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Old 12-20-2015, 09:20 AM   #1
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Emergency. I'm boondocking and lost power

Hey. Last night the TT went blackout. NOTHING works. Battery is fully charged but none of it's getting to us.
New Generator has died too/can't start. Yesterday battery read 50% so I put generator on it for 1hour (camper monitor was reading very hi >16, so I took it off. Last night w no unusual heavy load it died. Campsite will as us to leabe@noon but I can't get awning/slide out in.
Nearest town w possible repair is 20miles away and it's a Sunday.
Stuck
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:28 AM   #2
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All I can offer are the usual suspects, check for blown fuses, battery connections. Another thought, if you had 16V being fed to the battery it may have exploded. Give it a good eyeing.
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:30 AM   #3
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I know this is an obvious statement that probably doesn't need to be said... But,
check ALL!! fuses and circuit breakers. Then trace the main lines off the battery to see if there is an inline fuse and check that. Finally, if they all are good, you may have to remove the main power/fuse/circuit breaker panel or some other panel to get to the converter. Then check to see if the converter has fuses in it and whether they are blown.
When checking the fuses, I hope you have a way of checking continuity across the fuse. Sometimes they look ok but are actually blown.
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:30 AM   #4
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Check all fuses everywhere.
Plug tow vehicle in and see if that will get the awning/slides in.
Last resort: they can be manually retracted?
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:55 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doonkin View Post
Hey. Last night the TT went blackout. NOTHING works. Battery is fully charged but none of it's getting to us.
New Generator has died too/can't start. Yesterday battery read 50% so I put generator on it for 1hour (camper monitor was reading very hi >16, so I took it off. Last night w no unusual heavy load it died. Campsite will as us to leabe@noon but I can't get awning/slide out in.
Nearest town w possible repair is 20miles away and it's a Sunday.
Stuck
If your battery was down to 50% yesterday and you only ran the generator for an hour, good chance your battery is dead. To pay attention to the camper monitor is a recipe for misinformation. How do you know the battery is fully charged?? Get a volt meter and determine where your voltage is. Don't rely on the monitor in your rig.
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Old 12-20-2015, 10:08 AM   #6
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Plug the truck into the camper and see if you have power.. TRUCK RUNNING
With a VOM ( volt ohm meter) check the battery for power (when not hooked up)
check the fuse at the battery
check cables for corrosion
does the battery have water in it?
Check all the fuses in the fuse panel (not the breakers)
if nothing else the slide out can be retracted with a wrench
the awning can be retracted with the emergency awning power cord that came with the RV.. you can use the battery from your electric drill or from your truck... if you can get it close enough.
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Old 12-20-2015, 11:19 AM   #7
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Power again

It's on again. Got up when dawn broke having no solution. Checked Gcfi/fuses/breakers. All good-volt -tested battery@source-12.6-still zero juice. Went to see ranger hoping he had an answer, and when I came back power was ON full strength.
Yes I made sure battery was tip-top pre trip. There is something faulty going on-but now it's working I'm terrified to go anywhere near converter box (clueless)in case I mess it up again.
Sorry for freakin out but things weren't looking good there for a bit
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Old 12-20-2015, 12:32 PM   #8
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be sure and check the battery connections

make sure the connections to the battery are tight and clean, those connections are the source of many problems.
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Old 12-20-2015, 12:37 PM   #9
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Check the frame ground connection from the negative battery terminal... May be loose. Also look into the main 30 Amp fuse case by the battery box, it may be corroded.
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Old 12-20-2015, 12:52 PM   #10
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I have found it is a fairly simple matter to pull the converter from its location and check to make sure all connections to it are tight. If the converter is under the range/oven, pop the top off the range and remove the screws attaching it to the counter. Then set the range on the floor and you will see all the wiring under it. (You can also seal the wiring and propane lines with foam while in there). The propane line for the range is long enough that you can set it on the floor without disconnecting. Also check the main wiring box near the battery. I have seen many loose connections there as well. Good luck.
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Old 12-20-2015, 02:28 PM   #11
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I would get home first! You have got a loose connection somewhere.
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Old 12-20-2015, 02:33 PM   #12
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All the comments are useful, kind, and generous.

If a newbie rv maintenance license was required based on demonstrated basic electrical and propane knowledge, a lot of RV owners would be the better for it.
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Old 12-20-2015, 04:24 PM   #13
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If it mysteriously startef working, not a fuse. Could be a loose wire connection at the converter box. Fairly easy to check safely. Unplug the tt from shore power and disconnect the battery (mark which lead goes where). Pull the converter box, and tighten every connection. Put it back in, and reconnect power.

If you ever run out of power plug your TV into the camper, and that will power your awning and slide.
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Old 12-20-2015, 05:01 PM   #14
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Emergency. I'm boondocking and lost power

Quote:
Originally Posted by RodgerS View Post




All the comments are useful, kind, and generous.



If a newbie rv maintenance license was required based on demonstrated basic electrical and propane knowledge, a lot of RV owners would be the better for it.

Hey Rodger, glad to see your still around. I thought u posted a week or so ago that you were leaving the forum... Not sure how your post helped the OP. Requiring a license? It's not rocket science. Forum knowledge is all that's needed. We all learn when a situation we are not familiar arises and someone helps us or we grow from the knowledge we already have...

OP glad it's working but need to do some checking before the problem comes back.
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Old 12-20-2015, 05:07 PM   #15
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I was thinking if our drivers license had to be administered every year instead of every 10 like most states allow that there would be a load of less accidents and people driving that had no business.

Kinda like the same idea as RodgerS has.
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Old 12-20-2015, 05:12 PM   #16
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Emergency. I'm boondocking and lost power

Imagine the cost we'd pay in taxes to have the government administer that lol.... And only older drivers would probably fail a yearly retest. Anyone can be good for one test. Most accidents are aggressive or under the influence drivers...

Requiring a class to buy a trailer is silly. Most would never need it. Either because they will never have a problem or because they have basic trouble skills from life experiences.... Offering one at a dealer would be great as long as it was voluntary. I bet a lot of people would take it. I would!
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Old 12-20-2015, 07:15 PM   #17
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I agree with you, both would be silly.

I was just making the point that if a person wants more knowledge of anything, there is nothing stopping them in these days and times but their own motivation.

Some dealers do offer basic instruction and up but it is not common. I would also have jumped into it back then. Basic electricity, plumbing and trouble shooting skills will take you a long way in rv's. Also reading and watching videos on the net.
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Old 12-20-2015, 07:30 PM   #18
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Thanks for all the great info

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I put the generator on the battery all mornings charged it full, but simply putting the slide-out in it dropped to zero. I went into town n bought a new 12v deep cell-just for piece o mind. Will check all those connections when I get home. In a campsite now w 30amp-all good. Boy that was a sleepless night!
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Old 12-20-2015, 07:32 PM   #19
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When my battery bank hits the 50% charge rate (appx 12.0VDC) it takes me a good three hours of charging from my trailer smart mode converter/charger being run by my 2KW Generator to bring them back to their 90% charge state.

If I do not get the 90% charge state on the battery bank then I will not use them again until I do get the 90% charge state otherwise the batteries will not perform correctly. They will go back to the 50% charge state alot quicker then they usually do... Doing this several times in a roll the batteries will go dead on me rather quick...

I also am setup to watch my batteries with two DC VOLTMETERs and one master DC AMPMETER measured at my main DC SWITCH location very near the battery bank when I am using them. I can tell right away what is happening out of the ordinary...

Anything new that I have added or done always gets checked out at home in the back yard or run at my very local 25 mile away camp ground before getting into a situation like you are in now being caught way out in the woods somewhere..

These are called "Always have a PLAN B" haha...

My truck system is my last resort power source and I will never do anything to it to make sure all those 12V systems are working normal. AS you can see this is your only way to get home.

Hoping you can get things going again...

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Old 12-20-2015, 11:55 PM   #20
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Fyi

Thanks ya all. I AM a newbie to all this-less than 1 year in to my Jayco TT. I've mastered most everything to do w the lifestyle but electrics,volts,batteries n all have always alluded me. I wish the dealership would instruct on this but alas you get the 10 minute run down n out the gate you go. I appreciate this site and all the invaluable advice you spend your precious time to give. I'll try n get myself an education on TT electrics but in the meantime thanks for helping a newbie on the road to semi-pro. We were all newbies once I guess
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