Converter Problem?

[Karen B.]

Hi, everybody--

Electrical is definitely outside my comfort zone, so I could use some help. I keep treating symptoms which aren't solving my problem... My primary problem is that my AC keeps dumping humidity into my 2002 13ft Scamp, so I'll start with 90 degrees and 45% humidity when I park somewhere, I'll turn on the AC and we'll go up to 80% humidity. The other problem is inconsistent interior 12v lights.

So. I took it to Scamp. They found and fixed a bad ground. Didn't fix the AC problem. Replaced the breaker box. Didn't fix the problem. Replaced the AC last
week. Didn't fix the problem. I took my niece camping this week and have some more information. (Also: all fuses, checked. Breakers, checked. Nothing is broken, or tripped.)

12v lights: very, very low voltage at the State Park we were at (same as when hooked into my grandparents’ cabin); bright when I hooked into 30amp shore power we got home.

Checked the battery level and it was low, as one would expect in charging a battery from the Jeep while driving.

12v lights bright when hooked into the Jeep, which suggests 12v-12v is working fine, because no converter needed.

Left the 12v lights on in the morning—went from bright to dead in 2 hrs. (still hooked into 30 amp shore power)

Anything hooked into the outlet (fans, lamp), works just fine.

Conclusion: 120v is going in, but not converting to 12v. Battery also not being charged from shore power. It's annoying.

Has anybody had to have theirs replaced? How do I know if the converter has gone bad, or if there's an easy thing to try that I haven't thought of?

Any help would be much appreciated!

[Darwin Maring]

Turn the 12VDC switch off and to be sure, pull the fuse. Connect to jeep and see if you have 12VDC. That isolates the converter out of the system.

[Karen B.]

Dumb question, but where would I switch that off? Do you mean the breaker or somewhere else?

[Darwin Maring]

In the power panel there may be a switch and there may be a fuse. Open your power panel, take a picture and post it.

[DaveLevenson]

Regarding the A/C problem. Understand the definition of "relative humidity" which is what your hygrometer actually indicates. It is the ratio of the current moisture content to the maximum moisture content (saturation point) of the air, based on the air temperature. If you reduce the temperature and do nothing with moisture, you lower the saturation point, and thereby increase this ratio. Air conditioners normally cool the air and simultaneously condense some of its moisture, thereby lowering the temperature and the moisture content, but not necessarily the ratio (relative humidity). If the A/C is not cooling the air enough to condense the water vapor in it, or if the condensate drain is blocked, allowing the condensate to evaporate into the conditioned air, then you're only lowering the temperature and not the moisture content. In either of these cases, the relative humidity indication will increase.

[Darwin Maring]

Check the drain.

[CharlesinGA]

My A/C question is where is the water going? We all know that water drips from window A/C units, automobiles, central air units, they all condense water out of the air and DRY the air out inside. It has to be going somewhere. There is no way the A/C is working and the humidity inside is increasing.

Clearly your converter is bad. Your battery is also probably bad, and if you have not, you should convert the lights to LED to lower the power consumption. I prefer M4Products replacement lights because you can chose a color that is right for you. Some people prefer a yellowish warm white, I prefer a pure white or natural white, while a few like a cold or bluish white (annoying to most people) M4 specifies the exact LEDs, by make and part number to be used in their bulbs and this allows different bulbs with different types of bases, to all put out the same color light. They are not cheap however, but are quality products that don't start failing in a year or so.

Post up pics of your power center, both closed and open and if possibly with the fixed cover removed, and we can make recommendations on a new converter.

Charles

[johnlochbuie]

Battery is shot won't take a charge

[northwinds13]

Battery could be bad. Converter could be bad.

I replaced my converter on a 2001 Scamp without being that handy. There are YouTube videos you can watch. I took lots of pictures before and labeled the wires before removal.

Hardest part was that the new converter was larger than the hole available. Had to cut a bigger hole. Doesn’t look terribly pretty but it has worked for several years without issues.

I emailed Progressive Dynamics, told them what I had, and they made recommendation for new one.

[CharlesinGA]

I missed the part about when you get home and hook to 30 amp shore power that the lights get bright. That tells me the converter is working. Old type converters are single voltage, while newer ones charge at higher voltage until the battery is fairly well charged , then the converter drops the voltage to continue the charge and when the battery reaches full charge the conveter drops back again to prevent cooking and boiling of the battery. While your converter may be working, it probably is an old single stage one that will shorten the life of your battery. It does sound like your batteries are shot..

What I am not understanding is why the lights are bright at some places, such as plugged in at home, while at your grandparents or the campground, they are not. When you are plugged in and the lights are dim, are the 120v electric outlets working? This may be a problem with a bad plug on the shore cord, or something equally strange.

Question, you do realize that at the campground, once you plug in, you have to turn on the circuit breaker for the appropriate outlet in the pedestal, the breakers being just above the outlets? Its quite possible that the outlet at your grandparents home is dead, did you try it with another device such as a lamp to see if it works?

In one place you stated "Anything hooked into the outlet (fans, lamp), works just fine." Question, what is this outlet? one inside the trailer?

Also, in RV's, the electrical connections become loose over time due to vibration, and you should, with everything opened up and all power removed from the trailer, tighten all connections on the circuit breakers, ground bar, neutral bar, 12v fuse panel if it has screw terminals (on the large terminals you have to use a snug fitting wrench to hold the terminal blocks while you are tightening the screws, or you can damage the circuit panel).

Ok, I am finally connecting the dots. Your battery was low, so your lights were dim. Plugged in at the state park or your grandparents did not help (ie. converter not working) but you drove home and while driving the Jeep charged the battery, so when you got home you plugged in and viola! the lights were bright (because the Jeep charged them) but they quickly went dim and dead (because the converter was not working)...............

Got It!

Converter bad
Battery Bad

Charles

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by northwinds13

Hardest part was that the new converter was larger than the hole available. Had to cut a bigger hole. Doesn’t look terribly pretty but it has worked for several years without issues.

I emailed Progressive Dynamics, told them what I had, and they made recommendation for new one.

Were you replacing a WFCO converter in a WFCO panel? with a Progressive 4600 series replacement? Please tell me you didn't leave the converter in the steel "can" that it is mounted in, as it comes out of the package..............

The steel can or box is used only with Parallax power centers. With others such as the WFCO power centers you remove four screws and take the converter out of the can/box and slide it in place of the old converter and use the plastic bar with two pegs to hold it in place............. and discard the nice steel can/box.

https://www.progressivedyn.com/wp-co...ers-manual.pdf

PDF page 5, step 8 "8. Remove new converter core assembly from provided enclosure, by removing (4) screws securing converter to enclosure and slide converter out. Discard the metal enclosure and screws as they are not used when replacing this model converter."

Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did.....................

Charles

[northwinds13]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

Were you replacing a WFCO converter in a WFCO panel? with a Progressive 4600 series replacement? Please tell me you didn't leave the converter in the steel "can" that it is mounted in, as it comes out of the package..............

The steel can or box is used only with Parallax power centers. With others such as the WFCO power centers you remove four screws and take the converter out of the can/box and slide it in place of the old converter and use the plastic bar with two pegs to hold it in place............. and discard the nice steel can/box.

https://www.progressivedyn.com/wp-co...ers-manual.pdf

PDF page 5, step 8 "8. Remove new converter core assembly from provided enclosure, by removing (4) screws securing converter to enclosure and slide converter out. Discard the metal enclosure and screws as they are not used when replacing this model converter."

Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did.....................

Charles

It's been a few years, but I believe it was a dead Parallax power center that was replaced.

I didn't know that re-using the steel box was even an option. The entire enclosure with everything dead inside of it was discarded and replaced with a PD 4135 power center, which was the one recommended to me by PD after I told them what I was replacing.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by northwinds13

It's been a few years, but I believe it was a dead Parallax power center that was replaced.

I didn't know that re-using the steel box was even an option. The entire enclosure with everything dead inside of it was discarded and replaced with a PD 4135 power center, which was the one recommended to me by PD after I told them what I was replacing.

Ok so you replaced the entire power center and not simply the converter. Rather odd actually as not much to go wrong with a power center. I love the Parallax power centers because they are steel and not plastic. If I ever get an RV that has a plastic power center it is coming out and a Parallax (with a Progressive converter) is going in.

Charles

[northwinds13]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

Ok so you replaced the entire power center and not simply the converter. Rather odd actually as not much to go wrong with a power center. I love the Parallax power centers because they are steel and not plastic. If I ever get an RV that has a plastic power center it is coming out and a Parallax (with a Progressive converter) is going in.

Charles

Yes, you're probably right, but that was PD's recommendation to me when I emailed about the dead converter. As it turns out, I learned a lot about the 12 volt system and the 110 system when I had to rewire everything to the new power center, which was only $120 at that time.

[Karen B.]

It's draining, actually. Plenty of condensation down the side.

[Karen B.]

The battery is two weeks old...

And I'm pretty sure now that it's a bad converter. I checked the battery (which is two weeks old) and it's charging when hooked into the car (on the road), but not charging when hooked into shore power. Once the 12v lights go out (when the battery dies), they're gone. Really irritating.

It's currently at Scamp for a new converter (they said that sounds like it's the problem), so fingers crossed that solves it. I keep solving the symptoms, not the problem and that's getting annoying.

Thanks for all your help, everybody!