HELLO!!! - Scamper Converter Problem

Recently purchased a 1980 Scamper and am having issues with the electrical system.  The camper is equipped with a Converter Systems. Inc. CS-506 model converter.  When I plug into a 120 outlet I have no interior light and the furnace will not work when the switch is in converter position.  They both work when I flip the switch to battery mode.  Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks and happy camping to all.

Edit: Added description of problem to subject line - LS

Hello, 80dawgs - Welcome to The RV Forum!

Sounds like your converter is not putting out any voltage.  Either it's died or there's no 120 volts getting to it.

Check the 120 volt side first - make sure you haven't tripped a circuit breaker or blown a fuse either at the source or inside the trailer.  If you're plugged into a GFI protected outlet make sure it didn't trip.

If you're comfortable digging deeper, unplug the trailer from electricity and remove the battery cables so there's no electrical power going into the trailer.  Open the electrical panel and make sure all the connections inside it are good and tight.

Having to flip a switch to change from battery to converter is an unusual arrangement - usually the converter and your loads are both permanently connected to the battery.

You might consider upgrading to a modern converter.  They connect directly to the battery, then you always draw power from the battery connection without having to flip the switch. 

P.S. - I hope you don't mind, I changed the subject line so it's a little more descriptive of the problem. 

WOW.. 1980.. Some of those older converters did not have the OOMPH to run a furnace.  Just a few lights.

I would seriously consider a converter upgrade,  Perhaps a Progressive Dynamics 92xx where xx is 30 percent of your batery bank's amp hour capacity.. IE: Group 29, about 100 amp hours, 9230

thanks for the info. on my problem. this is the first camper i have owned so i am at a loss as to what is going on with the converter. when i am plugged in the converter makes a humming sound and i have power to the remote 120 outlet when the switch is in the converter position, but no power to the camper inside light or heater.i have power to the light and heater when the switch is in the battery position. the camper is a small 8' box pop up and as far as i can tell the only fuse is on the front of the converter along with a circut breaker. i checked both of those and they are fine. here is the info. i got with the camper if anyone remembers them or has had one. 1981 scamper model 112c quipped with a duo-therm 66000 series furnace and converter systems inc. cs-506 converter. are there any budget minded converters that are easy to install for someone with not much electrical exp. out there, or will i be better off buying a generator that has a built in battery charger and charging the battery with it. the only thing i plan on adding is a small TV. was hoping to take my first trip with her in a couple of week's but without heat i don't think that will be a lot of fun here in Wisconsin. thanks again and happy,safe camping to all.

when i am plugged in the converter makes a humming sound and i have power to the remote 120 outlet when the switch is in the converter position, but no power to the camper inside light or heater

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oops... Some basic trailer electrical facts needed here. Trailer lights are 12V (battery)  and thus operate from the 'converter' or the converter/battery combination. The furnace also operates on 12V and not 120Volts and uses propane to heat.

A converter uses the 120V power connection to produce an output of 12Volts DC and charges the battery. As previously mentioned it is unusual, but not impossible, to a have a switch controlling this, or it may simply be your understanding of what the switch is intended to do.  If the converter is humming it is obviously on. What is not unusual is having a switch which will disconnect the battery itself when not in use and prevent discharging it. HOWEVER if the trailer is being towed and has electric brakes, this battery has to be turned on to operate them, especially the breakaway feature.

i have power to the light and heater when the switch is in the battery position.

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Completely normal; see above!! To check if the battery is being charged, use a voltmeter and measure the voltage across the battery. If it reads 13.5 volts or more it is being charged. That brings up the question, how good is the battery??? Water level etc??

The 120 Volt outside plug you mentioned  is powered directly from the 120V power post connection as are any other 120V plugs in the trailer. The outside plug is likely (or should be) a GFC (Ground Fault protected plug) or is powered from an adjacent GFC plug elsewhere in the trailer. There is NO relationship to the humming converter other than that you have plugged the trailer itself into a 120V. supply and the converter is running.

Whether or not you need a generator will depend on your future camping needs. Campgrounds with power or not etc!! The battery charger is already installed, it is called the converter!! You will have to determine if it is working or not and the condition of the battery (ies) itself. There is not a lot of power available in 1 battery, especially for running a furnace, they are kind of 12V power hungry. Next, you will have to determine if the furnace will light.

With all the above facts, try and familiarize yourself with exactly what you have and get back to us!!  You can find a manual for the furnace here:
http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/operating/dt6600.pdf

HTH

thank's alfa38. i'm trying to get a grip on all this info. i have all of the original paper work on the camper as i am only the 3rd owner and the other 2 appear to have taken very good care of it. this is from the converter owner's instructions. the converter switch has three positions: OFF- all d.c. power is turned off. note: if the 120 vac breaker is on, there will still be power to the conveniece outlet. CONV- the converter provides 12 volt power to the d.c. system. use this position when you are hooked up to campground power. BATT- the battery provides power to the d.c. system. use this position when campground power is not available. note: this equipment is not suitable for battery charging. there or no gfi's in the camper. the battery is a new optima deep cycle. there are no brakes on the camper. pluged in again and in coverter mode i have 120 but no d.c. thanks again and safe, happy camping to all.

Ahh, a very 'different' electrical setup compared to the common ones used today!!! I could not find anything in searching the internet for your converter/model either, however, your book seems to explain your particular arrangement quite well. Have you tried  disconnecting the battery itself, plugging in, and then, with the switch in the Conv-. position, checking for 12V at the light and furnace? If 12V is present, it would seem that everything is working as designed. If no 12V present, either the converter is not outputting the 12V or there is an output fuse/cb (may be internal to the converter) popped. According to the quoted documentation, the battery is only intended to  act as a standby and is used only when 120V is not available, (often referred to as dry camping or boondocking).

Your trailer equipment reminds me a bit of my first soft top tent trailer, it had no electricity, battery, propane, heater or brakes, basically a tent on wheels (circa 1967).... but it served us well for a few years.

I think, if it were me, I would install a newer converter with good charging capabilities, forgo that switch arrangement and re-arrange the 120V system to be more consistent with a modern day one. Having no GFI outlet does not surprise me because of the age of your unit and it's size. But, since it is obviously a small unit and knowing the cost of good converters, it would likely be more economical to buy a quality stand-alone battery charger as you first suggested. That one battery will not last long using a heater and,  A standard converter will maintain that battery while plugged in to 120V and supply all the 12V needs. Again, what to do will depend a great deal on how you intend to use the trailer...

As far as a generator is concerned, (your 1st post), again it will depend on your camping choices.
BUT remember, the cheap ones, often referred to as contractors generators, and available in the big box stores, are quite noisy and will not be appreciated in campgrounds either by you or your fellow campers. The battery charger system built-in to these type of generators is not very good either, plugging a quality charger into it would work much better. There are several threads running currently on the subject of portable generators elsewhere in this forum.

If you are a DIY type of guy, and don't mind electrical work, updating to a modern and safe electrical system would be neither difficult nor too expensive....

Updating to a more modern convertor would also be my recommendation. 
Also, a smart charger included with some of the more modern converters, will accomodate charging your Optima battery.  Being an AGM battery, it requires some special charging procedures.  I am guessing it's a blue top.  And I know they aren't cheap!  I own a couple of the yellow tops myself.

Lotsa info on this site.  Keep reading, asking questions, and welcome.

thanks a lot for the info from everyone. i think a new converter is the way i am going to solve this problem. if anyone has any suggestions on any budget friendly units out there i'm all ear's. i'm less than 2 week's away from a hunting trip in black river fall's wi. i don't know if i'll be able to get a new converter shipped and have it installed by then. i will have acess to electric there. should there be any problems if i put a good battery charger on the battery in 2 amp mode and only run the furnace at night, if i can't get the converter done. like i said i'm new to this so your info is gold to me. alfa38, i disconnected the battery and got the same result. denmarc, you are right about the optima a little pricey. i don't want to hurt that puppy. thanks again and safe,happy camping to all.  ted

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