Converter issue

[wasanah2]

My home base is a 30 foot travel trailer in a campground.  It's stationary and I just put skirting around it.  Likely my adult daughter will live here when I go off living in a vehicle or pulling a pop up.  The TT is plugged into shore power.  Recently we had a power outage and my 12 volt lights didn't work during the outage.  So there is a problem with the converter either charging the battery or the battery itself.  There is water in the battery, so that's not it.  Any suggestions on where to look first? 

Other facts:  battery is 3 years old.   I'm in FL, so FL heat is kinda hard on batteries.  This marine battery I bought 3 years ago was the cheapest at Walmart.

Before changing to a new battery (which is top on my suspicion list) where would you start?  BTW, I can't find my Radio Shack battery tester, so in your experience is it likely I just need a new battery?

 

[bullfrog]

Take it back to Walmart and have them check it.

 

[wasanah2]

Take it back to Walmart and have them check it.

I suppose I could do that.   I'll have to get someone to load it up for me (I'm in a CG with lots of people).  I just had eye surgery and can't lift anything over 15 lbs. for awhile.  Yeah that might be what I need to do and then if it's dead, I need a new one anyway, and I can make the exchange there.  Good thinking, bullfrog.

 

[Zil]

It is next to impossible to check 12 volt systems without a multi-meter. Best idea to take it back to Walmart. But you still don't know why it failed.

 

[Trebor English]

Maybe someone in the campground has a meter you can borrow.  That might turn up something like a disconnected battery or blown fuse avoiding carrying the battery back to the store.

 

[wasanah2]

Maybe someone in the campground has a meter you can borrow.  That might turn up something like a disconnected battery or blown fuse avoiding carrying the battery back to the store.

Good idea.  Someone here has a meter.  It's pretty full now too in anticipation for Labor Day.  Someone's got to have one.  Thanks

 

[closeanuf]

You didn't say if you got your 12V back when the electricity came back on.  I live in an RV park too and unless power outages are real frequent and you have 12V when you have shore power I wouldn't worry about it, especially while you are healing up.  The less stress in your life the faster you will heal.  If you were on the road I could see the necessity of fixing it now.

 

[wasanah2]

You didn't say if you got your 12V back when the electricity came back on.  I live in an RV park too and unless power outages are real frequent and you have 12V when you have shore power I wouldn't worry about it, especially while you are healing up.  The less stress in your life the faster you will heal.  If you were on the road I could see the necessity of fixing it now.

My 12 volt interior lights jump to shore power when shore power is available, so as soon as the power came back on, they came back on.  The plan for now is to tomorrow go around and see if someone has a meter so I can see what kind of power I have in the battery.  The battery is 3 years old, and I think it's probably going to be a bad battery. 

Usually when the power goes out, I have the fridge on 12 volt as well as the lights.  Neither worked.  When this happens, I usually switch the fridge to propane and then use the 12 volt for lights which don't burn a lot of power and I can last pretty long on the battery.  I need to install a cigarette plug, but as of now, there is none.  It's handy to have something like that.

Anyway it's dark now and camping people go to bed early, well in this geriatric park they do.  I'll ask around in the morning.  Thanks for all the good advice.

 

[highdesertranger]

a couple of points,

the old dumb converters kill your battery, any battery, anytime you leave them plugged in long term.

you should not be running your fridge off 12v when stationary. it takes a huge amount of electrical energy to run an absorption refrigerator.

highdesertranger

 

[wasanah2]

a couple of points,

the old dumb converters kill your battery,  any battery,  anytime you leave them plugged in long term.

you should not be running your fridge off 12v when stationary.  it takes a huge amount of electrical energy to run an absorption refrigerator.

highdesertranger

HDS, for the time being, I'm hooked up at a campground.  Electricity is covered.  It costs me nothing.  Propane does cost me something.

 

[highdesertranger]

so electricity is free at this camp ground? if so switch the refer over to 120v. when the power went out running your refer off of 12v probably ruined your battery. highdesertranger

 

[wasanah2]

so electricity is free at this camp ground?  if so switch the refer over to 120v. when the power went out running your refer off of 12v probably ruined your battery.  highdesertranger

It runs on 12 volt or propane, not 120v.  If you had read what I said, when the power went out, I switched it to propane.  Besides the 12 volt didn't work anywhere when the power went down.  Thus I have either a bad battery or a converter not doing its job.

 

[wasanah2]

OK, the battery has been tested, and it is dead.  I put a marine battery charger on it, and after 6 hours, nothing.  It's time to replace the battery anyway according to longer time RVers here.  Florida is extra hard on batteries.  One guy said he expects they last 2 years unless you buy the expensive type.   In case there is something wrong with the converter, we won't know until I put a new battery on board and test its charging ability then. 

So the next step is getting a new battery, which I may wait to do until after Labor Day due to family stuff going on, and I have my second cataract surgery next week.  I'll be able to pay closer attention then and get this figured out.  Thanks all for your help.

 

[Trebor English]

Do you need a battery?  The function of the converter is to take 120, convert it to 12, and supply power to your 12 volt lights, pump, fridge, etc.  

If the issue is power outage the battery will keep your lights on for a few days.  If power is out 2 weeks after a hurricane the battery alone won't do the job.  

Keep the old battery.  When you get a new one they charge an extra $10 to $20 if you don't have a trade in.

 

[wasanah2]

Do you need a battery?  The function of the converter is to take 120, convert it to 12, and supply power to your 12 volt lights, pump, fridge, etc.  

If the issue is power outage the battery will keep your lights on for a few days.  If power is out 2 weeks after a hurricane the battery alone won't do the job.  

Keep the old battery.  When you get a new one they charge an extra $10 to $20 if you don't have a trade in.

Yes, I need a battery.  In FL we have daily storms most months of the year.  I lose power at least once a week.  This TT is now permanently parked, with skirting, and will serve as my home base and home to my adult daughter.  So I don't want to leave without fixing this issue.  The converter makes it so we can use shore power to run our fridge on 12 volt as well.

Power outages here aren't for a few days, just several hours.  No, I don't want it for hurricanes.  I plan to get a generator for that.   It's just for lights.  When the power goes, we put the fridge on propane, so only the lights are running on it.  My daughter works from home.  If we lose power, she can work on the battery power on her laptop; she doesn't have internet then, but at least if there are lights, she can work from her paperwork.  And it's annoying to get out candles and flashlights when we'd prefer to have our 12 volt lights.

Why on earth would I want to keep a dead battery that won't charge up?  Especially if it costs me 10-20 bucks to keep it?

 

[Trebor English]

Why on earth would I want to keep a dead battery that won't charge up?  Especially if it costs me 10-20 bucks to keep it?

A new battery will cost you 10-20 bucks more if you don't have a trade in.