1988 Holiday Rambler Imperial 5th wheel Power Problems Inverter?

[Crimsonswann]

We have been working on a 1988 HR Imperial 5th Wheel 34 ft. Got it rolling, replaced the floors, etc. Here is the problem.we hooked up a new battery, hooked to an outlet at our house and everything ran fine. Turned everything off and unhooked from house. Battery died over a time while we worked on other stuff. We moved the camper to a campground and hooked up. No Power at all. My batttery is not recharging that I can tell. Check d the wires coming in to the battery when hooked to my truck and when hooked to shore power... no voltage coming to the battery.  I have no idea how to find the inverter or if we still have one. Any ideas? If anyone has a picture of the batteries for this model, I would appreciate it. There was only one battery when we got it and an empty compartment beside that battery. Is that where the converter is supposed to go? Or a second battery?

[Rene T]

First, welcome to the forum.
Do you have a inverter like you indicate in the title or do you have a converter like you indicate in the post?  I'm thinking you may find you have a converter. 
Follow the wires from the battery. They should lead you to the converter. That converter may have fuses on the end of the case. They're there to protect the converter if someone accidently hooks up the battery cables to the wrong battery posts.
While hooked up to shore power and using a volt meter, see if you have voltage at the ends of the battery cables when disconnected from the battery.
At the same time, check the voltage of that battery without the cables connected.
Also, you may have a dedicated 110 Volt AC circuit breaker for the converter. If you do, see if it has tripped. If it tripped, you'll need to shut it off then back on to reset it.

If you do find the converter, tell us the manufacturer and the model.

[grashley]

First, Welcome to the Forum.  Thank you for identifying your rig.

The battery is just a typical looking car style battery.  The space beside the battery is for a second battery.  Gary has a GREAT article in the Library about batteries - different types and much more   

 http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php/39-batteries-and-dc-12v-stuff/506-choosing-the-right-battery-for-your-rv

How long did the battery go without attention?  There are draws on the battery such as smoke, LP, CO  detectors that draw power unless the battery is physically disconnected.  Any lights used during other work would have been drawing 12V power.  If the battery was completely discharged, it may not accept a charge, regardless how new it is.
Even if the battery is shot, you may have other issues - "no voltage coming to the battery".

The converter could be anywhere, but is usually close to - behind or below - the main power panel.

Good Luck in your work.  You have the bones of a super nice RV!