Battery Charger

[mochastudebaker]

I'm slowly learning this camper and most of my problems are solved. But I'm wondering how the batteries are charged, does the inverter do it, or is there a charger that runs off of the inverter?

[clubhouse]

Not inverter, but rather converter.

Inverter = DC to AC voltage, used to power 120VAC devices from batteries.

Converter = AC to DC voltage, in an RV it's where the AC shore power current is distributed to AC circuits and/or converted to DC and distributed to DC Circuits.

The Converter does charge the battery on the TT. You don't say what year TT you have, but newer trailers have smarter charging circuits in the converter.

[mochastudebaker]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

Not inverter, but rather converter.

Inverter = DC to AC voltage, used to power 120VAC devices from batteries.

Converter = AC to DC voltage, in an RV it's where the AC shore power current is distributed to AC circuits and/or converted to DC and distributed to DC Circuits.

The Converter does charge the battery on the TT. You don't say what year TT you have, but newer trailers have smarter charging circuits in the converter.

Thanks, I should have known that and it's a 2000 Designer. The batteries won't charge

[clubhouse]

With out a battery hooked up, but shore power connected, are you getting 12 volts for the interior lights? If so, you atleast know the converter is making 12v power.

Assuming the batteries are known to be good, I would start looking at fuses. Typically there will be an inline fuse on the negative side very near the battery. Secondly there should be 2 fuses in series on the converter that guards against reverse polarity if someone hooks ups the battery backwards. These are the most common fuse issues. From there I would use a multi-meter and look for voltage out on the 12v side to the battery, to ensure current is leaving the converter. If fuses are good, and current is leaving, start looking for the short.