New battery no power....? FRUSTERATED

[welly]

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

just bought a used 2006 Flagstaff 205 tent trailer.
When I brought the unit home last week the battery would only control the power winch. In order to control lights, pumps etc. i had to be plugged into 120 v house power.
As I was trouble shooting that issue I noticed the battery was getting very weak each time I used the power winch i lowered the unit unhooked the battery and charged it up. I re-hooked it tonight and had absolutely no power yet it was reading 13.47v on the testing meter.
So I just went to costco and picked up a new deep cycle battery expecting the winch and hopefully all electrical services to work...and nothing will work.
What is happening here?? Please help.

Thanks Geoff
Vic BC

[Joe_GA]

Are you sure you hooked the battery up correctly? If backwards, it could have blown fuses. Check on your converter. You also could have a tripped breaker. Follow the positive cable and you should find a small metal box attached with a reset button. Good luck!

[lbrjet]

Your reading must have been while plugged in to 120ac and the convertor functioning. That is not the true battery voltage. Guessing hooked up cables backwards.

[SeaDog]

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. If your winch would work (originally) and the lights only on shore power check the cable from the battery to the converter. Also what Joe said

[Jimswim]

It's extremely important to have a good ground connection from the battery to the frame.. Alot of crazy things occur when there isn't a good connection...i would start there.

[BillyBass]

Did you clean the cables they might be corroded

[Foothills]

I'm not particularly sharp on electrical stuff but in addition to the comments already given, might there be a short somewhere that's dragging you down?


Also, new batteries are not necessarily well charged when you get them- and you could expect the old battery to be discharged anyway.


Let me put in my plug for long battery-LOW AMP charging only. I sold a Jayco that had an Interstate deep cycle 12V battery that was at least 13 years old. Remove in winter and charge low AMP off and on all winter when you think of it.

[Falconer]

For some reason, battery volts and amps are not getting to your electrical loads such as lights, winch, etc.
Learn how to use a voltmeter and get comfortable with it. You can pick up a decent inexpensive one for prob $30 or less. Read your voltage at the battery, should be about 12.7 if the battery is fully charged. Then move the meter leads one connection at a time until you find the place where the voltage drops significantly.
Most common issue, and where I'd put my money if I were a gambling man, would be a bad ground connection somewhere.
Learning where the circuits go will really help you when odd things go wrong.
Look for loose or corroded connections. Look for blown fuses (not likely in this situation). Since it's affecting multiple loads, it's probably something upstream from the power distribution center. Shouldn't be too hard to find...
Charlie

[Boscorelli]

Originally Posted by welly

1. I re-hooked it tonight and had absolutely no power yet it was reading 13.47v on the testing meter.
2. So I just went to costco and picked up a new deep cycle battery

I'm sorry, but I don't follow your logic? Your old battery tested good, so you bought a new battery?

My logic says the fault is NOT the battery, but some other component of the electrical system.

[BillyBass]

do you have a disconnect and its turn off which kills the battery to camper

[Bob414]

My 2 Cents:

I do not have a power lift, but as I understand them they are directly connected to the battery via a fuse or circuit breaker.

All other DC loads normally use the converter for power distribution.

If you tried to install battery and reversed the leads on the battery only momentary, that normally blows the reverse power current fuse in/on the converter, usually the largest (Amp wise), and normally located away from the other DC fuses.

Check all DC fuses in the converter.

There is also a safety cutoff, that prevents the ceiling lights and fans from being left on when closing the top. If you have a fold down sink, it is normally located on the surface the sink fold down on.

I installed a battery disconnect on my battery to stop parasitic loads from draining the battery. Parasitic loads include low battery and CO2/Propane alarms as well as a possible memory on a radio. However my battery disconnect totally disconnects the battery so your lift would not work.

The weakest point in the DC electrical system, in my opinion is the ground wire nut used to connect all DC grounds together. My electrical background, limits 4 wires to a wire nut. The one in my camper had 9 wires connected and I replaced it with a ground bus strip.

If other DC loads work, water pump, DC refrigurator etc. Then there is the connecting wires to the ceiling, normally near in one the corners. check to see if they got pinched somewhere.

Good Luck!

Bob

[BillyBass]

Is there a fuse link on the red wire to the battery it might be blown

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by welly

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

just bought a used 2006 Flagstaff 205 tent trailer.
When I brought the unit home last week the battery would only control the power winch. In order to control lights, pumps etc. i had to be plugged into 120 v house power.
As I was trouble shooting that issue I noticed the battery was getting very weak each time I used the power winch i lowered the unit unhooked the battery and charged it up. I re-hooked it tonight and had absolutely no power yet it was reading 13.47v on the testing meter.
So I just went to costco and picked up a new deep cycle battery expecting the winch and hopefully all electrical services to work...and nothing will work.
What is happening here?? Please help.

Thanks Geoff
Vic BC

Everybody on here gets excited to help you diagnose and correct your problem..

Please be sure to come back online and share the solution when you resolve it.
In part, it's our reward for studying your problem and offering suggestions. BTW, I'm offering nothing because, concur with what most everyone has offered.

[bedubya]

Originally Posted by welly

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

just bought a used 2006 Flagstaff 205 tent trailer.
When I brought the unit home last week the battery would only control the power winch. In order to control lights, pumps etc. i had to be plugged into 120 v house power.
As I was trouble shooting that issue I noticed the battery was getting very weak each time I used the power winch i lowered the unit unhooked the battery and charged it up. I re-hooked it tonight and had absolutely no power yet it was reading 13.47v on the testing meter.
So I just went to costco and picked up a new deep cycle battery expecting the winch and hopefully all electrical services to work...and nothing will work.
What is happening here?? Please help.

Thanks Geoff
Vic BC

A fully charged 12v battery will read about 12.7 volts. You were reading the charging voltage from your converter. Unplug shore power then check your battery voltage.
Make sure the wire from the (-) post of the battery goes to the trailer frame and connections are tight.
Follow the wire from the (+) post of the battery to the converter. There is probably an inline fuse somewhere. Check it then check the fuses in the converter.

[Flybob]

Tent trailers ( pop-ups) have a safety switch that are activated when the unit is set up. This is to prevent the lights from being on when the unit is collapsed. This is usually plunger switch. If it is stuck or damaged, it will prevent power from flowing to anything on the roof. There is a reverse polarity fuse in line with the battery. If the battery is connected backward it will blow the fuse.