Wiring issue

[Jmthomas]

Hello all.new here just purchased a 2006 22t towlight the guy I purchased it from replaced the inverter he showed me the camper went up and down and all the lights came on ,my wife and I drove it home went out this morning to park it unhooked and went to lift the top and battery just clicked, plugged in shore power and nothing flipped the switch down for battery and lift power it worked for a couple seconds then almost no power left it for a couple hours to see if battery would charge and now no power at all from shore power cord or solar panel not sure what is going on any suggestions thank you

 

[retiredcamper47]

Sounds like battery drained. Battery must be fully charged to raise top. Things to check: 1 - Is the fridge set on 12v? 2 - Is the brake-away switch on the tongue pulled out? 3 - Check the 12v fuse panel for blown fuses. I’m sure others will respond with more suggestions. Good luck.

Bob

 

[JackandJanet]

I'd say your battery is discharged. Why? I don't know. You need to charge the battery to full and then try it. The top WILL NOT lift if the battery is discharged! Shore power and the converter cannot supply enough Amperage to lift it either.

One way to get the top up is to use jumper cables from your tow vehicle to supply the needed battery power from the tow vehicle's battery. The problem here, though, is it is awfully difficult to connect the jumper cables to the trailer's battery if the top is down. Some members have created modifications so they could attach the cables to short lengths of cable that have been pre-attached to the battery posts.

Edit: What Bob said above is a great list of causes for the battery discharge.

- Jack

 

[RichR]

Sometimes if the battery is discharged enough the 'converter' will not charge the battery. Then you will either have to jump it or hook a charger to get it back. However, if you were hearing a click it may have enough charge left to not requiring an external charge. Is the battery new? Does the charge line from your tow vehicle work? If so you may get some charge into the battery but it will take a long time to get it to the point where it will lift the top.

 

[Jmthomas]

Thank you for the advice im going to look at the breakaway later this morning ,where is a good place to get information on this camper and a place to order parts thank you again

 

[Jmthomas]

Thank you lots of good info i went and purchased a new battery and it went up fine but how do you get it to use shore power instead of battery power i disconnected the battery to see if the shore power was working ,lights etc but nothing ,we go primitive camping and I just don't want to get stuck somewhere and can't use the a/c and lights ,thank you again

 

[JackandJanet]

To use shore power, you have to be plugged in to 120V AC power. If you are, the converter in the trailer should supply DC charging power to the battery and it should allow 120V AC power to get to the AC outlets, the refrigerator, the water heater and the air conditioning.

You will NOT be able to us the air conditioner while primitive camping, unless you are hooked up to a generator capable of supplying at least 2500 Watts. If the battery is disconnected, you will not have DC power in the trailer, which means no lights, water pump, furnace fan, etc.

Shore power WILL NOT lift the trailer top! The charging current it supplies is much too low for that task. You need a healthy battery for that high Amp task, which requires about 50-55 Amps, I believe.

If your battery is not charging when plugged into shore power, you probably have a converter fault. It could easily be that one or both of the "hidden" 30 Amp fuses in the converter has blown. This thread talks about that problem: https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f28/converter-troubleshooting-repair-6454/

- Jack

 

[Jmthomas]

Thank you I do appreciate all the good info ,I purchased a brand new battery and everything works I geuss what I'm confused about is when I plug into 120 does the battery switch to charge and then everything switches to 120 or is it just charging the battery and powering everything through the battery ,how do I test to see if running off 120 or battery ,because everything im reading from everyone if you don't have a good battery then nothing works right,wondering if this camper is more worry then happy camping thanks again

 

[JackandJanet]

First, the camper is more happy camping than worry, but you HAVE to understand it! (And, you will find, much like owning a home, there is frequent maintenance that must be performed, most of which is minor.)

So, when you are plugged into 120, the battery should be receiving a charge - IF THE CONVERTER IS WORKING. When plugged into 120, your "standard" wall outlets will also be "live", meaning you can plug 120V appliances into them. The 12V DC powered things in the trailer (lights, fan, water pump, etc.) will be working whether you are plugged into 120V or not. But, just like your home, things can go wrong.

If your 120V outlets don't have power when you are plugged into 120V shore power, you may have a popped circuit breaker on the panel in front of the converter. Or, you may have a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) on one of the outlets that needs to be reset. These are just like the same problems that can occur at home.

If your 12V things don't work, you may have the Master Switch (next to the Top Raising/Lowering Switch) in the "travel" or the "top up/down" position. It has a third position, the "camping" position, which it has to be in for those things to work. Or if just some of the 12V things don't work, you may have a blown fuse in the fuse panel that's in front of the converter.

If you have a multi-meter (a MUST if you have a camper, in my opinion and easily bought at a home improvement store for a modest price), it's easy to check if outlets are providing power and you can also test the condition of fuses. You can see if the battery is being charged when plugged into 120V, because the voltage across the battery terminals will be above 13V - possibly 13.5 - 14V. If it is around 12.5V or less, the battery is NOT being charged.

My converter has two "hidden" fuses behind and under the fuse panel that have blown in the past. These are both 30A fuses and if one or both of them is blown, the battery will not receive a charge from the converter. I have a thread on this, titled "Converter Troubleshooting" I think that you should look at for further information.

Hope these thoughts have been at help and are setting your mind at ease.

- Jack

 

[Jmthomas]

Thank you that is really great info ,I have another on the doorside at the beam that oes across that the tree tung is hooked to what is that water spot for is it to give your dog water ? Its a 2006 22t thanks again

 

[JackandJanet]

I suppose you COULD water your dog there, but I think you are talking about the fresh water tank drain, which is a small water outlet on the front curbside.

- Jack

 

[blueblood]

i installed an negative and positive lug through the battery storage compartment and I can boost or charge when the top is down used double stranded 10 gauge braided wire