Is my Scamp electrical system working properly?

[teg_76]

After many years of consideration, we finally put in for an order for a 16 foot standard Scamp last summer and just took delivery a few days ago and are very excited!

I'm trying to learn as much as possible, and have some questions regarding the electrical system. I'm plugged into 120V at home charging my battery. For some reason though, it won't go above 12.3 on the voltage meter. The voltage meter actually goes down when I'm using the lights or the furnace, even though I'm plugged into the 120V. So I have three questions:

1) Shouldn't the power for the lights and furnace be drawn completely from the 120V and not the battery when plugged in?

2) Why won't the battery charge to 12.6, which Scamp says is a full charge?

3) When I charge the battery with the car battery the voltage meter says i'm putting out over 13 volts (which scamp says is normal when charging). Shouldn't it also do that when I'm plugged into the 120V outlet?

I do have the refrigerator also drawing from the 120V. Not sure if that info helps answer the questions above or not.

Thank you all!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Make sure the battery cutoff switch isn't off

Make sure the two 30A main fuses on the fuse panel are good.

Make sure the main AC breaker for the DC converter hasn't flipped off. sometimes you have to cycle those breakers OFF then back ON to get them to fully reset.

and yes, you should be seeing something like 13.2-13.8V when the battery is fully charged and the power center is in trickle/maintenance mode.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

and yes, you should be seeing something like 13.2-13.8V when the battery is fully charged and the power center is in trickle/maintenance mode.

Do the converters still come un-plugged on the new ones? It did for years.

Can you hear a fan run on the converter?

[teg_76]

Thank you John and AC0GV. The 30A main fuse (there is only one) looks good. The battery flow switch is on (not set to cutoff). Also all the internal 120V outlets work. I'm not sure what "AC breaker for the DC converter hasn't flipped off" that means, I'm new to the electricity terminology.

AC0GV, I'm not sure if the converter is plugged in or not. Do you know where I would look to tell? I'll look around.

[teg_76]

Oh just saw your picture now AC0GV, I'll go under the trailer and check it out. I don't hear a fan.

[teg_76]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

Do the converters still come un-plugged on the new ones? It did for years.

Can you hear a fan run on the converter?

I can’t seem get easy access to the converter. Maybe behind the the electric panel? I’m guessing since access isn’t easy that it would already be plugged in?

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by teg_76

Oh just saw your picture now AC0GV, I'll go under the trailer and check it out. I don't hear a fan.

Not under the trailer, under the seat just inside where the big cord pulls out to hook up. On mine (2017) and many others the cord came unplugged when pulling out the big cord. This picture is the front of the same black thing in the last picture. No two Scamps are alike, but yours may be close.
Note that the fuses are for 12 VDC loads and breakers are for 120 VAC loads.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

Check the battery voltage with 120 unplugged - battery voltage should go up when 120 is plugged in again. If it doesn't, you know the converter output isn't reaching the battery. A bad connection or fuse.

Disconnect the battery and plug 120 in - all 12 volt systems should work. If nothing 12 volt works, the converter isn't working. Check connections (plug) and circuit breakers. If no 120 circuits work either, your main power supply or a main breaker is off.

[LarryB.]

Disconnect the battery. Then with your trailer plugged into an electric supply, see if your lights work. If the lights don't work, then your converter is bad.

Last year, when I was camping at a sight that supplied electric, on the morning of my last day, my lights didn't work. However, when I got home, my lights worked. My tow vehicle charged up the battery (somewhat) during the trip home. However, that didn't last long. The issue was the converter.

[teg_76]

Originally Posted by LarryB.

Disconnect the battery. Then with your trailer plugged into an electric supply, see if your lights work. If the lights don't work, then your converter is bad.

Last year, when I was camping at a sight that supplied electric, on the morning of my last day, my lights didn't work. However, when I got home, my lights worked. My tow vehicle charged up the battery (somewhat) during the trip home. However, that didn't last long. The issue was the converter.

Thanks John, AC0GV, Lynn, and Larry. Your guidance has helped me diagnose that the converter is in fact not working.

AC0GV, from the pictures you sent, am I correct in saying the converter would be on the back of the main electrical panel? I don't have easy access behind it. If it is though it looks like I can unscrew the panel and look for a bad connection or to see if something is unplugged.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I don't know what Scamp uses, but all the power converters I've seen, the power supply is on the bottom, with the breakers and fuses on the top.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I don't know what Scamp uses, but all the power converters I've seen, the power supply is on the bottom, with the breakers and fuses on the top.

On my 2017 Scamp it is a separate aluminum box on the floor behind the distribution panel under the seat. I'm not sure if the fan runs at all times, it did in my Jayco and is was noisy. this one is quiet. Remember, no two Scamps are alike, I have a water tank on the left side also.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

Since the trailer is new, I'd suspect a connection is much more likely than a bad converter. Let us know what you find.

[Darwin Maring]

The problem I have been having lately is to get a good reading on a battery using a hydrometer. With a fully charged battery the readings are still in the red, even on a new battery. My question is: Have they changed the battery chemistry where we no longer get the full charge according to a hydrometer? Me - 3 different hydrometers.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

On my 2017 Scamp it is a separate aluminum box on the floor behind the distribution panel under the seat. I'm not sure if the fan runs at all times, it did in my Jayco and is was noisy. this one is quiet. Remember, no two Scamps are alike, I have a water tank on the left side also.

If yours plugs in like mine, unplug it and plug it into a known good extension cord. If it runs that way and not the Scamp plug, the converter is OK. It is something in the Scamp 120 VDC wiring. Have you tried your Air conditioning? It also runs on the 120 VAC?

[teg_76]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

On my 2017 Scamp it is a separate aluminum box on the floor behind the distribution panel under the seat. I'm not sure if the fan runs at all times, it did in my Jayco and is was noisy. this one is quiet. Remember, no two Scamps are alike, I have a water tank on the left side also.

Fixed it! You guys are awesome, thank you! I appreciate all of the guidance.

AC0GV, one place I hadn't looked was the panel at the rear left of the trailer underneath our convertible bed/table. We have the layout with the table at the rear that converts to a bed. I had forgotten there were panels under the bench seats. Under the wooden panel was an aluminum box just like the one in your picture, with an outlet next to it that had a cord half way plugged in. I pushed the cord all the way in and the furnace took off and my voltage meter was over 14. Thank you so much!

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by teg_76

Fixed it! You guys are awesome, thank you! I appreciate all of the guidance.

AC0GV, one place I hadn't looked was the panel at the rear left of the trailer underneath our convertible bed/table. We have the layout with the table at the rear that converts to a bed. I had forgotten there were panels under the bench seats. Under the wooden panel was an aluminum box just like the one in your picture, with an outlet next to it that had a cord half way plugged in. I pushed the cord all the way in and the furnace took off and my voltage meter was over 14. Thank you so much!

I guess the new ones still unplug just like in the past. It's my speculation that the 30 amp cord gets tangled in the converter cord and pulls it out.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

I guess the new ones still unplug just like in the past. It's my speculation that the 30 amp cord gets tangled in the converter cord and pulls it out.

I was advised when I got my Escape to not store anything in the compartment with the 30 amp cord. Note also that the electrical ( left side of photo ) is enclosed.

[lisantica]

Originally Posted by teg_76

Fixed it! You guys are awesome, thank you! I appreciate all of the guidance.

AC0GV, one place I hadn't looked was the panel at the rear left of the trailer underneath our convertible bed/table.

Awesome news! As soon as I saw AC0GV's response about that part under the bench being unplugged, I knew you would find the same.

My 2008 was delivered and the power wasn't working, the guy went right to that part and plugged it in.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by lisantica

Awesome news! As soon as I saw AC0GV's response about that part under the bench being unplugged, I knew you would find the same.

My 2008 was delivered and the power wasn't working, the guy went right to that part and plugged it in.

Note that at one time Scamps were delivered with the lp/co detector fuse pulled, be sure it is installed before you sleep in it.