AC/DC in the dark

[stkwhittler]

Have recently replaced the batteries in the Excella,, took it to the woods for a few days and used the Honda only when running coffee or micro.. It was cool so furnace ran some and all was well.. upon returning home hooked it back up to the 120 power supply as that is the norm year round..

went in yesterday and the 12v lights are bout dead,, 120 still seems to be working as I switched on the coffee pot and light cam on.. will check batty connects although I know I am not that lucky.. any suggestions,, have not used the Honda 2000 in this manner before,, did this cause anything???

Any advise on accessing and checking the converter.. You know this one has no fuses>>-------> only thing I have done so far is check the breakers..

one of my best friends passed this year,, he was my rv expert,, and Im a dummy,, or so he always said..

[dwightdi]

First thing is to check battery voltage at the batteries. If good, then there is a connection problem which you should be able to trace. If they are dead, you had something on when you put it away and it drained the batteries. Recharge the batteries with the converter or a battery charger. Verify the the converter works by checking for voltage at the batteries when the converter is on and plugged into 110VAC. If the converter does not put out voltage it could be a fuse or breaker not connected or the converter may be shot. That is easy to trace. From there on you need to get someone with RV knowledge to fix it.

[KJRitchie]

I had a converter that converted but didn't seem to charge the batteries. I tested it by putting a multimeter on the positive and negative posts on the converter. All I got was the current state of the batteries not the 13+ volts that I expected.

If you are getting 13+ volts on the converter battery terminals then go to the batteries and put the mulitimeter on the positive and negative battery posts. You should see the same voltage as on the converter posts. If not then there is a bad connection between the battery cables and the converter. You would need to trace where the battery cables from the batteries terminate and where the converter battery cables terminate.

Check the terminals are clean and tight.

Kelvin

[J. Morgan]

Welcome to the forum!

If I was home I could help you out but I wont be back in AR till After the first of the year.

99.9% the generator had nothing to do with your current issue.

It may be your converter just isn't working. You might try the volt meter stuff and battery charger stuff mentioned above to determine what works and what does not.




Brevi tempore!

[richinny]

your excella's might have a switch behind the curbside front corner curtain. it looks like a home light switch. if you have this, it switches the converter power on/off. the older converters hummed so much airstream put in the switch so folks could sleep on the couch after turning the converter off.

[rrsantafe]

Judging from your post, you may not have the ability to determine if your converter is producing a charge, but if you do find that to be the case, the generator may well be the culprit. Did you have the trailer plugged into the generator before starting it? Generators often put out a spike of voltage at startup, which can damage electronics. Your converter may have an internal fuse or component that is now damaged. Always start the generator before plugging in your trailer cable and let it warm up a minute or so.
Best regards,
Rick

[stkwhittler]

Finally made it back from the city w/ a new tester,, of course I broke a lead on the old one trying to replace the Batty in it..
So now,, checked the leads on the new battys,, one hot was loose and now tight,, not that loose and really don't think it was part of this game.. Both are setting at 7.75/8 volts, w/ or w/out being hooked to 110..

Nodid not disconnect the hookup when I started the charger, hasn't seemed to be a problem in the past although did use the micro more than ever before?? I di notice the Honda was slow to rev when the load hit it sometimes.. I will do better in the future Rick..

All circuit breakers seemed ok, flipped them and reset just because?? haven't looked at the wiring diagram yet but is the converter on one of these 120 breakers??

this twelve volt distribution has no fuses,, new is not better in my world,, our old argosy has fuses and I was smart enough to carry spares so I never had a problem.. not sure I understand these auto reset thingys.. or how to tell if one has failed..

I'm guessing that w/ no change in voltage w/ 120 on or off the converter is the problem.. After I figure how to get to this thing what is the best way to verify my fears..

And,, does any one want a lounge, bed, couch, ect.. if I have to pull that rascal it will probably not go back in..

And THANKs to all that replied,, I'm not as scared as I was but man I sure miss Chuck,,

[jdalrymple]

I would guess there are indeed fuses for the 12 volt stuff, maybe you just have not located them yet.



Regards,

JD

[blkmagikca]

Your Excella has a 12-volt breaker/distribution panel located behind the gaucho - it is covered with the upholstered pad, which is held on with velcro. You will be able to see if one of the breakers had tripped.

richinny's suggestion is a real possibility. We were at the Escapade in Tucson and I suddenly discovered that we had no shore power. I started tracing the wiring and found that in the course of moving stuff behind the gaucho I had tripped the switch. Although we were without shore power for 2 days, the solar panels kept the batteries charged.

[stkwhittler]

And you are correct, the 12 volt dist. pnl is located behind the removable carpet at the front wall, but this one has auto reset and for the best I can see the only identifier, per the manual, is a clicking sound. Nothing to see when tripped and nothing you can "re-set". All this straight from the manual,, No kiddin.. You only choice if one attempts re-set rapidly, is to disconnect the culprit appliance or remove a wire.. But,, w/ all that said, when I raised he sofa, which is hinged to do so, and obtained access to the converter, there are two 30amp fuses in the end of the converter itself,, and yes they were burnt.. Not sure if it was the generator start while connected or using the micro and coffee maker( kureg)).. But, I will disconnect to start,, and carry some 30 amp fuses,,
Again,, thanks for all the help and suggestions,, seems there are a few of us around this Natural State.. robert

[stkwhittler]

I was impressed by all the response and suggestions regarding my first post. This one is mostly to say thanks for all who offered help. I am not usually a poster on sites I visit and am most thankful I have found this one.
to revisit the previous situation I was hoping to learn how many share the same type 12 v distribution as is in our 89 excella. this pnl is located behind the front sofa. Per the manual " 12v circuits are all protected by auto resetting breakers. if a breaker trips an audible click will be heard. and you will probably see lights or appliances, fans , quit working. in a short time the breaker will reset and power will resume. if it trips again, some of the lights or appliances should be shut off. the effected breaker may be identified by the click or it may be much warmer than the others. The master "kill switch" is located beside the distribution pnl. (@ the deck below in ours) Switching to off will prevent all current draw from the batteries. This switch should only be used when storing or servicing the trailer"
My questions, anyone have any experience w/ this type protection system. and if one of these "auto breakers" become weak w/ time, are there any replacements available.. None of which are noted for capacity except in the schematic in the manual..
Again, thanks to all for the previous responses, would love your continued input.. Happy travels and camps.. Robert..

[Al and Missy]

If this were my trailer, I'd get some 12V LEDs from Radio Shack or Digikey or somewhere and connect them between the load side of each breaker and ground. A quick look would then tell whether the breaker is tripped.

Al

[stkwhittler]

Al,, that is an excellent idea and worth the doing,, these things have concerned me since first noted,, would be much better than felling, which one was hot,, will be looking in to this,, thanks,,
robert

[lewster]

Try a 12VDC test light. This is one of the situations they are best at. You will need volt meter to determine polarity.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
AM Solar Certified Installation Center
Lifeline Batteries**Magnum Inverters
541-490-6357

[J. Morgan]

I have me one of those fancy test lights that lights up, displays voltage, (up to 24 volts DC) and polarity.

A good test light should be an essential Airstream tool to always have. (Even if it is just a basic test light)


Brevi tempore!

[blkmagikca]

For the most part, my 1987 Excella has not had 12-volt issues. About 2 years ago my batteries had failed and, as I was in the Las Vegas area, I contacted Interstate of Las Vegas. I drove over to their place and a couple of their guys installed the new batteries. During the installation, for a split second, the negative cable brushed by the positive post and there was a bit of a flash. Everything worked fine afterwards and I thought nothing of it.

Fast forward a year, and I was getting some service done at JC. They noticed that the insulation on a negative wire coming from the 12-volt panel was burnt. They traced the length of the burnt wire from the distribution panel for about 5 or 6 feet - from then on it was OK. When they removed the plastic inside end cap on the front of the AS, there was a slash-like burn mark in the plastic. JC also found that one of the breakers needed replacing, and did so.

Having previously had a 12-volt fuse-type distribution panel in a 1994 AS LY motor-home, I much prefer the breaker-type in my '87 Excella.