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Old 10-01-2018, 12:28 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Wolfwhistle View Post
A casual observation... if switching from USE or STORE and thus charging via the converter... and expecting and instantaneous change is not reality. It could take a minute or three for converter / charger to bring voltage up a noticeable value.

However as was pointed out, investigate what was burning. Could be a converter bit the dust or even a hot or neutral wire was not tight and burned in two at breaker or the busbar in the power center. Or one of several other things.

I hope you have found the problem and are back up by now.

Clint
We are trying to investigate, but we can't locate the converter. The breaker panel seems fine but we need would like to check out the actual converter. The manual says its the false panel below the wardrobe but that only seems to be the breaker panel.
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Old 10-01-2018, 12:30 PM   #22
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[QUOTE=rmroy;2163133]Doesn't the battery disconnect switch do the same thing, disconnect the battery?[/QUOTE]


No. You would think so, but no. It does not isolate completely. Many of us, installed an aftermarket mechanical switch outside by the batteries. Not sure if it is your battery, your converter, or one of your switches, as is mentioned in post #17 who also has a new 30'. Converter should be located behind the circuit-braker panel, likely below the refrigerator or closet? First, disconnect battery, find the panel; Door drops down, couple of finger nuts to open and remove door, unscrew panel and pull out...converter behind. Call dealer, bestconverters.com (Randy), or Jackson Center for more input...

Surge protector recommendation is not a bad thing, just more money, and we are not sure what happened without being there so I would not rush to that solution just yet...you need to identify and fix the problem first. I know there are lots of suggestions; here is what I would do;
First, check out the switch as mentioned; easiest to check if your plugged into shore power; trip the GFI and reset circuit anyway. Plug in light to check if working...
Second, plug into shore power and see if your display reads 13V or more; an indication your converter is working. If not, you likely need to get a new converter...not a big deal, around $150-$200 for a good 4 stage unit...check out bestconverters.com...call Randy on their 800 number..he's pretty good help. Let AS warranty know by calling them in Jackson Center warranty line once you know if this is the issue; they should help recover costs.
If converter working, but not charging batteries, I would get the batteries checked out; remove and take to a dealer, preferably Interstate or AS...under warranty, they will replace if bad usually at no charge. Many of us, (including me) have had bad batteries from the dealer when new go bad in first couple months while using the AS...not unusual at all.

On the charger suggestion...if the batteries are bad, your spending money on a charger that your converter should be doing the same service...

All of this is pretty easy to take care of other than ordering the converter. of course, that's me talking...not you. Let us know what you end up doing.
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Old 10-01-2018, 02:13 PM   #23
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We have a new 2018 Classic. Towed it to a new camp 2 days ago. Set up to 50 amp shore power. Turned on 2 AC to cool things down for about an hour while we were out. Came back and smelled a slight burning wire stink. Everything seemed fine, later noticed that the 120 v outlets were dead. GFCI outlet had tripped, re-set it all worked.

Noticed that the solar display said battery level was 80%, usually after towing it is 100%, the voltage was dropping to about 12.3.

Next day in the bright sun the level went to 100%, then in the evening drained down to 60% and went into the red zone.

I reset the breakers inside and at the shore power, still not charging.

Any suggestions for this rank newbie?
Hi rmroy,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customer_support@airstream.com*

Thank you.*
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Old 10-01-2018, 02:43 PM   #24
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[QUOTE=gypsydad;2163171]
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmroy View Post
Doesn't the battery disconnect switch do the same thing, disconnect the battery?[/QUOTE]


No. You would think so, but no. It does not isolate completely. Many of us, installed an aftermarket mechanical switch outside by the batteries. Not sure if it is your battery, your converter, or one of your switches, as is mentioned in post #17 who also has a new 30'. Converter should be located behind the circuit-braker panel, likely below the refrigerator or closet? First, disconnect battery, find the panel; Door drops down, couple of finger nuts to open and remove door, unscrew panel and pull out...converter behind. Call dealer, bestconverters.com (Randy), or Jackson Center for more input...

Surge protector recommendation is not a bad thing, just more money, and we are not sure what happened without being there so I would not rush to that solution just yet...you need to identify and fix the problem first. I know there are lots of suggestions; here is what I would do;
First, check out the switch as mentioned; easiest to check if your plugged into shore power; trip the GFI and reset circuit anyway. Plug in light to check if working...
Second, plug into shore power and see if your display reads 13V or more; an indication your converter is working. If not, you likely need to get a new converter...not a big deal, around $150-$200 for a good 4 stage unit...check out bestconverters.com...call Randy on their 800 number..he's pretty good help. Let AS warranty know by calling them in Jackson Center warranty line once you know if this is the issue; they should help recover costs.
If converter working, but not charging batteries, I would get the batteries checked out; remove and take to a dealer, preferably Interstate or AS...under warranty, they will replace if bad usually at no charge. Many of us, (including me) have had bad batteries from the dealer when new go bad in first couple months while using the AS...not unusual at all.

On the charger suggestion...if the batteries are bad, your spending money on a charger that your converter should be doing the same service...

All of this is pretty easy to take care of other than ordering the converter. of course, that's me talking...not you. Let us know what you end up doing.

We have gone through the steps, it is now looking like we will need a new converter.

Thanks for the detailed suggestions!
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Old 10-02-2018, 09:47 AM   #25
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Hi

The converter is right there under the breaker panel. It's behind a metal plate with some wires attached to it. The mounting structure for the breaker panel also holds the converter in place.

Checking the converter is fairly simple:

1) Use your multimeter to see if there is 120V AC coming into it (yellow wire nut in the breaker area). If no 120V cycle the breaker. If that does not fix it, replace the breaker.

2) If there is 120V in, check for 12V on the output wire from the converter ( red wire on the metal plate). If there's no 12V, dig into that issue. ( = you have nothing from the battery *and* nothing from the converter .... likely a blown breaker under the sofa or a shorted wire).

3) Next check to see if the 12V on the output of the converter changes when you flip the breaker that drives the converter on and off. With the breaker on, the voltage should go up at least a little bit. If it doesn't, the converter is not working.

=====

Progressive seems to be the way to go for an EMS:

http://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-pt-x

The only real question is internal or external. There are a lot of threads around here debating the virtues of each approach.

====

Other things to check:

Power to the TV antenna
Both TV's
Fridge
AC (both of them)
All the outlets.
Microwave

If any of that is non-functional, get to somebody who can trace down what's wrong.

====

Just to complete things out:

When hooking things up, the last thing you do is to turn on the power at the power post. All the cables to the trailer should be plugged in with the power turned off.

When shutting things down, the first thing you do is to turn off the power at the post. All the cables get unplugged with the power off.

Not doing this risks damage to the trailer.

Good practice is to turn off (to the degree you can) all of the AC powered stuff in the trailer before you shut down the power to the trailer. The most important item is the air conditioning. This allows it to properly cycle down before the power goes away.

Bob
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Old 10-02-2018, 03:30 PM   #26
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Hi rmroy,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customer_support@airstream.com*

Thank you.*
Thanks for your assistance! Nice to see you folks watching the Forum too!
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Old 10-03-2018, 02:16 PM   #27
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Hi

The converter is right there under the breaker panel. It's behind a metal plate with some wires attached to it. The mounting structure for the breaker panel also holds the converter in place.


...

Bob


That's a lot of good information. There doesn't seem to be anything under the breaker panel. Do I have to take the breaker panel out to find it?

Thanks
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Old 10-04-2018, 07:49 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by rmroy View Post
That's a lot of good information. There doesn't seem to be anything under the breaker panel. Do I have to take the breaker panel out to find it?

Thanks
Hi

If you pull that cover off, the converter should be behind it and under the breaker panel. It's in a riveted sheet metal box. Other that getting to the wires in and out with your multimeter there is not a lot you can do when accessing it. The same cover needs to come off to get at the 120V wiring on the breaker panel to check that.

Note - if any of this starts to sound scary or electrical work is not your "thing", let somebody else do the work. It all should still be under warranty.

Bob
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Old 10-04-2018, 09:45 AM   #29
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That's a lot of good information. There doesn't seem to be anything under the breaker panel. Do I have to take the breaker panel out to find it?

Thanks
Cover panel should be removed. Prior to messing around taking the panel off and removing the power supply, make sure you disconnect the batteries and also the power if plugged into shore power.
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Old 10-07-2018, 02:02 PM   #30
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Had a similar issue with a 2017 classic. There was an issue with the wiring to the converter and the microwave.
The wires were switched in the circuit panel. Kept tripping the converter circuit breaker and when i tried to reset i got a spark. Check the fuses on the converter al. Dealer said he found the problem and fixed it. Leave the end of the month for 5 months in fl. Hope he got it right.
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Old 10-23-2018, 11:32 AM   #31
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Thanks for all your suggestions, we travelled down to our dealer and had the converter replaced. Apparently, there was a burnt wire inside that caused the failure.

Now that we are back home we notice that the converter comes on almost all the time, whereas we never noticed it before. Is it normal for the converter to come on so often?
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Old 10-23-2018, 12:40 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmroy View Post
Thanks for all your suggestions, we travelled down to our dealer and had the converter replaced. Apparently, there was a burnt wire inside that caused the failure.

Now that we are back home we notice that the converter comes on almost all the time, whereas we never noticed it before. Is it normal for the converter to come on so often?
Hi

What you are noticing is the fan. For some strange reason, some of them turn on the fan quicker than others. I would say that a fan that comes on "early" is s good thing in terms of converter reliability.

Bob
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Old 10-24-2018, 09:17 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmroy View Post
Thanks for all your suggestions, we travelled down to our dealer and had the converter replaced. Apparently, there was a burnt wire inside that caused the failure.

Now that we are back home we notice that the converter comes on almost all the time, whereas we never noticed it before. Is it normal for the converter to come on so often?
Ours also comes on a lot also, when we are using it on a trip for various appliances...even though nothing seems in use, the draw sometimes causes it to come on after we have run the AC or water pump; could be batteries needing a boost also. Could be your batteries are needing a charge? Or... could be the batteries were damaged by your previous converter perhaps over charging, and you might want to get them checked out.... just saying.
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Old 10-25-2018, 08:01 AM   #34
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Hi

Even good batteries can take a long while to get charged. If they have run down (like from being in storage for a week or two) several hours of high current charge is not at all unusual.

Depending on how things are wired, it's a toss up between the converter supplying power to the water pump and the battery. Once the fan in the converter comes on, I'd bet it stays on for some pre-determined amount of time (like minutes ...).

As noted above, if the converter gets replaced, it is a really good idea to get the batteries checked.

Bob
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Old 10-25-2018, 10:42 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by rmroy View Post
Thanks for all your suggestions, we travelled down to our dealer and had the converter replaced. Apparently, there was a burnt wire inside that caused the failure.

Now that we are back home we notice that the converter comes on almost all the time, whereas we never noticed it before. Is it normal for the converter to come on so often?
Hopefully they replaced it with a 4 stage unit and set it up correctly. You want it set for flooded batteries if your using any type of lead acid like an AGM. If your running on a solar charger the same holds true. I just unplug my converter and only run on solar. Even in the shade it will charge to 100% if there's some light. On super cloudy days with lots of rain it might be a bit of a challenge but my bank will me last about 4 days. I've yet to plug it in while using the trailer in the last 3 years.
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Old 11-01-2018, 11:25 PM   #36
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I'mare getting used to the converter noise (fan). I'm now thinking it was doing this prior to the failure and we just didn't notice it. Now that we are more concerned about the converter we are more sensitive to its noises.

Thanks, for all the help,
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Old 11-02-2018, 07:34 AM   #37
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Hopefully they replaced it with a 4 stage unit and set it up correctly. .
"Hopefully"...😂
I doubt they would install a customer supplied converter, (the only way to get an upgrade?), under warrantee.

Bob
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