Help! "Installed" Shunt... now batteries won't charge :)

[thiel]

I think I fall firmly into the category of "knows enough to be be dangerous" so I could really use some help.

Some upfront facts before you dig into the pictures:

-- With trailer plugged in to shore power, all 12v items work... but battery is not charging.

-- My battery monitor (attached to newly installed shunt) shows CORRECT voltage (confirmed with multimeter.

-- I have checked the main 30amp fuses and they are good

-- I have checked continuity across all the major connections here and they all give me good tone. (Shunt is good, red wire all the way to the bus is good. Black wire all the way to the buss is good.)

-- I did remove my inverter and simply capped off the romex (but did connect the ground). I can't imagine this is relevant, but sharing just in case

-- Battery is completely flat (left a light on by mistake overnight).

-- With trailer plugged in to shore power, a multimeter on the leads connected to the battery show the same (low, dead) voltage as the battery posts... but the Airstream See Level monitor shows 13.8v... (which is .2v higher than I am accustomed to seeing).

So... why isn't my battery charging?

See photos. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER.

[Al and Missy]

The shunt should be wired between the negative bussbar and the negative posts of your batteries. Are you showing two shunt wires or two ends of one wire? If two, where does the wire you point to at the bottom left of the picture go? Why are there two wires to the batteries labelled? I presume the solenoid at the upper right is your battery disconnect (aka STORE/USE) switch. How is it set? I think it should be in USE mode to charge batteries for your year trailer, but the wiring varies.

Al

[thiel]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

The shunt should be wired between the negative bussbar and the negative posts of your batteries. Are you showing two shunt wires or two ends of one wire? If two, where does the wire you point to at the bottom left of the picture go? Why are there two wires to the batteries labelled? I presume the solenoid at the upper right is your battery disconnect (aka STORE/USE) switch. How is it set? I think it should be in USE mode to charge batteries for your year trailer, but the wiring varies.

Al

The two black wires go to the correct sides of the shunt.

Solenoid? Is that the crazy looking thing?

[thiel]

My use/store switch is not lighting up at all... not even when plugged into shore power.

[GMFL]

What is the status on the store/use switch?

What kind of charger do you have?

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

What is the status on the store/use switch?



What kind of charger do you have?

I have the factory charger (single stage).

Use store switch is not even lighting up—which it usually does. I have pressed use.

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by thiel

My use/store switch is not lighting up at all... not even when plugged into shore power.

Bingo that’s the problem. Can you hear it “click” at all while switching?

[GMFL]

Need to check voltage on both sides of the solenoid. Or continuity through it

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Need to check voltage on both sides of the solenoid. Or continuity through it

I get good voltage from both sides of the solenoid even when I put the negative all the way back at the shunt.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Bingo that’s the problem. Can you hear it “click” at all while switching?

No clicking when I use the switch.

[GMFL]

Can you send me a wide view pic with no writing on it? I’ll do some looking and send tagged pic back.

Looks like you have 2 positive leads coming from battery. One to bus and other to the slow blow 200A fuse to inverter.
One of the neg (-) leads you have tagged is from battery to shunt.
The other neg lead is from shunt to neg (-) bus

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Can you send me a wide view pic with no writing on it? I’ll do some looking and send tagged pic back.



Looks like you have 2 positive leads coming from battery. One to bus and other to the slow blow 200A fuse to inverter.

One of the neg (-) leads you have tagged is from battery to shunt.

The other neg lead is from shunt to neg (-) bus

Fixed! You got me to look close at the solenoid and I saw two fuses sticking out the back. Multimeter showed them both bad!

Replaced fuses and everything came back online!

THANKS GMFL! You led me right to the problem! SO glad to have fixed this!


Thanks again!

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by thiel

Fixed! You got me to look close at the solenoid and I saw two fuses sticking out the back. Multimeter showed them both bad!

Replaced fuses and everything came back online!

THANKS GMFL! You led me right to the problem! SO glad to have fixed this!


Thanks again!

Glad to hear!
I would love to see update on your solar install

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Glad to hear!

I would love to see update on your solar install

Here’s a bit. More to come!

Solar Install Part 1
http://www.airforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180752

[wcrockett]

If the silenoid does not click when you use the switch and you have 12 volts on both of the positive poles, (large wires) going into the silonoid, then it is stuck in the “on” position so that the battery is getting and sending power to the converter as needed. This means you should have power when disconnected from shore power sources. But the silenoid switch is not working. That is a separate issue from what you described in your initial post. Eventually you will need to repair or replace the solenoid if you want to get the system into store mode so that the batteries are isolated.

[JohnTF]

When working with this stuff , you should know , voltage is measured in parallel , amps is measured in series .
A shunt is the meter source [ reduces current ] for meter movement .
Actually all analog meter movements are amp meters , outside components convert to voltage .