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Post by jopp43 on Jan 16, 2019 9:53:37 GMT -5
Ok so here is my question.... All of my lights and appliances work when the rv is plugged into a shoreline ac power, or when the generator is running they're ok, or when they rv itself is running they're ok, but when I unplug from a shoreline or turn off the generator or turn off the truck then my lights will all work for a short bit, sometimes one minute sometimes a few more minutes and then all of a sudden everything quits working. And they don't go dim or slowly fade away as everything just instantly shuts off and no power to anything. My batteries are all fresh as I have just recently checked them all and plus they were all replaced this summer about 6 months ago. I'm not sure how an inverter or a converter work but could it be an issue with one of those? After they shut off I can start my generator and they come back on or I can start the truck or plug back in and they will instantly come back on and do the same thing. Any thoughts or ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
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Greg
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 39 
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Post by Greg on Jan 16, 2019 10:10:25 GMT -5
Did you simply check voltage on your batteries, or load test them? A bad battery may show good voltage, but not have the amperage.
If you are experiencing an issue while not one shore power, but everything is fine while on shore power, then the converter itself is working. Do you have a battery disconnect switch? If you disconnect the battery while on shore power, the converter is not able to charge the battery. So once you disconnect and turn your battery on, there is not enough amperage to last long.
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Post by laknox on Jan 16, 2019 10:12:22 GMT -5
The slow fade is a bit strange; almost sounds like there's a small capacitor in the line somewhere, just enough to give a few seconds of lights. Here's some easy stuff to check first.
1. Bad connections. Recheck battery connections and main ground.
2. Charge the batteries then have them load tested. Not unheard of for a new battery to go bad. Make sure each battery is isolated and checked individually, not the whole bank at once.
3. Bad/weak power converter. Check the 12v out to the batteries and see what voltage is being put out while plugged in. If anything less than 13v, then you have a problem. Replace with a =good= one, if out of warranty, or have the stealer replace it under warranty. Might check to see if they'd replace it with a good one, with you paying the difference. Progressive Dynamics seem to be the go-to converter.
Lyle
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Post by laknox on Jan 16, 2019 10:12:57 GMT -5
Did you simply check voltage on your batteries, or load test them? A bad battery may show good voltage, but not have the amperage. If you are experiencing an issue while not one shore power, but everything is fine while on shore power, then the converter itself is working. Do you have a battery disconnect switch? If you disconnect the battery while on shore power, the converter is not able to charge the battery. So once you disconnect and turn your battery on, there is not enough amperage to last long. D@mn! Missed that one! :-) Lyle |
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Greg
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 39
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Post by Greg on Jan 16, 2019 10:25:39 GMT -5
Did you simply check voltage on your batteries, or load test them? A bad battery may show good voltage, but not have the amperage. If you are experiencing an issue while not one shore power, but everything is fine while on shore power, then the converter itself is working. Do you have a battery disconnect switch? If you disconnect the battery while on shore power, the converter is not able to charge the battery. So once you disconnect and turn your battery on, there is not enough amperage to last long. D@mn! Missed that one! :-) Lyle It happens! 👍🏻 |
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Greg
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 39
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Post by Greg on Jan 16, 2019 11:15:54 GMT -5
My mother and step father had an ongoing issue with their Raptor. Unfortunatey they don’t take it out very often, and it took two years to get to the root of the problem because of that, combined with his “habits”. They also do not do any boondocking and only make short runs of 1-2 hours.
Problem: Loss of 12v power while in use, on shore power. (Loss of 12v power will disable AC, Heat, Lights, and basically all critical systems aside of the fridge while on shore power)
Initial Diagnosis: I found that he was using the battery disconnect switch to cut off battery power while on shore power. First though, problem solved! Turn on battery, everything is good. Wrong. After two days, began to experience the issue again, so we replaced the battery. Completed the outing with no problems.
Fast forward 2 years- we are out this past summer for 4th of July, 100 plus temps, and experience the power loss again, while on shore power. This time the battery switch is on. Bad battery again? Replace it. All is good for 1 day. So, I go back and start retracing steps and digging into the 12v power system.
I find that he had a trickle charger hard wired to the battery. As I ran through the past 3 years of problems, it dawns on me that this trickle charger he installed after they first bought it was screwing with my testing. Voltage was good, but load test was bad.... 12v power worked fine unless the AC was running constant on hot days, or when heat was in use. At the end of everything, his converter was bad. Most likely, the converter went bad because for the first few years of ownership he was disconnecting the batteries while on shore power and forcing the converter to provide all 12v power by demand, rather than the battery being included in the system for reserve or power spikes. This also solved the AC problems he had been experiencing for 3-4 years.
By description of the issues you are having, I am highly inclined to believe that your converter is perfectly fine. The real issue is related to power delivery from your battery to the circuit panel. With a high probability that the battery is bad. Another thing to note, on my step father’s Raptor, the battery for the Generator is strictly for the generator, and not tied to the power supply for the trailer.
Can you hear your converter running while you are on shore power? You should be able to hear the fan running. They are generally located behind the circuit panel.
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Post by jopp43 on Jan 17, 2019 9:05:35 GMT -5
I will check to see if I can hear the fan running on the converter this morning. What does the power inverter do? And yes it seems like a capacitor as it all works fine for a few minutes after I unplug or turn rv or generator off then just all of a sudden everything stops working with no dimming of lights or anything like that.
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Greg
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 39
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Post by Greg on Jan 17, 2019 9:12:20 GMT -5
The converter makes 12v dc power out of 110v ac. An inverter will produce 120v ac from 12v dc power.
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Post by wheatboy on Mar 25, 2019 12:17:21 GMT -5
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