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Seinbelld · 03-06-2016, 07:51 AM

Hi guys,

Just took delivery of our trailer on Friday. Towed it home 4 hours to my parents driveway. Drove there yesterday to take a look at it and there was no power whatsoever. We assume the batteries are dead.. But unsure of why as they seemed to have a full charge the day before while connected at the dealer. And, if not, they should've charged on the trip home?? Seems crazy they'd be fully drained in less than 24 hours..

I read some of the threads on this and it's all Greek to me. I guess my question is, if we confirm the batteries are dead, how do we charge them? Can we plug into my parents house electric or no? Will we have to pull them out and hook up to a charger?

More Importantly, once they're charged, what do we do to prevent this in the future?

Sorry... I know these are really stupid questions. We have more mechanically minded friends coming with us to check it out later today. Thought your feedback would help us diagnose. Thanks!!

Eric

n2916s · 03-06-2016, 08:01 AM

Step one - check that the "use/store" switch is in the "use" position.

Mike

mojo · 03-06-2016, 08:14 AM

Step two - read the manual for an overview of all systems.

Mrjkq · 03-06-2016, 08:32 AM

The same thing happened to me back in July. The use/store switch must be in the USE position to charge batteries when plugged in or being towed. The red light is ALWAYS on when plugged in so if the switch is in the store position your batteries are not being charged even with the light on. Check this by unplugging from shore power, push the USE button then plug back in & your batteries will begin to charge. Also your volt meter will alway read 13+ volts when on shore power as your actuarially getting that reading from the inverter not the batteries, when unplugged you get a true voltage reading. Charge batteries for 24 hours & hopefully they will be ok as mine were, if not take them to shop for a bench charge and see if that helps, if not you need new batteries.

sgschwend · 03-06-2016, 08:48 AM

A paper manual? So 80's
AS should produce a DVD, heck they may have.

HowieE · 03-06-2016, 09:31 AM

Plug into shore power and check any of the lights to see if you are charging the batteries. If they are charging check to see if any other light in the trailer is on, this means all the storage cabinets. For the batteries to go dead overnight something was most likely left on.

OTRA15 · 03-06-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seinbelld

. . .
We have more mechanically minded friends coming with us to check it out later today. Thought your feedback would help us diagnose. Thanks!!

Eric

Hi Eric,

Welcome to the forum! Please report back after you follow the advice so far.

-- plug in trailer to shore power
-- make sure to hit the Use switch (not Store)
-- report battery voltage from control panel
-- unplug from shore power and leave Use switch on
-- report on battery voltage from control panel

When you have time you should definitely read the owners manual, which is also available as a PDF online. When I am back home I will link to it.

Curious to know what dealer you used, and whether they walked you through the trailer's systems thoroughly? You should also call them and have them provide feedback ASAP.

Good luck!

Peter

Edit -- Your 114-page owner's manual is available via the Download link near the bottom of this page:

https://www.airstream.com/service/ma...ear_select=725

paiceman · 03-06-2016, 09:55 AM

PM me, I live in Pittsburgh and if you are close I could stop by and take a look to see what is up.

Bud

beachbouy · 03-06-2016, 10:11 AM

Download the PDF version from Airstream. I keep mine on my iPad.

2dabeach · 03-06-2016, 10:25 AM

Another thing to check is if the black 12 volt hot lead on your 7 Way Plug from your tow vehicle has power. I have a 2006 GMC Sierra and some do not come with the fuse installed in the engine compartment fuse box for power to go to the 7 Way Plug at the back of your truck.

Nmengineer · 03-06-2016, 10:41 AM

A couple more things to check is make sure the inverter is off when you do not need it. It will drain you batteries in less than a day if it has been left on unnecessarily. Also the TV antenna booster can drain the batteries but much slower. Good luck

tjdonahoe · 03-06-2016, 11:05 AM

My batteries will go dead in about 7 days in normal conditions and my pickup will not bring them up much in 4 hours running, plug in at home every week for a day or so and all is fine

pablocruise · 03-06-2016, 01:13 PM

When my girlfriend and I picked up her new 2015 22FB Sport in September everything seemed good during the "walk-thru", although we were connected to "shore power". I failed to examine the battery...it was almost out of warranty. After our first "shake down" cruise in late October I discovered that the battery wasn't holding a charge for very long. Turned out that one of the cells was dead...and the warranty period had expired by that time. I upgraded to a new Group27 after that, and since monitor the battery more closely. I use a float charger and a good automotive/deep cycle charger to maintain. I don't trust the inverter...I think it "cooks" the battery and doesn't provide the proper "float". I suggest you invest in an inexpensive voltage meter to see what the charge rate is at the battery itself when on shore power or hooked to your tow vehicle. Can someone please tell me why Airstream does not put any 12v "cigarette lighter" accessory sockets inside or out? I like to plug in my XM "BoomBox" to 12 volt when were "dry camp/boon-docking". The inside radio works great, but all I see are a couple of USB ports for charging smart phones. Adios!

NWRVR · 03-06-2016, 01:42 PM

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on your new AS!

Did you inadvertently leave your electric brake break away switch unplugged after un hitching? That will drain the batteries within a day and may damage the switch.

AWCHIEF · 03-06-2016, 01:47 PM

99% chance it is the "use/store" switch. Hopefully the OP returns and reports what happened when he selected the "use" position.

tomsos · 03-06-2016, 02:45 PM

Had the same problem with a new Yukon about 5 years ago. Unbelievable that a car would come equipped with a trailer package and not have a fuse installed to provide 12v to the trailer. Cost me 50 bucks to fix in Alaska.

AWCHIEF · 03-06-2016, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsos

Had the same problem with a new Yukon about 5 years ago. Unbelievable that a car would come equipped with a trailer package and not have a fuse installed to provide 12v to the trailer. Cost me 50 bucks to fix in Alaska.

Had that happen with my F150. Factory towpackage installed and no juice to the cord. Found the uninstalled relay and fuse in the glove compartment. Plugged them in and all was fixed.

switz · 03-06-2016, 03:44 PM

We had to isolate the 12Vdc power generated by the tow vehicle's alternator so that it did NOT try and charge the lithium trailer batteries. The tow vehicle 12Vdc brake signal and power still goes to the disc brake pump on the Classic and the drum brakes of the 23D.

Due to the extremely small wire size used by the vehicle manufactures in the tow package wiring, one would be really lucky to get 7 amps to the trailer battery while driving down the road. We upgraded the truck wiring to two #10 wires each with a 30 amp circuit auto-reset breaker going to the trailer brake signal controller and to the charge circuit. The charge circuit is interrupted on each trailer's wing where is enters the trailer distribution panel.

PKI · 03-06-2016, 05:19 PM

1 - do not get mad or feel bad that you do not have an answer. This stuff just happens.

2 - call the dealer and have the service department walk you through the problem.

3 - oh, it's Sunday. Call the salesman. Bet there is an expert on site. If not.....

4 - you do not understand the manual.....read it again, try to figure it out. Gives you questions to ask. Read the little generic introduction to RV manual first. It helps.

5 - The USE/STORE switch needs to be in USE position. See the numerous suggestions to check this by others above. If you do not understand how it works, ask the dealer again.

6 - yes, you can plug into the 120v power at the residence. You need a 20 amp to 30 amp and a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter to connect to your 50 amp power cord and the input connector (shore power) on the trailer. You can only run 20 amps of power, but 20 amps will give you a charge, which is what you need now. Camping world, Walmart, some good hardware stores and RV dealers likely can help you, if the adapters are not in your adventure starter kit from the dealer.

7 - Now the punch line.....this is all a plot to get you familiar with the systems in your trailer. No one is responsible for this plot, but it is a mechanism to get the problems identified and you trained to fix them before you are out on a cold winter night with no battery power to run the heater.

Good luck. Pat

PKI · 03-06-2016, 05:47 PM

Oh! I forgot! - told you it was a plot............

8 - before plugging in to shore power, check the water level in the batteries. You may need to top up one or more cells. DI water only, so do not use drinking water. Use the distilled water that is required for steam irons.

9 - after being plugged into shore power for about 2-3 hours, switch back to STORE mode. This should be standard practice for your use of shore power. Charge up the battery and then isolate so it does not over charge on shore power from the single stage converter/charger. If you upgrade to a multi-stage converter/charger this requirement is eliminated.

10 - disconnect the shore power and after 15-30 minutes turn the USE/STORE switch back to USE. Then look at the 12 volt monitoring panel. If you are up to 12.5 or 12.7 volts that is a charge. If you are down to 12.1 or less there is a problem. Either there is a load on the system (something is turned on) or the battery did not charge. If you can not find what is turned on, it is time to talk with service.

11 - If you got a full charge, move the STORE/USE switch back to STORE mode and go back on shore power. That will let you work with some of the systems.

Hope you figure this out and get your rig down the road for a shake down trip. Pat