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Old 09-18-2015, 03:53 PM   #1
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Name: John
Trailer: 2000 16ft Scamp
Minnesota
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no battery power

After leaving on our last voyage we had driven about an hour when my lovely assistant went to use the bathroom and the stool would not flush. The battery lights in the Scamp were also dead. I cleaned and re connected the battery, still no juice. After arriving at Minneopa State Park I was able to plug in so everything again was working. This spring I had an air conditioner installed at Backus. They also had to update the power converter. I also got a wizard gizmo that is supposed to save batteries and only charge when they need it. It blinks rapidly when charging and infrequently when not. I could only find three fuses and all appear intact. I also took the battery out and charged it over night and it registers at 12.8 volts. Something is not right, any help or suggestions would be great. On a different topic Minneopa is a MN State park just outside Mankato MN, beautiful park. Very soon they are adding a heard of bison that are from the Blue Mounds State Park. They claim these animals are very close to the original Bison. You will be able to drive through the enclosure which is BIG.
John
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Old 09-18-2015, 04:29 PM   #2
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On the battery is the black wire hooked to hot and white wire to ground? Did you find/check the fuse outside near the battery. Did you find/ check the fuse just inside the shell where the battery wires enter the shell?
Eddie
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:01 PM   #3
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By chance do you have a 3 way refrigerator and was it switched to DC operation? Without a charging line it will kill a battery in short order. Even if you do have a charging line, if it is not large enough, you can still wind up with a dead battery.


Rather than depending on a set of "Battery Lights", it might be easier to troubleshoot the real problem if you had a digital volt meter handy to determine if the converter was actually working or not. Battery voltage must jump UP to about 13.5 VDC when the converter/charger is ON.



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Old 09-18-2015, 07:12 PM   #4
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Name: John
Trailer: 2000 16ft Scamp
Minnesota
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Yes Eddie the wires are attached to the battery like they always have been. I did locate both fuses and they appear fine.
Yes Bob I do have a three way refrigerator and normally do run the DC when traveling, that is the only time I do run the DC is when I'm attached to the TV. Will the 13.5 be read at the battery when the trailer is plugged in? I know enough about wiring to make me dangerous! I may also change the fuses out just incase. I sure appreciate the help.
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:50 PM   #5
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When the shore power is plugged in OR when the TV's line is connecting and the engine is running, you should see about 13.4 to 14.5 volts at the battery terminals. Try this with the refrigerator on & with itoff. But that doesn't mean that the battery is getting full charge, only that the connection is good. This is especially critical with the charging line from the TV. You want to be sure to have at least #10 stranded wire for that connection or the refrigerator will rob from the coach battery as well.

As the discussion was just repeated a week ago, I will only comment that I travel using the LP gas mode for the refrigerator, (as do many others) including on a previously owned Scamp, without any problems.



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Old 09-19-2015, 05:38 AM   #6
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There's about 50 feet of wire between my truck's battery and the battery in my Casita.

In addition to what wire size was in my truck I added a 10 guage wire to it.

My 7 pin cord is new and has 10 gauge + & - leads, I've replaced the + & - leads from the front of the trailer through the converter to the battery and eliminated the 3M Scotch connectors.
I have a battery meter that shows the battery voltage and the net charge or discharge of the battery.
With the TV connected and running and the refrigerator on 12 volts more current is taken out of the battery then put in.

Running a refrigerator on 12 volts is way too marginal!

Most run their refrigerator on propane when traveling.

As far as danger goes in my mind a over loaded 12 volt system poses way more dangers than a refrigerator running on propane.
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