A few questions regarding a PD4135 and its charging abilities

[Vic Berger]

I'm trying to understand what the problem is here. I had a PD4135 installed by an RV mechanic a few months ago. The trailer sat in my garage with it's battery connected for the past 4 months. I've worked in the trailer now and then using the interior lights sometimes connected to shore power and sometimes not. I installed a switch that turns off all lights on the 12 volt circuit. I took it for a 200 mile trip the other day and when I got to my destination there was no power in the trailer. Voltage reading on the battery was low- about 7 volts. The car should be charging the trailer battery while I'm driving, right? And the trailer battery should be charging while hooked up to shore power, correct? And the PD4135 prevents overcharging- correct?

[John in Michigan]

I also have a Trillium 4500. Actually just replaced the 42 year old converter. I put in a PD5000 power distribution panel because it fit in the same location by enlarging the opening a bit. I plug in a separate power supply.

In my 4500, the aux power wire from the tow vehicle plug comes in under the front left bench. At that point it branches into TWO fused power wires, one going to the converter and the other going to the fridge!! If the fridge happens to be ON in 12 volt mode and the fridge fuse is intact, this will drain the battery quickly!

Another thing to check: Are you actually getting power from the tow vehicle when the 7 pin plug is plugged in and the tow vehicle engine is running? If you are, then check the voltage drop in the trailer. Your trailer battery might be getting little or no charge from the tow vehicle.

[Vic Berger]

Thanks for the tips.

[Vic Berger]

John, thanks, I'll check those things.

[redbarron55]

On my PD I used one of the high current taps to tie into the DC power from the TV. It provides fusing to protect the wiring and a convenient place for the connection.
In my case with solar as well I rewired the system to charge the battery and for the MPPT charge controller with load control to feed the power back to the distribution buss, This way the MPPT shows the voltage, current draw and power usage while still feeding the PD power distribution I installed before the Solar system.
Of course the TV has to provide the voltage at a level that will charge the battery and enough current to be of use.
Also the solar system will charge the battery as we drive down the road as well.

[thrifty bill]

I like the PD4135 I installed in my 1977 Trillium very much.
at 7V your battery is a goner, take it to the auto parts store of your choice and get it tested.

Secondly, do you have a four wire plug or a seven wire plug. Typically a four wire plug will not charge a battery from the TV.

Third, my PD4135 does a fine job charging my trailer battery when I am using shore power. I also have a portable solar panel. And my tow vehicle charges the battery too. Mine is wired per the wiring diagram over on the document center mentioned below.

On my 1300, there is a fuse in the front gaucho bench. Hard to spot. I switched mine to a manually reset in line breaker, and have another one on the battery (on the tongue). My trailer originally did not have a battery.

Nice wiring diagram over on the document center which helped me a lot.

[Vic Berger]

Thanks Thrifty Bill for responding and the tips. I've got a 7 pin connector. I opened it yesterday (on the vehicle side) yesterday and discovered very poor connections. The charging wire was barely making contact. All screws were barely tight. Still working on it. Really appreciate your tips and concern. Sounds like we have similar trailers and histories.