Converter location/battery issue

[natimage]

Hi, All.

I have a couple of questions/problems. The background story that led me to my current questions regarding my 2011 Wildcat Sterling 32RL that I have no user's manuals for (bought 6 months used):

1.) I checked my battery the other day and sadly found that I had let two of the cells run out of water. It wasn't bone dry...but... out of water. I added water appropriately, knowing I had done a bad thing.

2.) The LP detector has gone off randomly a couple of times in the past month. No reason for me to feel or believe that there is a propane leak... I read where a bad battery can put off sulfuric acid gases that can cause the detector to go off.

3.) My converter fan seems to be running more than normal. Yes, I live in Texas and it is hot now. But it was not hot this morning, and I woke up to the LP detector going off at 4am, no lights or much of anything on in the RV, and the converter fan was running, and I felt that I could smell that smell of "heat"... if that makes sense.

All those things put together make me think that maybe I have caused myself a battery problem by letting the water get low in my battery. I'm in the process of checking and troubleshooting everything, as well as researching whether an AGM battery would be better for my purposes. I would appreciate any input regarding whether or not I have severely harmed my battery... should I be concerned about the converter fan... and please, if someone could tell me how I'm supposed to access the converter! I can hear it. I know where it is... but I can't for the life of me figure out how someone is supposed to access the thing... even to see what kind it is!! If I go to an AGM battery...I'd like to be able to make sure I have the proper converter as well.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, input, or advice!!

Tracy

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by natimage

Hi, All.

I have a couple of questions/problems. The background story that led me to my current questions regarding my 2011 Wildcat Sterling 32RL that I have no user's manuals for (bought 6 months used):

1.) I checked my battery the other day and sadly found that I had let two of the cells run out of water. It wasn't bone dry...but... out of water. I added water appropriately, knowing I had done a bad thing.

2.) The LP detector has gone off randomly a couple of times in the past month. No reason for me to feel or believe that there is a propane leak... I read where a bad battery can put off sulfuric acid gases that can cause the detector to go off.

3.) My converter fan seems to be running more than normal. Yes, I live in Texas and it is hot now. But it was not hot this morning, and I woke up to the LP detector going off at 4am, no lights or much of anything on in the RV, and the converter fan was running, and I felt that I could smell that smell of "heat"... if that makes sense.

All those things put together make me think that maybe I have caused myself a battery problem by letting the water get low in my battery. I'm in the process of checking and troubleshooting everything, as well as researching whether an AGM battery would be better for my purposes. I would appreciate any input regarding whether or not I have severely harmed my battery... should I be concerned about the converter fan... and please, if someone could tell me how I'm supposed to access the converter! I can hear it. I know where it is... but I can't for the life of me figure out how someone is supposed to access the thing... even to see what kind it is!! If I go to an AGM battery...I'd like to be able to make sure I have the proper converter as well.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, input, or advice!!

Tracy

Tracy,

Take battery out and make sure it full of water first.
Then with a seperate charger charge at a 2 amp rate for 24 hours.
Then have an auto parts store or your favorite mechanic load test it.
If its good then its time to check converter.
If its bad replace battery. But still check converter.
You most likely have a wfco converter which is normally installed in the back of your fuse panel.
Go to wfco's web site and download the troubleshooting guide and check converter.
Imo wfco converters are junk the week link is the fan.
Id suggest replacing with a progressive dynamics brand.
Pd series.

Your propane detector has a low battery alarm which is most likely what is going on.
A junk battery will trick your converter into thinking its dead or low and it will run on full charge .

[TURBS]

With that being said when my wfco converter gave up the ghost "fan"
I removed the distribution panel then removed the converter from that and modded in a progressive dynamics converter into my wfco distribution panel.
The pd was a little bigger but with a tad bit of trimming the case was needed. The total install start to finish about an hour.