Ac/dc

[balrgn]

OK, here is another question driven from "Hard telling, not Knowing"??

Do the lights and furnace in the vintage years run strictly off DC, or if AC is available, does the light and furnace draw power from AC? I think I have a battery issue, it may have overcharged at some point and now, if I use the lights for an hour or more they will begin to dim and the furnace fan slows down. I have installed a low amp (.2 amp) charger to tend the charge while nothing is in use. I have a new inverter, (PO installed) but it does not seem to keep up or charge the batteries. From what I can tell without diagrams, the connections all look correct.

[Chuck]

They run on DC. If you're plugged in to shore power, the converter converts the a/c to 12vDC for the lights and appliances. (an INverter converts DC to AC).

I assume that your lights are dimming after running without a shore-power connection. Could be a toasted battery that is no longer able to hold a charge. One way to find out is to take it to a shop and have it load tested. I think "autozone" will do this for you. Sears, too.

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by chuck

They run on DC. If you're plugged in to shore power, the converter converts the a/c to 12vDC for the lights and appliances. (an INverter converts DC to AC).

I assume that your lights are dimming after running without a shore-power connection. Could be a toasted battery that is no longer able to hold a charge. One way to find out is to take it to a shop and have it load tested. I think "autozone" will do this for you. Sears, too.

Unfortunately it is with shore power plugged in. I guess I should disconnect the battery completely to see if the inverter is powering the lights, if not it may be a bad inverter?

[sander17]

It appears that you have a couple of things going on simultaneously. First terminology: inverter normally refers to a DC to AC device that uses battery power to run AC devices. The Univolt is basically a power supply that charges the battery and runs the lights and furnace fan with its DC output. A furnace fan will drain a good battery in about 2 hours. It sounds like your Univolt is not working if the battery dies while the trailer is attached to AC external power. If it is an older model, it should buzz while on. If you have a voltmeter, check the voltage at the battery with the AC power on and off. It should be above 13 volts with the AC and the Univolt on. There may be a hidden on/off switch for the Univolt. Good Luck!

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by sander17

It appears that you have a couple of things going on simultaneously. First terminology: inverter normally refers to a DC to AC device that uses battery power to run AC devices. The Univolt is basically a power supply that charges the battery and runs the lights and furnace fan with its DC output. A furnace fan will drain a good battery in about 2 hours. It sounds like your Univolt is not working if the battery dies while the trailer is attached to AC external power. If it is an older model, it should buzz while on. If you have a voltmeter, check the voltage at the battery with the AC power on and off. It should be above 13 volts with the AC and the Univolt on. There may be a hidden on/off switch for the Univolt. Good Luck!

Thanks, It is a new (1 year old) inverter, not the original Univolt. (installed by the PO)

This is in my ’75 Trade Wind. My 2002, SOB has no issue like this, the inverter in that one will run the lights forever while connected to shore power.

The new existing inverter, the brand name escapes me now, does in fact make a mild humming noise when I have power in use. I have no issues with the AC wall outlets while plugged into shore power. I have tested all the fuses and have no issues with any. I will check with a voltmeter when the weather here allows. (man is it cold) The control panel has shown the battery to be no more than 25%, but since I did not wire this or verify the wiring yet I am not certain this is a true value.

[74Argosy24MH]

Univolt (converter) is a battery charger, it changes 120v AC to 12v dc.

The inverter changes 12v dc to 120v ac.

The inverter will not charge the battery, but it will discharge the battery.

Only the univolt (converter) can charge the battery. So if you have a problem with the battery not charging the univolt is the culprit.

On your 2002 SOB it is possible the charging and inverting are combined into 1 unit, as long as you have 120v ac it will be converted to 12v dc and you have lights.

But that is not what you have here, they are discreet systems.

John

[sander17]

Balrgn,
I sympathize with the temps. It was 5 deg. this morning. The simplest test of your converter is to disconnect the battery and turn on the converter. If you do not have lights, you have found your culprit. Converters do not put out very pretty or smooth DC without a battery, but they will run the lights. If the converter is recent vintage, it may have a fuse inside. Unfortunately, that usually means digging it out of the deep hole it was mounted in. Lots of fun.

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by sander17

Balrgn,
I sympathize with the temps. It was 5 deg. this morning. The simplest test of your converter is to disconnect the battery and turn on the converter. If you do not have lights, you have found your culprit. Converters do not put out very pretty or smooth DC without a battery, but they will run the lights. If the converter is recent vintage, it may have a fuse inside. Unfortunately, that usually means digging it out of the deep hole it was mounted in. Lots of fun.

Sounds like a plan, good to know it needs the battery to smooth the current out too. -5º this am, only 7º now. I'd like to get some kind of a solution prior to heading out for a weekend once the glacier recedes!

[balrgn]

Good news bad news:

I disconnected the battery and tried the lights. Good news is all the lights work and seem to be at a higher intensity. I then tested the output of the battery. It is a steady 13.4. Bad news is now I'm at a loss to explain the power drain.



I have a 1 year old Centurion 3000 60 amp Power converter.



I checked the battery level, while tit was disconnected, must be magic, it still reads 25% Looks like another project in the making…

[greg176]

I scanned the net for an hour looking for more info on Centurion converters and all I found was people with problems.I would suggest scrapping that converter and getting a 60 amp Intellipower.
www.bestconverter.com

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by greg176

I scanned the net for an hour looking for more info on Centurion converters and all I found was people with problems.I would suggest scrapping that converter and getting a 60 amp Intellipower.
www.bestconverter.com

I think your right. I too have looked and what little I could find was problems. The link you sent seems to be the one of choice. Should be simple enough to swap out. All the wireing has been gone over by the PO.