted to the frame.

That is correct.


You are certain the main battery wires are black and red....and not black and white?
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:12 PM   #7
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I have a 2020 Rockwood Mini Lite 2507S. I had the camper in the shop two weeks ago as they need to replace the Furion Radio.
I can't imagine how... but it's possible when they installed that new radio, they crossed wires somehow. It worked before you took it in, but now works backwards.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:13 PM   #8
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That is correct.


You are positive the main battery wires are black and red....and not black and white?
What would then make the switches still go backwards if the battery is connected correctly. I get no power to the camper even plugged in to 110. This is just blowing my mind.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:15 PM   #9
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I can't imagine how... but it's possible when they installed that new radio, they crossed wires somehow. It worked before you took it in, but now works backwards.
I thought that as well, but it worked that weekend we picked it up and went camping. I just don’t understand how switches are running backwards.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:17 PM   #10
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That is correct.


You are certain the main battery wires are black and red....and not black and white?
Yes, here is a pic of the battery.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:17 PM   #11
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What would then make the switches still go backwards if the battery is connected correctly. I get no power to the camper even plugged in to 110. This is just blowing my mind.

You have two different electrical systems in the RV. A 120 volt AC system and 12 volt DC system.


Please read the following link, and especially the thread about "converters/inverters, they are different" to give you a better understanding of the two systems and what the converter does.


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ts-157524.html
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:20 PM   #12
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There is also a crazy chance the battery has reversed it's polarity also:


https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/ba...-polarity.html
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:23 PM   #13
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There is also a crazy chance the battery has reversed it's polarity also:


https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/ba...-polarity.html
Thank you very much.

This is very interesting. How can I test to see if the polarity is backwards?
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:26 PM   #14
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I would say perhaps the connections at the converter are reversed. This would explain the motorized things running backwards and the led lights not working. BUT
It does not explain the tongue jack running backwards (all mine we’re connected to the battery direct or the fact that it was normal last time out.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:27 PM   #15
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There is also a crazy chance the battery has reversed it's polarity also:


https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/ba...-polarity.html
Can the tiny solar panel connected to the pre-wired port on side of camper cause it to reverse charge? But battery wasn’t dead when I parked it and connected solar charger. The batter was dead when I picked it up and connected to my truck and then charges there a little and when I was connected for the weekend on shore power (30A).
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:28 PM   #16
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Put a meter on i the battery to confirm polarity
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:29 PM   #17
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I would say perhaps the connections at the converter are reversed. This would explain the motorized things running backwards and the led lights not working. BUT
It does not explain the tongue jack running backwards (all mine we’re connected to the battery direct or the fact that it was normal last time out.
Yes. It is connected to the battery directly (before the battery cut off switch...so if I have the battery cut off turned off the tongue jack doesn’t work).
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:30 PM   #18
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Thank you very much.

This is very interesting. How can I test to see if the polarity is backwards?

A digital multimeter will show a positive or negative.


There is a video in this link showing such?


You may want to test it with the RV cables removed from the battery terminals first, then test it again with them installed to see if the readings change.


https://batteryguy.com/kb/knowledge-...erse-polarity/
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:33 PM   #19
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The easiest way would be to try a different battery. Some of the higher end digital volt meters will show on the display a + sign if the red lead is connected to the positive and the + sign will not be there if the black lead is on the positive.
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Old 07-10-2020, 08:33 AM   #20
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wow, look at those battery cables. the red one has a black tape wrap on it and the black one has a red tape wrap on it. are you sure which is the positive and which is the negative cable?
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