Shore power/battery

[richinny]

mocus, yes, you got the umbilical correct :-) just wait until you start with the acronyms, lol. there is a lot to learn but the rewards are great!

if you use the search function select the google search (it works better) for any questions you may have. in the past 6 years i've seen very few unique questions. the advantage of using the search is that you'll get days/weeks/years of replies. it may be time consuming but you'll get many replies with many facts, opinions, points and counterpoints.

welcome to the collective ;-)

[mocus]

Trailer plugged into 110/20A (only using lights & radio). Checked batteries and all connections loose (tightened). Fluid okay battery..New 9/2011.

Found a couple fuses (5a) in the front of trailer, under the couch, attached to the inside wall. Both okay. I would like to meet the contortionist that could work in that area without removing the couch and tank thats under there.

Battery connected and AC to trailer, switch in the USE position -- will not go to store position

Checked systems monitor - indicates low battery (red)

Circuit breakers (each tripped to make sure)-- (5) 1 30a is ok; 4 20a ok; Battery connections and fuse wires all connected and tight. Distribution panel: 6 20a and 2 30a ok. Reading across Battery (red and white wires) 8.1a

Everything worked until a couple weeks ago and we had the Satellite/Television hooked up by DirecTV. Technician made changes at dish antenna. The long coax that would reach to rear of trailer cut and connected directly to connection below the dish. The other wire was connected to the Wingard DM-4000. Tech said when we reverted back to cable all we would have to do is plug cable to rear of trailer, pick up inside trailer and plug to TV.

Everything seemed to work fine yesterday after a lengthy pull behind truck and AC connection from house. Closed Bambi last night with AC plugged in, switch to "USE," and went to bed. This morning returned to same problem I had the previous afternoon. If you can interpret this and want to give me more suggestions, I is here....Tom

[starcraft]

Should be panel where ac to dc converter is stored, check fuses. My base speaker blew one 20 amps, everything looked fine except when I pulled it you could see break. My unit is doing something similar but I think it is ok. Your battery needs to be charged up try pulling it out and charging then install. Make double sure positive is positive and negative is neg before connection. I learned with boats you do this one time backwards you are fubared, new rectifier would be needed plus fuses. I was reading AS manual getting info something was mentioned about reversing polarity. But right now check easy stuff like fuses and flip breaker all way off then back on.

[mocus]

The only thing I have not done that you suggested, is pulling the batteries out and charging them. Good advice about the plus and minus sides of the battery. I didn't find out the hard way, but someone I know did. I wish you guys and gals would hurry up and fix this lil girl cause tonight it is snowing for the first time this year in southeast Virginia and wanted to sit in it and pretend--and keep warm and read. Seriously, I appreciate all from everyone. Thanks ol'buddy (I hope I can call you that). Tom

[Silver Goose]

Originally Posted by mocus

...
Found a couple fuses (5a) in the front of trailer...

The 5A fuses are likely mounted on the battery disconnect relay. Mine are in the same location at the front of the trailer except I have a bed there. With bed propped up I can see them. I don't bend in the places any more that are needed to bend to get to them!

Checked systems monitor - indicates low battery (red)...

The systems monitor will only display the approximate battery level when the converter is off. If it is on, it will display full scale, even if the batteries are removed! If you were connected to shore power and the converter's breaker was on, the low reading tells me there's likely no output from the converter.

Everything worked until a couple weeks ago and we had the Satellite/Television hooked up by DirecTV. ...

This may be a red herring, but it is suspicious that you noticed the problem following the service. Most antennas get their power from the receiver through the coax. Some like the Winegard Carryout need a separate 12V cable to power the motor. He could have blown a fuse and didn't notice. Are you checking the fuses with a meter or visually? A fuse that looks good may be otherwise.

Everything seemed to work fine yesterday after a lengthy pull behind truck ...

It sounds like you were able to put a charge on the batteries from the truck. This again seems to point to no output from the converter.

[Hibby]

Mocus, you indicated the battery switch was in "USE" position and will not go to "STORE". Is it possible that your switch is misaligned with the label? My Sport 22' switch had a locknut that was not tightened sufficiently, and it turned slightly such that when the switch was pointing to "USE", it was actually in "STORE" mode. I had to turn the entire switch so that it was properly aligned with the label, and re-tighten the locknut.

I know it's unlikely that your problem is that simple, but it's worth checking.

[mocus]

Silver Goose: How can the output from the converter be checked.

Hibby: I wish it was that simple, however, the system was working fine prior to couple weeks ago. I have since unplugged everything (even TV) and will see what happens. Oh, thanks for sticking around....Tom

[mocus]

Well, just got back from church and trailer power (lights) dimmer than before. In church I was checking around to see if we had a "Saint for Airstream," but no one knew of any. Anyway......

Do not know if it will do any good or not, but think I'll disconnect batteries and leave trailer plugged in to house. Will recheck all fuses I can find and check for continuity with a meter. Here goes........

[50KIP]

Quote:

"Battery connected and AC to trailer, switch in the USE position -- will not go to store position"

You may have misunderstood how the Use/Store switch works. If trailer is connected to shore 110/120v power the RED LIGHT will remain on no matter which way the USE/STORE selector is switched. Unplug the shore power to the trailer and the RED LIGHT will turn off when STORE is selected on the switch and will turn back on when USE is selected. Confusing? It caused me to do a lot of research before I figured it out. When plugged to shore power the only way you will know how it is set is to push the selector, listen for the solenoid to click, and it is then set. Ignore the red light; it's not telling anything as long you are on shore power.

[mocus]

Ok, fellas, I think the hunt is over, At least part of it is. I told ya going to church might help and as soon as I walked into the trailer after church, I went right to the spot. Here is what I found:

Cover Removed.....

Distribution/Converter section, Series 7300, mdl 7355.

1. Looking at left side, lower section, there are 2 black cylinders about about the size of a "C" cell batteries.

2. Next, right, is a metal "U" shapped item about 3 inches tall with a SHIELDED COMPONENT tied to the body with cable tie.

Component ("FH-R5l5" --- I believe) inside of the shield blown to smithereens...shattered I mean to tell ya. A small part of circuit board charred.

I presume(?) it could have possibly happened while checking fuses/circuit breakers with Shore/Battery connected. Are there any words of wisdom, possible causes, or any ideas? Thanks much

[Hibby]

Mocus,

This is sad for all of us... You shouldn't have this experience, especially on your first time through. I think most of us enjoy the challenge of trying to solve a problem, but not at your expense.

You will be happy you stuck it out!

[mocus]

Originally Posted by Hibby

Mocus,

This is sad for all of us... You shouldn't have this experience, especially on your first time through. I think most of us enjoy the challenge of trying to solve a problem, but not at your expense.

You will be happy you stuck it out!

Ya know, I certainly hope I (we) get a chance to meet you down the road sometime---that is if I ever get up and running. I guess I will call the closest dealer tomorrow and see what they advise. I "could" fix myself but want to make sure there is no further damage. I would also like to find out what caused the problem in the first place. Besides, having a problem once in a while, look at the great people I get to meet. Please.....let's find another way. Tom

[Hibby]

I would argue that most of us would drive over and help you in person if we could... Your Airstream Dealer will probably be exceptional. Mine certainly is at the top of the heap when it comes to customer service. I have had very few (and only minor) issues, and we are now buying our 2nd Airstream (30' Flying Cloud!).

If you are ever in Michigan, we will buy you dinner and then share some of our secret sites with you.

[mocus]

Hibby....Thanks again.....Your on and same to you if your ever near Williamsburg, VA

[Silver Goose]

It would be good to learn what may have caused that part to blow, but don't be discouraged if the service dept doesn't have a definitive answer. This particular converter is very common in the industry and is used across all types and brands of RVs. As with many electronic devices, we often never know an exact cause of failure.

I believe you would have noticed that part go if it happened while you were checking fuses, etc. They can sound like a small firecracker. Remember, you were looking for the cause of the problem when you started checking, so it is likely this happened at some time before you discovered the batteries were running down.

If there is a silver lining, a 3 stage converter that does a better job with your batteries and is a direct replacement for your bad converter won't cost much more if any. At least you know why your batteries weren't charging, too bad it wasn't just a fuse or circuit breaker.

[Phoenix]

In the photo above, the two black cans are capacitors. The large metal pieces are heat sinks. Most likely, these heat sinks contain transistors or diodes used in the AC-to-DC bridge circuitry; although, sometimes they have large resistors mounted on them. If the part were shown, I could tell what it is/was. In any case, these usually don't cost too much; a few dollars a piece; perhaps $5 or $10 for power transistors or diodes with metal cases.

These parts are easy to troubleshoot and replace for knowledgeable electronics technicians. However, for the untrained, working on these on a hot circuit (power applied) can be dangerous because of the 110 VAC present, which can cause electrocution. If you do not have basic electronics experience, I strongly recommend that you leave troubleshooting and repair to a qualified technician.

Converters are not overly complex electronic devices, and I am almost certain that yours can be repaired. However, this is dependent on whether you have a local shop that can work on this, or if it must be returned to the manufacturer. Also, it will be your decision whether the repair cost is prohibitive, and if replacement may be more cost efficient.

Just a guess, but the blown part(s) and burned circuit board suggests that at some point in time, there was probably a short circuit that drew too much current in the output or improperly wired AC input voltage. Since you did not mention finding any blown fuses in the 12 VDC panel, I would think the input AC voltage wiring is suspect. Considering there have been comments in other threads about 220 VAC being connected to trailers, is it possible that someone hooked up your Airstream to 220 volts?

[mocus]

Ya cannot ask for anymore than what you said/sent. I guess I gave a fairly good description of damaged area because you sent the exact location (I couldn't have submitted a more exact picture. You can see by your picture, something tied to that center heat shield(?) that had a mesh casing covering the part that "blew." I will post any information I get concerning outcome. Thanks isn't enough, but will have to do for now. Thank you mjch. Tom

[Silver Goose]

That aluminum heatsink sits atop a common rectifier. I'm not sure what is in that wrapper that is tie wrapped to the side of the heatsink. I tried to find a schematic for the converter, but the Parallax folks claim it is proprietary and won't publish it. I assume it might be a device that senses the heatsink's temp and could possibly function as a thermal overload protector. It doesn't have a good physical bond to the heatsink, but rather seems to only be supported by it. I agree, if the component could be identified and readily obtained, it wouldn't be difficult to replace it assuming it is the only failed part in the circuit and testing without a schematic is pretty much a hit or miss affair. There was a time you could take something like this to the local tv or cb repair shop. Those folks are pretty scarce now and sadly all these things are designed to be replace rather than repaired.

[mocus]

All Posters......

Just to let you all know I have ordered a new converter/distribution section. I have read all your posts and appreciate them very much. I will keep all post so I can refer back if necessary. You all are the greatest!

Tom

[starcraft]

If you have a need for battery charger Walmart carries few cool digital models $50bucks. I own this for my boat but this charger will tell you if battery is bad. I have had poor luck with 2 Costco kirkland size 25 batteries in my truck lasted 4 months each. My alternator is fine in truck so maybe poor build quality as of late from Mexico. Lets say someone rough handled your battery dropped it the soft lead can bend and create interior shorts. Not sure if this is case but maybe 10 percent chance it's your problem. Maybe converter is smart on AS I have no clue just got mine and learning. You will know if battery is bad by taking into account how old it is. Lets say you charge at 6amps on new battery and it comes up 100percent in few hours, you check again later in day and shows 90percent. Load testing is right way to do it but even Autozone replaced one of my good batteries I think just to sell me new one. Just going off date is no guarantee, previous owner could have run it down 6% and stored it away. The battery would be ruined for holding charge not to mention possible frozen. Another no no I did was pull 110 cord out wall while using stereo,lights,furnace I should have shut down first but found furnace stay's on while plugged in wall. Also what type and brand of battery do you have? 2 6volt golf cart models, 12volt deep cycle or car battery. Real deep cycles and golf cart batteries take more abuse. Only real deep cycle is like Trogan,lifeline. Deka is presumed to be real as well, most DC area dual purpose.