No 12-Volt Power

Silver Threads · 06-17-2007, 07:50 PM

We decided to take a short camping trip this weekend. While we were there, yesterday actually, I was watching TV. The air conditioner was running, and John decided to make coffee, nothing we hadn't done the day before. The breaker at the camp site kicked off. When this happened, the kichen light kicked on. Then a few minutes later, it went off. Flipped the breaker back on, no problem, at least that we knew of. Today when we unhooked everything to get ready to come home, we have no 12 volt power. We checked all the breakers and fuses and they all look fine. Are there any fuses hidden somewhere we may not know about? All the ones we have found are inside the univolt.

**moosetags** · 06-17-2007, 10:35 PM

I am not familiar with the older Inivolts, but we had a similar problem with Lucy. We lost a portion of our 12 volt system while messing around with the interior lights. I looked at all the fuses, and they all looked good. Out of frustration, I alligator clipped each 12 volt circuit in turn and founs a 20 amp fuse that was broken. It did not look burned, nor did the citcuit appear to be separated. Upon very close examination, the conductor in the fuse had in fact severed.

**azflycaster** · 06-17-2007, 10:52 PM

Do you have 12 volts when connected to shore power? I will guess so, because you did not know it untill you got home. You can not get any power from the battery? All the fuses on my 75 are on the 12 volt power panel except for the battery (-) fuse which is on the floor in front of the panel, hidden under a piece of carpet.

Silver Threads · 06-18-2007, 07:10 AM

Thanks, we will check all the fuses again and look to see if there is another one hidden.

**overlander63** · 06-18-2007, 07:26 AM

Tammy, it could simply be a dirty battery cable end. The Univolt was supplying power to the 12 volt stuff while it was plugged in, and when you unplugged it, away went the power. The load of several lights caused the battery to lose connection. So, check the battery cable ends and connections to the battery before going crazy looking everywhere else.

Silver Threads · 06-18-2007, 08:09 AM

Thanks Terry, we will check them!

**john hd** · 06-18-2007, 09:17 AM

tammy

look at the negative cable just outside the univolt. there is a 50 amp glass fuse on the negative cable.

it is mounted on a black bakelite board about 1 by 2 inches long, sometimes they are hard to spot.

check that one and report back!

john

Ganglin · 06-18-2007, 09:30 AM

My guess would be the fuse at the battery, as mentioned above.

Silver Threads · 06-18-2007, 11:42 AM

Back again, checked the fuses, all of them, battery cable ends, and still no power without being plugged in. Any more ideas or suggestions? Thanks for your help! We really do appreciate it.
Tammy and John

Foureagles · 06-18-2007, 12:10 PM

T & J:

If y'all have 12 volts on shore power, then the Univolt is doing it's job, at least as far as distributing power to the working circuits. If disconnecting from 110 causes 12v to fail, then either your battery has gone T.U., some connection is broken, and/or the Univolt is not putting out enough juice to charge the battery. I find that those ol' blue boxes generally charge (if not overcharge) the battery even when too feeble to do much else. If, when hooked to 110 and all connections are verified good, turning on every 12v load causes goofy behavior like dimming lights or intermittant function, then it's probably time to invest in a new converter. But charge the battery first, and see if things change as/if it runs down.

**john hd** · 06-18-2007, 12:38 PM

any voltage at the battery?

by "checking" the fuses what exactly do you mean?

john

Anon · 06-18-2007, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

Out of frustration, I alligator clipped each 12 volt circuit in turn and founs a 20 amp fuse that was broken. It did not look burned, nor did the citcuit appear to be separated. Upon very close examination, the conductor in the fuse had in fact severed.

ALWAYS carry a cheap little digital multi-meter with you. At the very least, carry a continuity checker.
A fuse can open at the base and you would never see it. Check it for continuity with a meter and you will know for sure.
I like the multi-meter because it can be used for so much more then checking continuity.
They cost $10-20 for the cheap ones at Radio Shack, Lowe's or Home Depot.

**overlander63** · 06-18-2007, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pattersontoo

ALWAYS carry a cheap little digital multi-meter with you. At the very least, carry a continuity checker.
A fuse can open at the base and you would never see it. Check it for continuity with a meter and you will know for sure.
I like the multi-meter because it can be used for so much more then checking continuity.
They cost $10-20 for the cheap ones at Radio Shack, Lowe's or Home Depot.

That, and a cheap test light.

Silver Threads · 06-18-2007, 02:36 PM

Thanks for all the input. "Checking" the fuses, guess its a southern thang, means we were inspecting them to see if they were blown. We dont have one the meter's to check them with, but is definately on the list of things to buy(does this list ever end..?). But on further inspection, we found that 2 of the 20 amp fuses were blown, near the end and wasnt noticed upon the first inspection, Thanks Brian. The battery is not totally dead, but very close. We bought it a couple months back and hadn't had any prior problems. John is charging the battery and replacing the fuses, and I will let you know how it goes.