DC power outage

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Dutch1999

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Posts
9
Location
21643
My DC power is non existent, even when on shore power. The lights, water pump, and slide wont work. Checked fuses, breakers and switches. The batteries and shore power work the frig and outlets. My guess is that it has something to do with the battery disconnect. The engine batteries operate the steps, start the engine and has no issues.
 
You should post what type of RV you have, year etc, it will help with troubleshooting. I know on my TT, I have a resettable breaker connected with the battery, looks like this. They can go bad.
 

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Using a volt meter start at the battery following the positive cable. When DC power drops you have found your problem. Likely the main fuse/breaker close to the battery.
 
I have a 1999 dutch. star. All the breakers have been flipped several times and the fuses checked. The 6 volt deep cell batteries read 6.5 each, four of them. The positive cable running into the inverter/charger reads 12.6 and the negative reads 1.7 The outlets work but the lights,slide and water pump do not. The in use/store button doesn't work.
 
Is that 12.6volt reading from the Inverter/charger when it's plugged in to shore power? If so, your charger isn't charging. Should read around 13.4 when charging.
 
How are you measuring the voltage on the ground wire?Are you measuring between the chassis and the battery negative? If so, you should see zero or maybe a 10th or 2. You should disconnect the cable ends and clean them up. Then check to see what symptoms are.
 
That would be my first place to investigate
My thoughts are a fuse or breaker between the inverter and the store/in use button,batteries are good and I believe the inverter/charger is working properly. My outlets function on batteries.
 
My thoughts are a fuse or breaker between the inverter and the store/in use button,batteries are good and I believe the inverter/charger is working properly. My outlets function on batteries.
Look at the picture in my post #2. That was my problem once, it was off the battery positive line, maybe 3 feet under the trailer.
 
The batteries and shore power work the frig and outlets.
Are you telling us that your refrigerator does operate keeping things frozen and also cool? If this is an RV refrigerator it has to be getting 12V-dc power from somewhere. If it is a household type then it only needs 120V-ad power.
The in use/store button doesn't work.
Have you checked with your meter to be sure that the contacts are closed? Just to be sure, I would move both connections to the same post to make sure that they are connected.
 
My bad, microwave works off batteries, frig works off shore power. Not sure which contacts you are talking about
 
Using a volt meter start at the battery following the positive cable. When DC power drops you have found your problem. Likely the main fuse/breaker close to the battery.

You should post what type of RV you have, year etc, it will help with troubleshooting. I know on my TT, I have a resettable breaker connected with the battery, looks like this. They can go bad.
 

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My bad, microwave works off batteries, frig works off shore power. Not sure which contacts you are talking about.
Your microwave requires 120V alternating current as from shore power or a generator. If it works without those then you must have an inverter to supply it. The refrigerator needs 12V direct current for the controls if it is the typical RV absorption refrigerator which can operate from either propane or shore power. That would have to be supplied by either the batteries or from the converter.

The contacts that I was asking about are those for your battery isolator. I would just take it out of the system by putting both connections on the same terminal.

The voltage readings that you show would mean that your converter is putting out maximum charge, and the battery is charged. The picture looks like a fusible link and appears good but it is easily tested by measuring voltage from one side to ground and then the other side to ground. If the voltage is the same, that link is good.
 
You should post what type of RV you have, year etc, it will help with troubleshooting. I know on my TT, I have a resettable breaker connected with the battery, looks like this. They can go bad.
is there a way to manually reset this type of breaker?
 
The photo shows a Class T fuse. Not reset-able. If indeed this was open there'd be battery voltage on one side and not the other, referenced to chassis.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
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