FailureParallax 7355

[Snaken49]

Folks

I'm on a trip to The Alamo city and my Parallax quit working. It will not charge my batteries and barely provides any DC power.


The good news, the batteries are good and will hold a charge from a car charger we can still operate.

Other than a failure of the converter is there any other possible reason for the problem?

Has anyone upgrades 7355 with a Parallax 55TCRU?

Any info will be appreciated!

Snake 49

[KJRitchie]

Same happened to mine. I purchased a Progressive Dynamics PD4655 multi stage charger/converter. Many replace their Parallax before they even need replacing. Buy a smart battery charger if you are on the road so you can charge the batteries at night when on hookups.

Kelvin

[Snaken49]

Kelvin,

Parallax makes a compelling, logical argument against the extra expense of a "smart charger". They say the smart sensors cannot possibly differentiate voltages between two batteries wired in parallel. Check out the FAQ.

http://www.parallaxpower.com/faqs




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[richinny]

I changed out my charger to extend the time before i had to replace the batteries. are the fuses in the parallax ok?

[Snaken49]

All the fuses and CBs are good on the Parallax. I see no obvious reset switch or other indication as to why it is not charging the batteries or will not provide enough DC volts to run all the lights with the batteries off line.


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[Wayne&Sam]

Using my stock Parallax converter in my '07 Safari the batteries lasted seven years. When in storage I didn't leave it plugged in, I used a 3-stage charger. Same plan with my '14. If the Parallax died, I'd probably go with a 3-stage.

[ckottum]

We also still have the original Parallax to provide 12 vdc when on external power, but we always isolate it from our AGM batteries with the USE/STORE switch. Only our solar system and the truck when towing charges our batteries, they do a good job.

If or when the Parallax finally quits we'll replace it with a better unit.

cheryl

[Rocinante]

Just a thought, if you need parts right away, as we had great service from an RV parts supplier in San Antonio, in case that's what you mean by "Alamo City" The website is a little off, but these guys are great. They helped us out by special-ordering a replacement antenna for our Voyager rear-view camera and then installing it for us when we got there.

http://txrvsupply.com/

Oh and yes, we also replaced our Parallax 7355 with a Progressive Dynamics 4655 - we like to leave our RV plugged in and in the "USE" position at all times so the batteries are fully charged when we decide to go out for an adventure. The PD unit lets us do that.

[Snaken49]

I am in San Antonio! Will check out TX RV supply when they open up.

Many thanks to all of you who responded! I really appreciate your support!

All the best! snaken


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[Snaken49]

Rocinante,

Texas RV supply did not have the Progressive Dynamics 4655 in stock. So I couldn't swap out the converter before hitting the road again.

I did talk to Parallax tech support to trouble shoot the problem. The tech walked me through a series of checks asking me to check voltages with a meter. His diagnoses was that I had an unscheduled load or a short somewhere that was causing the converter to shutdown.

Later I isolated all the DC circuits but it still would charge my batteries. I wound up swapping out the Parallax unit with a PD4655 unit purchased from http://www.bestconverter.com/

They are very helpful and the swap out was easy. Also the PD4655, DC circuit board provides 5 additional DC slots in case you want to add extra DC powered items to your rig.

http://progressivedyn.com/mobi/pd460...placement.html


Thanks again to everyone who responded and those who support AS forums.

All the best! Snaken49


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[Plasma800]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Just a thought, if you need parts right away, as we had great service from an RV parts supplier in San Antonio, in case that's what you mean by "Alamo City" The website is a little off, but these guys are great. They helped us out by special-ordering a replacement antenna for our Voyager rear-view camera and then installing it for us when we got there.

http://txrvsupply.com/

Oh and yes, we also replaced our Parallax 7355 with a Progressive Dynamics 4655 - we like to leave our RV plugged in and in the "USE" position at all times so the batteries are fully charged when we decide to go out for an adventure. The PD unit lets us do that.

Now you make me wonder... is there any problem leaving the stock setup plugged in while stored???

[Snaken49]

Plasma,

Oh definitely do Not leave the stock Parallax charging your batteries continuously! You will cook the water out of your batteries especiallya


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[Rocinante]

If you have a stock setup, the converter / charger applies a constant charging current to the batteries regardless of the state of the battery. Thus, if you leave the TT plugged into shore power indefinitely with the battery switch in the "USE" position, you run the risk of over-charging and damaging your batteries.

With the stock setup while plugged into shore power, you'll want to flip the battery switch from "USE" to "STORE" once your batteries are fully charged. The converter will then provide shore power to your trailer as needed while the switch in "STORE" protects your batteries from over-charging. It's entirely possible to manage this issue without swapping out the converter, but it requires manual intervention and close attention.

I can't be bothered with managing that process manually via the switch and worrying about whether I put it in the right position at the right moment. So, I swapped out the stock converter for the PD 4655, which obviates all this and further adds a stage that charges the batteries more quickly when they are low.

[Snaken49]

Especially in the hot summer months.

A lot of folks do not realize that their batteries charge up while driving. So after a long trip there's no need to charge batteries when you hook up to shore power in storage.

You can disconnect the batteries from the charging feature of the Parallax by click the "Store" switch to the down position.

I do this and generally wait a month before flipping it up to Use position to charge my batteries.

5 years with my Flying Cloud and AGM batteries with no problems until the Parallax failed.

Best! 😊


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