Total electrical failure

[nickshields]

So, 2018 airstream flying cloud 25’ working like a champ until… last night boondocking in NV, the battery on/store switch seemed to give up. No power to anything, 12v nor 120v.

Batteries are fine.

I plugged in an external/shore 3300w generator and that didn’t help anything.

I checked all the fuses in the inverter box under bed. All good.

There’s a clicking sound in the fuse box/inverter box under the bed when I toggle the battery on/store switch but that’s all, no action. And no red light on the switch itself.

I haven’t done multimeter testing yet but willing to buy a new one on the journey and troubleshoot. (i have a couple multimeters 2,000 miles from where I am now).

[kb0zke]

"(i have a couple multimeters 2,000 miles from where I am now)." No matter how many tools you carry with you, the one you really need is back home. <grin>


You probably know more than I do, but my long-distance guess is that your transfer switch has failed. You might try some percussive maintenance and see if it switches. Another idea would be to make sure ALL power is disconnected, then open the transfer switch box and see if you can make the thing switch.

[BGClassic]

Does it have a transfer switch? I was thinking more along the lines of the use/store switch powering a mechanical rotary switch like in my Classic. Do all Airstreams have these? Or, some component in the load center may be loose? I have had to re-seat fuses in ours.

[nickshields]

Interesting. I ordered a new INTELLITEC 0100055000 Battery Disconnect Relay. Perhaps this solenoid just went bad and isn’t connecting either 12v or 120v. I’ll see in a few days.

[NO NOIZE]

If your trailer has a second receptacle in the front for shore power, you might try that one and see what happens.

[ITSNO60]

nickshields are you sure it isn't just a shore power issue which caused your batteries to run down also from the converter not being able to charge them?

When you say "batteries are fine" how did you verify that?

[Bill M.]

Not familiar with the new models but I doubt if the use/store switch would also cut off the 110. It seems like you have a 110 volt supply problem. Could be the plug or cord or main breaker or the transfer switch.

[NO NOIZE]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

nickshields are you sure it isn't just a shore power issue which caused your batteries to run down also from the converter not being able to charge them?

When you say "batteries are fine" how did you verify that?

This was my first thought as well.......

[kb0zke]

Nick, I reread your original post, and it sounds like maybe you have two issues that showed up at the same time. Your trailer has two electrical systems. The 120VAC one powers your outlets, your air conditioner(s), the electric side of your refrigerator, and the converter. The 12vdc side powers your lights, fans, and inverter. Your particular trailer may have more or less of what I mentioned, but you get the idea.


If you are boondocking you don't have the 120VAC stuff except for certain outlets which get power from the inverter. If you are using a generator, you plug your shore power cord into the generator and it is as if you are in a FHU campground, except for the noise. The problem is that the generator may not put out enough current to power everything you want powered, so there is a circuit breaker in the generator that trips. The noise from the engine continues, but no power comes out.


Without a meter you can't really test whether power is actually getting to your shore power cord. If you have a portable appliance or trouble light, you can see if it gets power from the pedestal, then from outlets in the trailer. Otherwise, you will probably be buying a small meter to keep in the truck or trailer.


If you are boondocking and have no 12vdc power you can try looking at your solar controller. If it is showing absorption or float it thinks the batteries are nearly charged or fully charged. If it is showing bulk it thinks the batteries are low.


I ran into an interesting issue with a neighbor earlier this week. He was getting ready to leave and decided to test his very extensive solar system. He has four Battle Born 100AH batteries in a 2s2p setup. He has an Orion 24-12 converter. When he came over to ask for help he was getting nothing at the MultiPlus II battery terminals, even though he was connected to 50A shore power which was tested and confirmed to be providing current. Turns out that one of the four batteries had turned itself off. As we played around with it, we had that battery turn itself back on, but others would turn themselves off. He decided that the problem was with the batteries, so he was going to call Battle Born when he got to his next stop.


When you get your meter maybe you can check each battery to see what it has for a charge.

[nickshields]

Thanks for all these ideas. Learning more about the system. Once I got the multimeter, I confirmed that the battery disconnect relay is the problem. The solenoid must be stuck halfway so no 12v coming from batteries. I simply bypassed the relay until a new one comes in.

Still not sure why the generator wasn’t powering everything with 120v. I’ll retest tomorrow.

[Bill M.]

Have you powered the trailer with that generator before? Does the generator have the ground bond adaptor installed?

[OrangeCrush]

I had a similar problem on our 2017 25FB and issue was the store/use toggle switch. I narrowed it down to the switch using a meter and jumper wires to confirm the relay still latches. You can do this at the switch but it is tricky and I don't recommend it unless you feel confident working with live wires. Before ordering a new switch I simply disconnected mine and thoroughly exercised it while spraying in contact cleaner. It has worked flawlessly ever since. Worth a try.

[LNBright]

I had a problem once, where the storage button at the door stopped doing anything; I reached under the bed, pulled the fuse out of the top of the relay, inspected it and it appeared good, so I stuck it back in, and the switch started working again. I'm glad when they're an easy win.

[richard5933]

Something in the facts presented so far doesn't add up to a complete picture...

If you were boondocking, then you shouldn't have 120vac power unless you were using the inverter. And if you were using the inverter and everything crapped out I'd suspect that you simply ran the batteries down.

You say the "batteries are fine", but what does that mean. Do they have juice or are they just in good condition?

If you ran the batteries down too far and they are lithium, you might need to jump start them to get them charging again. Some smart converters won't charge a totally dead battery.

The problem with the generator not providing power...Have you ever used this generator on this trailer before? As in you know that it normally works?

[nickshields]

That little relay switch was the whole problem. Stuck in a middle position and wouldn’t allow power from either batteries, nor generator. Sounds like the same issue as OrangeCrush. New part was $60 and I’ll recondition the old one for a spare.

[NO NOIZE]

Nice! Glad you solved the issue. How about a link to the $60 part?

Thank you!

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by nickshields

That little relay switch was the whole problem. Stuck in a middle position and wouldn’t allow power from either batteries, nor generator. Sounds like the same issue as OrangeCrush. New part was $60 and I’ll recondition the old one for a spare.

Glad to hear you figured it out. Those switches are not hermitically sealed and vulnerable to dirt/dust which we have plenty of when boon docking. I am with Richard on being a little puzzled that you did not have any power using the generator. No matter what state the disconnect switch is in your converter should provide power to the DC distribution panel if the generator is working properly. Might be worth making sure your converter is working next time you are plugged into a reliable shore power source just in case it has gone bad as well. My switch is working now but your post has reminded me to order a spare to have on hand. Thanks for the follow up info.

[JeffKim]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Glad to hear you figured it out. Those switches are not hermitically sealed and vulnerable to dirt/dust which we have plenty of when boon docking. I am with Richard on being a little puzzled that you did not have any power using the generator. No matter what state the disconnect switch is in your converter should provide power to the DC distribution panel if the generator is working properly. Might be worth making sure your converter is working next time you are plugged into a reliable shore power source just in case it has gone bad as well. My switch is working now but your post has reminded me to order a spare to have on hand. Thanks for the follow up info.

Lol, I had to run out to our trailer to remember how that switch works. No, it cuts off the charger. So having the generator hooked up will provide power to the charger, but not to the DC side if the disconnect switch is open.

Probably posting this for the 100th time, but I can't come up with a realistic scenario where this switch is useful. I never turn it off.

[NO NOIZE]

Originally Posted by JeffKim

Lol, I had to run out to our trailer to remember how that switch works. No, it cuts off the charger. So having the generator hooked up will provide power to the charger, but not to the DC side if the disconnect switch is open.

Probably posting this for the 100th time, but I can't come up with a realistic scenario where this switch is useful. I never turn it off.

Thank you for posting this, I was wondering how the 12 volt switch could effect the 110.

I turned mine off and on ten years ago to see if it worked and forgot about it until now

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by JeffKim

Lol, I had to run out to our trailer to remember how that switch works. No, it cuts off the charger. So having the generator hooked up will provide power to the charger, but not to the DC side if the disconnect switch is open.

Probably posting this for the 100th time, but I can't come up with a realistic scenario where this switch is useful. I never turn it off.

Originally Posted by NO NOIZE

Thank you for posting this, I was wondering how the 12 volt switch could effect the 110.

I turned mine off and on ten years ago to see if it worked and forgot about it until now

That would only account for why there was no charging current going to the batteries.

In the original post, wasn't there also mention of there being no 120vac power in the trailer as well? Or was that only from the inverter?