No 12Volt Power from Transformer

[JuliaPowell]

Hi all,

While away on only our third trip in our 1966 Overlander we had a little trouble with our 12-volts supply. The original Univolt has been replaced with an 'Inteli Power 9100' converter.

The 110-AC circuit appears to OK as the fridge, A/C unit and mains power sockets are OK. However everything on the 12-Volt DC circuit is now very intermittent, but in my case mostly off. There is no power to the lights, ceiling fans or water pump.

I have checked the 2 * 30amp fuse blades with a multi-meter and they are fine.
I have checked and re-set the mains power trip switches and these also appear to be fine.

If I connect just the 12-volt battery then I have power to the 12-volt circuit and my lights, powerjack and fans etc all work fine.

So I'm thinking either I have a fault with the Inteli Power converter or maybe just a poor connection between the converter and the low voltage panel. and yet every things appears to be OK.

On my first 2 trips away of no more than 6 days in total I was running only on mains power as the battery was completely disconnected., I understood the Inteli Power converter was capable off running with or without a 12V battery connected and everything worked fine. Can anyone confirm if this is actually a sensible thing to do or should the battery always be connected when hooked up to mains power? In which case could I have done some irreparable damage to the convert?

I live in the UK and recently purchased the Overlander a few months ago and am slowly coming to grips with the challenge of refurbishing this classic old trailer, along with the added fun and excitement of no local RV specialist on the door step but with the internet and e-bay at my finger trips am sourcing spares -parts

Many Thanks in advance for your views and comments

Dave & Julia

[mello mike]

and good luck with your restoration/refurbishment.

[68 Overlander]

Dave,
There is no requirement for a battery in modern converters except of course 12 volt power when away from shore power.. That is not the reason for your trouble, guaranteed.
The first thing to do is place a simple volt meter on the output lugs of the converter and see if you have 13.6 volts. If not, check the circuit breakers on the end of the unit. If they are good too, it's dead and you can stop chasing fuses and breakers. If there is 13.6 volts coming out out of the converter, your problem is down range from the converter.
When you said "mains" I automatically knew to look at your location. How are you transforming 220 "mains" to 120 for the converter? Just curious.

[JuliaPowell]

As I don't have room at my house to store our Overlander, I'll take my multi-meter with me on our next trip to check the voltage output. So It might a be while before I report back my findings, and hopefully have traced the route casue.

You are correct in that in Europe we run off 240-220 volts mains or should I say shorepower to ensure a common understanding and terrminology. I have a portable 240 to 110 power converter (these are typically used within the construction industy, I assume these will be the same in the US?) which allows me to connect my shorepower cable directly into the power converter.

[JuliaPowell]

Mike,

Nice work on your refurb, we also went for an oak flooring, ours is not real either which has a laminated finish which proved to be very fiddley to fit around the existing cupboards.


Dave