12V lights and fridge

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carbuff34

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Aug 5, 2006
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Could someone tell me if this sounds like an inverter problem.  My cabin lights and fridge will work if I am plugged in to a 120V outlet.  The fridge will not work at all if not plugged in, it does work on propane or 120v.  When unplugged the cabin lights are very dim.
Any info would be appreciated.
Leo ???
 
Sounds like your house batteries are low.  Without being pluged in measure the battery voltage. Also what type of rig make and model>
 
Sounds like a bad or discharged battery.  Your lights are 12V and not powered by the inverter.  Since they work properly on shore power, the converter is probably OK, but either the charger isn't charging or the batteries are bad.

Tell us the year, make and model of RV and what make and model of converter or inverter/charger and we can possibly suggest other places to look.  Also, what type and how many batteries do you have?  Have you checked the batteries, both for state of charge and under load?
 
Thanks for the input. 

It is an 88 Ford E350 Rockwood class C.  460. CID..  I had to have the alternator replaced and then drove it another 600-700 miles but the battery for the coach did not recharge.  I had a small inverter plugged into my cig lighter and it read 13.7 plus, after the new alternator was installed.  I will find out what kind of inverter I have and will post it as soon a I am able.

Thanks again,
Leo
 
I believe you have a CONverter, not an INverter. A CONverter produces 12V power from 120VAC and includes a battery charger. An INverter produces 120VAC from 12V battery power and is used tp power AC devices when shore power is not available. Few RVs of your vintage came with inverters, though someone may have added one later. Some inverters include battery chargers and others do not.

Is the thingy in the cigarette lighter an inverter that you can plug a AC-powered device into or just a voltage monitor, displaying the chassis battery voltage? In any case, it is displaying the chassis battery voltage, the battery used to start the engine.  You probably have another battery (or batteries) that supply power to the house 12V system, e.g. lights, fridge circuit board, etc..  Your chassis battery may be fine but still no 12V power elsewhere, since the two systems are separate (isolated from each other). And is is possible that your engine alternator does not charge the house batteries, either by design or some problem with the isolator relay.

 
You might check the 'House Battery' disconnect switch, the Converter is very often connected to the high side of the 'Disconnect' relay and the 12v lights will work fine as long a you are connected to Shore Power' but the House Batteries will not charge.  I believe that they are intentionally designed that way so you will have lights.

Happend to my Brother-in-Law on his 2004 Winnebago Adventurer, his interior lighting worked fine and his battery voltmeters read normal but other 12v items (refrigerator, genset, etc.) would not.  He had taken it to the the dealer for some other work and they had engaged the Battery Disconnect Switch. 
 
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