power outage

[paulk]

i have a 2015 jayco precept 35un.bought off the lot, new in summer 2016. its been a great running machine, still trying to learn the electrical system. always stored it heated barn, so during winter storage, as i was told, i would leave it plugged in. i went to check on it and found the frig panel said low dc.. manuals said even though it was a gas/ac frig, the operating panel was dc .after a series of tests ,frig panel went dead. somewhere i was told to disconnect the house battery and the house power button , to reset a switch? reconnected the battery. the house power button will not engage, the cellinoid clicks but doesn't stay on. house batteries read 13.3, breaker panel has 13.2. 1.no land--no power anywhere, 2.land line only--110ac outlets work, micro,.....nothing else, 3.generater only--110ac outlets, micro work.....nothing else, 4.engine on only-- frige panel turns on, smoke/co2 detector on .....no 110 ac. notes: converter fans are not on. when tripping the main breaker, one fan flicker turns but stops. any ideas for me, anyone????????

 

[LarsMac]

How old are you house batteries?
Check the cabling and connections.

 

[Kirk]

First, if you don't mind, could you use capital letters, punctuation and sentence structure as the lack of capitals and sentence separation makes your post very difficult to read. (thanks! ) I will do my best to respond to various points from your post.

during winter storage, as i was told, i would leave it plugged in

Many people do leave their RV connected to shore power all winter while in storage but I prefer not to do so but I do lift the battery cable from the negative battery post to leave everything on an open circuit.

manuals said even though it was a gas/ac frig, the operating panel was dc .

Al RV refrigerators use 12V power from the batteries or the converter to operate the controls while using either propane or 120V power as the source of heat for the boiler in the cooling system. That is done partly so that it can automatically shift between the two energy sources and it means that the refrigerator will operate from propane when it doesn't have any 120v power.

i was told to disconnect the house battery and the house power button , to reset a switch?

I'm not sure what it is that you want to reset. You may have a battery isolator that uses a switch to control a solenoid that disconnects the battery for storage when not in use.

house batteries read 13.3, breaker panel has 13.2. 1.no land--no power anywhere,

If you are connected to shore power the converter typically converts that into around 13.4V, +/- .2V in most RVs. If you have the RV connected to the outside 120V power and measure across the batteries you should be reading the voltage out of the converter, especially if nothing else is in use. By no power anywhere, do you mean that you have no 12V power, as in the lights, furnace, etc.?

2.land line only--110ac outlets work, micro,.....nothing else,

That would be the things supplied by 120V power which do not need 12V power to operate control circuits. It would seem that you do not have any 12V from the batteries, or from the converter, either of which should supply power if all were as it should be.

3.generater only--110ac outlets, micro work.....nothing else,

This seem to fit with the situation from shore power as they both get distributed the same way and to the same items.

4.engine on only-- frige panel turns on, smoke/co2 detector on .....no 110 ac. notes: converter fans are not on.

That would indicate that your engines 12V system does connect to the RV's 12V system just as it should when running. The engine does not supply any 120V power so it is very normal that without either shore power or the generator running the air conditioner and microwave will not work.

Let me suggest that you take the time to read The 12V Side of Life, written by Mark Nemeth of the Escapees RV Club.

 

[John From Detroit]

Yes RV fridge uses 12 volt to control operation (run it's onboard computer) everything is a computer these days. Phone. TV, Thermostat, Vehicle engine, Water heater, Furnace, Fridge, air conditioner, it's all computers for the most part (Darn few exceptions) and most computers in an RV are 12 volt.

Suspect list NOT in order
Bad connection (See noes as to how to test)
Bad battery (Shorted cell(s)
Bad converter (includes blown fuse)
Tripped circuit breaker... Conv,,, main, or the outlet it's plugged into.

To test.. For main and outlet it's plugged into plug in most anyting (light fan anything runs on 120) if it works. those are good.

CONV Physically touch it, also one known good near it. Do they feel the same. Cycle it OFF and ON (May have to push hard for off)

Battery and converter and wires... Measure voltage at battery 12 volt batteries should be 12.6 give or take a bit a rest 13.6 if on "Float" up to 14.6 if charging.

IF less than 12 volt... Now things get interesting.. For the batteries suggest removal to auto store and let them test. (Though I have other was.. but then I've been doing electronics a long time)
You can also charge the batteries with an external charger.. One I like is about 100 bucks at autozone. It's a Deltran Battery Tender model with 2/20/70 amps and Wi-Fi control app for a phone (or you can local control it) This is a semi-smart charger. Set it to 20 amps and when the battery shows "Full" it drops to 2.. (Truly smart would return to 20 if needed) I've not had luck using it as a jump starter.

Let 'em sit for a day on teh Deltran and then unhook and wait 30 mintues and measure again (Disconnected from RV)
If good reconnect to RV.

Converter.. IF it's good, removing the batteries will bring battery CABLE voltage up over 13 volts.

Converter fuses.. You will have to find them. On my rig the way the converter was installed I had to remove the thing to test the fuses. Measure voltage converter negative out to both of sides of any fuse. if one's blown all are (Same/Same) means fuse is good. less than 13 means converter is bad... NOTE this is for a stand alone..

Some converters are built into the power distribution panel in this case the converter fuse(s) are 30 amps and usually on the far right.. Same test. but a whole lot easier to do.

 

[JayArr]

converter fans are not on. when tripping the main breaker, one fan flicker turns but stops. any ideas for me, anyone????????

Suspect dead converter. Remove and test/replace.

 

[Henry J Fate]

Definitely a converter charger/inverter charger problem.

Find the Charger and diagnose.