Electrical issues with Converter

[Anonymous]

I am new to the truck camper world. We have been camping with a 5th wheel for almost 10 years but found them too big to pack up for a weekend trip. I currently have a 1999 Fleetwood Elkhorn and bought it really cheaply 2 years ago and now know why. The cab over portion has tremendous rot and now I am in the middle of rebuild. That’s not my major concern. When the TC is plugged into shore power all the 120v system works and when the battery is installed the 12v system works. However, the converter will not charge the batteries. Also, I have found that when the battery is not installed and the TC is plugged into shore power the 120v system works but the 12v system does not work. Thinking it was the converter, I replaced the old Magnetek with a new Progressive Dynamic 35 Amp converter. The new converter functions well as it puts out the 14.44 volts to charge the battery, however, the power does not get to the battery. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[John S]

Hey. I’m a novice and still learning myself. Since you replaced the converter/charger, there appears to be no link to the batteries. Does the wire from the converter go through a solenoid? Maybe that solenoid is not working. Does the battery disconnect have a manual switch, or is it a solenoid? Trace the line from the battery to the converter. Also, check your ground from the battery to the chassis or maybe back to the converter.

[Mello Mike]

I would look for a battery cutoff switch or a blown fuse in the wiring between the converter-charger and your batteries.

[Anonymous]

thanks Mike and John. I have taken a volt meter and measured the voltage at the converter on the battery side and it measured 12.5 volts. I then measured the voltage on the converter and it measured 14.44 volts. If there is power on the battery side of the DC circuit board would this mean there is no cutoff switch or solenoid between the converter and the battery. Also, why when the battery disconnected and the TC is plugged into shore power the converter does not provide power to the 12v DC circuit?

[John Perz]

Anonymous wrote:

thanks Mike and John. I have taken a volt meter and measured the voltage at the converter on the battery side and it measured 12.5 volts. I then measured the voltage on the converter and it measured 14.44 volts. If there is power on the battery side of the DC circuit board would this mean there is no cutoff switch or solenoid between the converter and the battery.

Just the opposite. If you’ve got 14.44 volts dc coming OUT of the converter, that proves that you are getting 120 volt ac TO the converter AND the converter itself is working. If you are only seeing 12.5 volts dc at the battery (the battery’s current state of charge) that proves that the output of the converter is, in fact, NOT getting to the battery. Could be a cut-off switch, could be a fuse, could even be a broken wire or loose connection. Might not even be a problem with the hot wire, if the converter and battery are not both grounded to the same ground, you’d see the same thing. Time to start tracing wires.

Regards
John
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[Anonymous]

Thanks John for the advice. Unfortunately right now I am fighting sub-zero temperatures and will have to wait a week or so until it warms up to check some more wiring.

[Author]

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