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Old 07-07-2015, 02:56 PM   #1
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Location of AC/DC switch on 1995 263 RKS

I'm trying to troubleshoot an intermittent DC only power failure, and I'm having a hard time locating some of the electrical components... Where is the AC/DC power switch at?

I'm guessing they are buried behind the AC breaker box?
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Old 07-07-2015, 04:56 PM   #2
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Never heard of that component?
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Old 07-07-2015, 05:27 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by norty1 View Post
Never heard of that component?
Yeah. AC will power the household type outlets and the appliances requiring AC power. The Converter will the AC into DC for the lights and appliances that use 12v. The power panel will have 2 parts, the AC with household breakers and DC with fuses. A battery can also provide DC in the absence of an AC source.

Are you supplied with AC? Is it only the DC side that has problems?
If both answers are yes, I'd start thinking about a ground problem.
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Old 07-07-2015, 07:14 PM   #4
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I think I asked my question wrong.


where is the converter?!


I found a bad fuse on one of the battery terminals... not sure why, when, or how it died, as the trailer was 90% with A/C power. I suspect it might have happened when I was trying to use a faulty (unknown at the time) microwave, with the air conditioner going (not thinking of the draw) it drew hard enough to momentary swap from AC to DC. (it also does this sometimes when the air conditioner kicks on.


Im using a Honda EU3000I generator to power it...
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Old 07-07-2015, 07:22 PM   #5
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It's unlikely that an AC issue caused the fuse on the battery to blow. Other than the converter which changes AC 120v current to DC 12v the systems are independent. But it's a good thing that you found the blown fuse. Was it a 30 amp fuse connected close to the battery? If so it is the main battery fuse that protects the wiring until the DC power makes it to you DC distribution box and all the different fuses for different circuits. Your generator would provide AC 120v power to all the outlets in your trailer and the 120v sections of the refrigerator, hot water heater, converter, and microwave. If you don't have an inverter - which changes 12v DC to 120v AC - your AC systems are powered only when connected to a generator or a power pedestal.

Your converter is probably nearby the fuses for DC power and the breakers for AC power.

What sort of intermittent DC problem are you having?
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Old 07-07-2015, 07:30 PM   #6
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It was the 30 amp fuse. Its got 1 for each battery.


When I first got it home, I had no DC power. The previous owner had it plugged in for about a month when he first posted it to sell... So I didn't think anything of it. I started digging in and found that the batteries had 3 volts each, which made no sense... because I had it plugged in too. I re-did the terminals, and managed to get them charged up over 36 hours, (14.3 VDC each) serviced the water up, and had no issues till last weekend, but it was plugged in the whole time, and I had DC power before I left for the trip.
I'm thinking now maybe its just coincidence of 2 different problems.
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Old 07-07-2015, 07:48 PM   #7
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Here's some things to think about.

If your batteries were at 3 volts, they were probably seriously damaged; they may be beyond help.

Did your on-board converter charge them at 14.3 volts? Or did you use a separate battery charger? If you used a separate battery charger, did you check the output of the converter when you batteries are installed? Normally the output on modern converters is variable according to the battery's need, from 13.2 volts to 14.4 volts. But, with batteries that spent time a 3 volts, the converter may be acting whacko (to use a technical term).

I'd suggest you check your battery voltage when disconnected from any charger - if charged up and healthy, should be 12.6 - 12.7 volts. Also check your converter by checking the voltage at the battery terminals when the battery is connected and the converter is being supplied with 120 v AC.

It would not hurt to verify that the ground terminal of your batteries are connected to the trailer ground (usually a white wire) and the positive to the positive wire of your trailer (usually a black wire).
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Old 07-07-2015, 07:59 PM   #8
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I charged them with the on-board unit. 14.3 was the indication with the charger still running.


I just re-checked the voltage. They are both sitting at 12.4... If I had access to a charger that I could cap check these batteries, it would show me if they are damaged. I did clean and replace the wiring in the battery compartment, as there was minor corrosion and bad terminal crimps.
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Old 07-07-2015, 08:43 PM   #9
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You've done some good troubleshooting. It sounds like all should be well now. When the batteries are fully charged, your converter should throttle back a bit lower than the 14.3 volts you found - or your batteries will be overcharged. Maybe the 3 volts you measured was caused partially by the dirty connections and you batteries were actually healthier than that.

Post back if there are further issues; somebody will likely have some good advice for you or will at least have had a similar issue. I think everything that can go wrong has been discussed here at least once.
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Old 09-22-2015, 10:12 AM   #10
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Update, which is probably too long in the making.

No further issues have cropped up... I tried to make the electric jacks blow a fuse, but couldn't. I've left the unit off of A/C power for over a week (intentional, i needed the power for other things) and the batteries held up and still had 12+ vdc remaining, after finding out i had a small night light and and water pump left on (unintentional, i thought i had them shut off.)

Everything still seems to work. Taking it out to Yakima this weekend, and expecting to be on gen power most of the time.
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