No Power To Interior Via Battery

Sgtjohn

The last trip we had no problem and we stored the T@B in the garage using Shore power to keep the battery charged.  Now we're on a trip and everything seemed to work well except the refrigerator won't work on AC but will 12v and propane plus, I have no interior lights.  Today I unhooked the T@B and the red Alde light was blinking as was the carbon monoxide detector.  
All fuses were good however I did not check the Alde or refrigerator fuses.  The Alde didn't work the last few nights either using propane-the red eye was on yet it did heat using shore power.
got battery power to the converter so that's good but no power to interior lights or refrigerator or Alde.
any ideas?  I searched the electrical/technical comments here but no one has the particular problem I have. It is interesting that even with the TV connected there is no lights or power to the interior.  Addendum, I just went
 out and checked the unit and the lights worked inside but they weren't as bright as the were on ac power.  I think the battery may be the problem-the Alde light still blinks.

Nomad

The blinking red Alde light means no propane. At least that's the only time it's ever come on for me.
Did you check the T@B battery inline fuse?

Normfun

Red LED flashes if the voltage to the boiler goes below10,5 V (automatic resetting at higher voltage). Fixed light, the LPG boiler has become blocked (resetting by the central switch for LPG) or overheated (resetting by the main switch of the vehicle).

From the manual. 

Nomad

Ooops - Mine's always been steady red.

Nomad

Sgtjohn - Did you get anything figured out?

Sgtjohn

Battery fuse is good, I'm going out this AM to take the battery to O'Reilly's and let them check it and see if it's good. Thanks, I'll keep you posted.

Sgtjohn

Battery is good, they checked it is it.  I think the problem lies in theNissan pickup.....  I'm going to search the web and see if I can find the location of the fuses.  I know where they're at but I don't know the exact fuse.

Sgtjohn

All the fuses appear to be good, I read somewhere that there is a hidden fuse behind the shower next to the wall.  Is that correct?
i can't figure it out yet, I'm on the road so my tools are limited but I did bring along an electrical probe-12volt.

Verna

 SgtJohn, I have not heard of a hidden fuse behind the shower. You should have a battery fuse, fuses in the converter and those on your Nissan.  The Alde has two hidden glass fuses on top of the Alde, but if it works on electric, those fuses are good. 

Can you trace the ground wire from your converter to the underside of your T@B to make sure it is making good contact with the metal frame? Do the same with your Nissan. Grounding problems can cause the most confusing symptoms. 

Also, if you can borrow a volt/ohm meter, or buy an inexpensive one from Walmart or an auto parts store, you could test each fuse to doubly verify they are good. 

Michigan_Mike

Sgtjohn said:

It is interesting that even with the TV connected there is no lights or power to the interior.  Addendum, I just went out and checked the unit and the lights worked inside but they weren't as bright as the were on ac power.  I think the battery may be the problem-the Alde light still blinks.

I agree with Verna...  Normally bright/dim lights would indicate a bad ground wire and problem therein.  Have you verified that the battery fuse on your tow vehicle for the dedicated feed to the rear of your vehicle is good?  That's where I would start and I would work my way to the rear of the vehicle, check connections in the receiver and trailer wiring harness, verify at these points with a good LED volt meter that you have proper voltage and follow the circuit back into your trailer.....  Water does strange things and will corrode connections during travel and in one instance I had a friend who had bad connections via corrosion and we also found a fuse that had been installed beneath the vehicle as opposed to having it fused at the vehicle battery.  When others do this type of work you never know what they will do.  

If your interior lights and components work well on 110 volt shore power this would indicate that the electric converter is doing it's job and the problem probably lies closer to the tow vehicle.  You can buy a basic cigarette style LED meter at Walmart and could easily test the trailer as follows:  (a.) check and record the voltage hooked to shore power (b.) check and record the voltage unplugged from shore power (c.) check and record the voltage plugged in to the TV and with the vehicle running.   I would take a reading hooked to the tow vehicle (vehicle not running) and then start the TV up and see what type of voltage read you get.  The voltage should increase with the vehicle running and with this information it will help you get to the solution for your problem.  

Sgtjohn

The fuses are all good, I'm in Gulfport MS at present and we've had a lot of rain.  It is supposed to rain here tomorrow but if it lets up I'll check the ground.  We drove from Pensacola to Gulfport and when we arrived here and disconnected the vehicle the interior lights were dim.  The battery isn't being charged on the road with the TV but will on shore power.  I have 12v power at the 1 O'clock position on the TV.  So perhaps it is in the ground somewhere.  I never thought to check the ground, I was concentrating on the power.  

Verna

@Sgtjohn, I'll be down around Mobile, AL on Friday, hopefully. If you're still in the area and need help, I'd be more than happy to help.

Sgtjohn

Thanks Verna, but I'm headed west-toward San Antonio.  I e never seen weather like we're having across the US.  Phoenix is 55 degrees....  The offer you proposed is a mighty generous offer, there aren't many like you, I wish you were my neighbor.

Verna

Thank you, Sgtjohn. I'll be heading towards AZ after the Gulf Coast. If you're out that way, maybe we can meet up.  The weather is weird. I've got to travel over a lot of flooded land to get down south. Then hopefully the snow will be melted around El Paso. It'll be nice weather in a couple of weeks--I have faith!

jkjenn

@Sgtjohnis this happening at more than one shore power location? Are you using a surge protector?

Sgtjohn

Thjkjenn, the battery charges n shore power but doesn't charge driving down the road.  The battery is discharged when we arrive at our destination due to the fridge on 12 volt.
The weather is sour at present so I can't crawl under the T@B to check out the ground ( I guess that is one area I should look at for a ground).
i replaced the battery 30 amp charging fuse today in hopes that will help-I had to, the original fuse fell between the outer panel and converter.  
And Verna, we just might see you in AZ, that was our original destination.  We plan on going to Tucson first then toward Phoenix to look at a house or condo.

Verna

@Sgtjohn when we talk about the battery fuse, we mean the in-line fuse at the battery itself, not the one at the converter inside. I just want to make sure we're both talking about the same fuse. It could be that your alternator isn't strong enough to handle the demand of the frig while driving. Jenn has had that priblem with her Jeep. 

If you haven't figured it out, I'll be in Tucson for a few days mid-month and then on to Lake Pleasant for a T@B/LG gathering the following weekend.  I'll hollar when I get to Tucson.

Sgtjohn

Verna, it worked properly with the TV before, and I did check the fuse at the battery-it's good also.  I checked the battery fuse again yesterday and it seems to be good since the probe lit up.

Verna

@Sgtjohn, I foresee tracing the charge wire from the battery to 7-pin plug on your tow vehicle. Things to look for: blown in-line fuse, charge wire loose at the battery, charge wire rubbing on the exhaust or a part of the vehicle. I have a volt-ohm meter that I carry with me. 

Nomad

SgtJohn - I had my charge wire go bad - rubbing on the frame and exhaust. Finally started shorting out and blowing both the inline fuse and the T@B battery fuse. The T@B ground wire on mine is screwed into the frame on the drivers side back of the wheel.

rrkulla

Should be a fuse on the charge line of the TV or in a fuse box. If that's blown you won't get 12v to the battery.

jkjenn

I wouldn't rule out the faulty ground. When mine (the ground in the T@b) was bad, it didn't show up until cool, damp conditions. This could be what is going on with you, @Sgtjohn. Easiest thing to do is test the 7 pin connector on your TV with a volunteer.

Nomad

If it's a bad ground on "the T@B" as you mention, what are you suggesting by testing at the TV - If everything is good to there, it has to be in the T@B?

jkjenn

PXLated said:

If it's a bad ground on "the T@B" as you mention, what are you suggesting by testing at the TV - If everything is good to there, it has to be in the T@B?

If everything is good on the TV than it is likely the T@b. If you check the 7pin in the TV and find a problem, you can rule out the T@b.

It took the Camping World techs over an hour to find the problem, for me, but they were able to eliminate the TV from the equation pretty quickly.

Sgtjohn

Ha!  I first read the "check out the TV fuse line," I thought the TV works on antenna and cable then I realized it referred to the tow vehicle.  Now back to earth- I have power to the 1 O'clock position on the electrical hookup (looking at the rear of the TV). All the fuses within the converter are good and I checked the main ground with a probe to each 12v fuse receptacle after I pulled the fuses I and I had light/power using the main ground.
jkjenn, what would Camping World charge for an hour of tech labor?  I imagine it would be around $125.00 and I'll call them to confirm.  But, before I take it to them I'll try and isolate the problem and repair it myself.

Verna

Sgtjohn said:

Ha!  I first read the "check out the TV fuse line," I thought the TV works on antenna and cable then I realized it referred to the tow vehicle.  Now back to earth- I have power to the 1 O'clock position on the electrical hookup (looking at the rear of the TV). All the fuses within the converter are good and I checked the main ground with a probe to each 12v fuse receptacle after I pulled the fuses I and I had light/power using the main ground.
jkjenn, what would Camping World charge for an hour of tech labor?  I imagine it would be around $125.00 and I'll call them to confirm.  But, before I take it to them I'll try and isolate the problem and repair it myself.

Sgtjohn, seriously, if you wait until late next week, I can help. While not an electrician, I was a Central Office tech working with 52 Volts at the phone company. 

Nomad

SgtJohn - "TV" - Funny, that thru me off when I first joined the forum :-)

jkjenn

Sgtjohn said:

Ha!  I first read the "check out the TV fuse line," I thought the TV works on antenna and cable then I realized it referred to the tow vehicle.  Now back to earth- I have power to the 1 O'clock position on the electrical hookup (looking at the rear of the TV). All the fuses within the converter are good and I checked the main ground with a probe to each 12v fuse receptacle after I pulled the fuses I and I had light/power using the main ground.
jkjenn, what would Camping World charge for an hour of tech labor?  I imagine it would be around $125.00 and I'll call them to confirm.  But, before I take it to them I'll try and isolate the problem and repair it myself.

@Sgtjohn- I hate to tell you this, but they worked on my T@b for 2 hrs..... for free. I will forever be a fan of CW as a result, especially, CW in Golden, CO. But, you should be covered under warranty still, right?

Sgtjohn

The warranty expired 10 Oct 2015.  I had the T@B in my garage all year because of a shoulder replacement.

jkjenn

Sgtjohn said:

The warranty expired 10 Oct 2015.  I had the T@B in my garage all year because of a shoulder replacement.

There's always @Vernaand phone company employees know their stuff!

ChanW

SgtJohn, I've seen problems with battery connections that were weak (corroded or dirty), that still showed a full 12V when tested, but not when there was a high current draw, for example when starting the car, or maybe when the 3way fridge is on 12v.

Moral of the story for me was to be sure all ground connections are solid and clean. In your case, maybe check the ground on the TV 7pin, to be sure it's good back to the TV battery.