Never a thought

[Carl Pa]

As to being plugged into shore power and the battery still going dead. My AC was not working on a very hot day while camping at French Creek PA State Park this past week for five days, (The AC not working is another issue) So i was using the lights and fantastic fan heavily and i guess it drew down the battery completely. I was under the impression that as long as you were plugged into shore power you would be OK, i guess not, I have one battery, group 24, standard in scamps. So what i learned is that you always have to be aware as to how much and how long you can use your 12V appliances weather or not you are plugged in or not.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Carl Pa

As to being plugged into shore power and the battery still going dead. My AC was not working on a very hot day while camping at French Creek PA State Park this past week for five days, (The AC not working is another issue) So i was using the lights and fantastic fan heavily and i guess it drew down the battery completely. I was under the impression that as long as you were plugged into shore power you would be OK, i guess not, I have one battery, group 24, standard in scamps. So what i learned is that you always have to be aware as to how much and how long you can use your 12V appliances weather or not you are plugged in or not.

There's something wrong. Most likely the circuit breaker at the power pole, the one you're plugged into, has blown. As long as you really do have 120V AC your air conditioner should be working, and battery charged. The converter supplies enough energy to power everything in your trailer.

[Bob Miller]

I believe your Scamp will have a Progressive Dynamics PD-4045 power center and, if connected to the 120VAC you should never have a worry about DC power or battery charging, including accomplishing both at the same time. They just don't get much better or reliable than the PD-4045.


BYW: Do you use a small plug-in power checker when you connect to a power pole? It's a good idea to verify ac polarity as well as to verify that you have AC power. Usually less than $10 at any hardware store.

[Carl Pa]

Thanks for your replies. I really don`t have any checking gizmos, got to get some. The thought came to mind that i used a 30`rv ext cord plus the 30` trailer cord may have been to much distance, not good at this stuff. We are home now, the 2 hour drive home charged every thing up and lights and fan are working fine. However can`t check AC because i only have a 15 amp receptacle in garage where i plug into at times. Will wait till i camp again in a couple weeks to check, before i lay out cash at a RV shop. The site i was at was not good, if i went back further i would have my wheels in mud and would not have anything stable to set up, so i stayed forward to avoid it and used the RV ext. cord. to connect to power. If you look at photos you can see what i mean. Carl

[John Linck]

The extra distance should not be a problem unless you extension cord is defective. As Bob said pick up one of these at your local hardware store to find out where things are amiss. There are many different brands. Any will do. Should cost about $7.00.

The 15 amp at home will be plenty to test whether the power is getting to the trailer.

Good luck, john

[Bob Miller]

Go to WalMart or an RV store and get a 15/20amp adapter for your cord, so you can plug in at home, you will have a lot of use for it in the future. They will also have the outlet checker you should have.


Admittedly, 60' of cord may have caused a problem for your a/c, but the converter should have run just fine.


Best to sort out any problems before you go out again.

[rdickens]

I had a similar issue with our Scamp13. Battery was not recharging when connected to shore (110v) power.
It turned out to be a blown fuse (one if the top 2 fuses IIRC).
I think that your battery should recharge from either shore power or the 12v hot lead from your tow vehicle.

Good luck! As always, YMMV. 😉

Ray


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Carl Pa]

Hi Ray. checked the fuses, they did not look blown, but i am not good at this stuff, for the cost of a fuse i guess i should buy some and replace the old one and see what happens. I bought a mutimeter, trying to find out how to operate and understand it. Thanks for your tip, i will try it. She is charged fine at TV. I always have AC from shore power but not DC coach lights, pumps, etc. Carl

[Mike Magee]

The A/C was not working and the battery went dead. I'd bet that the circuit breaker at the post was popped or the main breaker in the trailer was popped. This would cause you to get no power from the CG's post, which would let battery-run items operate but not the A/C... until the battery went dead for lack of recharge.

Now, if you had a microwave or any other household-current appliance operating while at that CG, this would disprove my hypothesis.

If you've plugged it in at home and the battery charged up again, then it was the breaker on the CG post where you plugged in.

[wwig]

Hey Carl,
I would agree with several of the previous posters. While bringing our new Spirit Deluxe home from Rice TX. I camped at a COE campground in Barling Arkansas. I plugged in the camper went inside turned on a couple of lights, the Fantastic Fan and thought I was in business until I went to charge my cell phone. I noticed that the phone was not charging and proceeded to investigate, sure enough the circuit breaker had tripped at the post. We learn as we go and that was the first of many lessons, happy camping and you'll be a veteran before you know it.

[Carl Pa]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

The A/C was not working and the battery went dead. I'd bet that the circuit breaker at the post was popped or the main breaker in the trailer was popped. This would cause you to get no power from the CG's post, which would let battery-run items operate but not the A/C... until the battery went dead for lack of recharge.

Now, if you had a microwave or any other household-current appliance operating while at that CG, this would disprove my hypothesis.

If you've plugged it in at home and the battery charged up again, then it was the breaker on the CG post where you plugged in.

Mike, Coffee pot, electric fan, thank god was working. All 110 current was working. Accept the AC.
When we were ready to go home, the minute i plugged into the suv. all lights came on. They all work (10 days) so far with the 2hr drive home. Carl

[Carl Pa]

Thanks every one for your help, sure helps when you are not alone. Carl

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Go to WalMart or an RV store and get a 15/20amp adapter for your cord, so you can plug in at home, you will have a lot of use for it in the future.

.

I believe the OP's trailer is 30 amp as my Scamp is. So they would needed a 30 amp to 15 amp.

[rdickens]

If your 110v appliances (fan, coffee pot, etc.) were working (with the exception of the AC), then it sounds like you were getting power from the CG post.
(The AC sounds like a separate breaker or issue.)

If the battery charged up (from the tow vehicle) on the way home, then it sure sounds like the fuse/breaker in the 110vac->12vdc rectifier battery charging circuit might be the culprit.

I carry a cigarette lighter voltage tester in the trailer for checking the battery charge/voltage state. Something similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...sf_s_rp_a1_6_p

I have a very small night light (green light output) that we keep plugged in to an outlet in the trailer. When we connect to shore power (110v), that little night light is a quick visual indication that we are getting 110v power from the post. (I have experienced bad post outlets and balky/faulty breakers from time to time.)

Most multimeters have a continuity tester. If you are on that setting and hold the red and black probes together, the tester will beep. If no continuity tester, use the resistance function to look for 0 (zero) resistance between the probes; then look for 0 resistance from one side of the fuse to the other side.

Hope that helps.

Good luck! 😀

Ray


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[cpaharley2008]

Another reason to always use a EMS by Progressive, either built in or portable, it tell and warns you of possible electrical issues before any harm or damage is done. see here Progressive Industries RV Surge and Electrical Protection industry lea

[Carl Pa]

I did a mutimeter test on the battery. It was 11.20 unplugged and 11.21 plugged in. According to what i read, thats not good. This test was for two hours. I plugged into my garage receptacle using a 30 foot ext. of RV CABLE for a total of 60 foot, only way i can reach the plug. It started to storm so i unplugged it. Will do it for a longer time tomorrow. Carl

[stevebaz]

Carl turn off all the breakers and then turn them all back again. If any of your outlets are GFI protected push the buttons and reset.

For a fun time google search on how to use a multi-meter. You will find allot of information there.

[rdickens]

Two hours should have been a reasonable test.

From 11.1 volts, I believe that the reading should have climbed steadily by tents of volts up to a fully charged reading around 13.x volts.

If your 110v appliances work when you are plugged in at home and your battery is not charging, then I would still guess that there is something wrong with your rectifier/charging circuit. I suppose that could be a fuse/circuit-breaker or blown rectifier diodes. I would think that a good trailer technician should be able to diagnose (and fix?) the problem in less than 15 minutes.

Good luck!

Ray


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Eddie Longest]

Carl
You should have a PD9130 converter. A silver box located near your breaker panel. If you have S-16 SD I think it is located in the cabinet under your rear dinette seat. Check the converter power plug and make sure it is plugged into an outlet if it has a connector on the power cord.
You can buy a Power Wizzard that plugs into your PD converter. The Power Wizzard turns your converter into a smart charger and is much easier on your battery. The Wizzard has a light that tells you what mode your converter is in and if the battery is charged. For about $30 it is a great investment.
Eddie
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Dy...=charge+wizard

[Bob Miller]

If you only had 11.21 volts when the power was ON you are not charging the battery. When the power is ON the battery voltage will jump up to the chargers output, usually about 14 volts or more . It will do that instantly, just as soon as power is applied.


What is the make and model number on your power chassis. I had heard that Scamp was (finally) installing PD-4045's. If so, there should be a breaker for the converter/charger right next to the main breaker. But, given Scamp propensity to save pennies, hard telling how they wired things, if at all !!!!!