Batteries

[Ricky Bobby]

I have a 2017 Flying Cloud 25. The electrical only works from shore power.
The batteries show 13.2v but nothing works without shore power connected.
The switch from use to store does not click either. Is the switch broken? I checked fuses all ok. What do I do now? I bought it in November everything worked until last week. Help

[SteveSueMac]

If it doesn't click, it may be the relay isn't wired correctly or has failed. I don't know about your trailer - in my 2012 27FB Flying Cloud it's under the bed. Mine had a fuse that needed to be replaced once. It's a blade fuse. Good luck!

[Ricky Bobby]

Where is the fuse. I have RB twins

[SteveSueMac]

My fuse was on the relay - I'm sorry I don't know where it's located on your trailer. Does your user manual offer any hints?

[uncle_bob]

Hi

First step is to grab the owners manual for the trailer. It *might* be correct ( stranger things have happened ...). It will give you a chance of working out which lines have fuses in them. It also will give you some idea of what fuses to stock. All bets are off if you are the second owner and the pervious owner was named Bob .

Use / store should give you a very definite click. Unless the trailer has been in limbo for a couple of years, it probably did give a click once upon a time. I'd chase fuses before I'd chase wiring errors.

The usual cause for "works only on shore power" is batteries that are MIA. One cause would be flooded cells that are dry. The other cause would be batteries that simply are not connected. Either way, a check (test) of the batteries is a good idea. Best place to do it is at a dealer for the battery brand you have.

If you are the first owner of the trailer - has it ever worked?

If you are the second owner - did it work when you bought it?

If the trailer was stored over the winter - was it on trickle charge? (If not, good bet that the batteries are shot .....). If it was on trickle - what was the charger? ( some brands are prone to do nasty things like put 18V on batteries ...).

Bob

[NoResults]

You say your batteries show 13.2 volts or it that what your meter in the trailer says. That would be the voltage of the converter. Disconnect power and use a volt meter to check your batteries.

Also on my 2016 I once had a loose connection on the solenoid that controls the switch in the trailer. Find the solenoid and check connections.

Dave

[Ricky Bobby]

Checked batteries and both indicate to be only 6v. So i'm charging them now.
Switch works with shore power not batteries probably because they are low.
Guess they are not charging from shore power.

[JMynes]

Your batteries are likely toasted having gone that low.
Your Airstream has parasitic loads on the battery, even when you push the ‘Store’ button. About a week of sitting in ‘Store’ will drain the batteries to unacceptable levels.
If you are plugged in and you are in ‘Store’ then everything in your coach will work, but your batteries are not charging.
If you’re plugged in and in ‘Use’ then everything in your coach will work and your batteries are charging.
If you are unplugged and in ‘Use’ all the 12v items in the coach will work off battery power, but you are draining the batteries. Inverter outlets will be energized with 120v if you turn on the inverter, and now you’re draining the batteries faster.
If you are unplugged and in ‘Store’ nothing works, but the propane leak detector is still energized, and the inverter is drawing a small amount of current. Mine was like .25 amps parasitic load.
Leaving your switch in ‘Store’ will result in dead batteries. Plugging in and leaving your switch in ‘Use’ is okay for a short time, but the stock converter will boil your batteries dry and ruin them.
You can’t go by the little red light, either. The light is only off when unplugged and in ‘Store’. If you’re plugged in to shore power, the light is on regardless.
So, you actually have to push the button to know if you’re in ‘Use’ or ‘Store’.
Good luck with the batteries, but I expect they are damaged.
You might consider an aftermarket converter which will do a much better job of keeping your batteries healthy.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Checked batteries and both indicate to be only 6v. So i'm charging them now.
Switch works with shore power not batteries probably because they are low.
Guess they are not charging from shore power.

If you fill in the details of the trailer’s history that would help, but it is likely that your batteries are shot. Assuming they are Interstate brand, please consider taking them to a store that carries that brand, and have them tested. They might be under a partial warranty.

As soon as you have installed the new batteries, please report back, and more focused advice can be given. It is possible that your charger/converter is not working right, so please post here ASAP.

Good luck,

Peter

PS welcome to the forum!

[Caffeinated]

Assuming you have two 12 volt batteries, a 6 volt reading is very bad. If, on the off chance you or a previous owner installed two 6 volt batteries, you would be fine.

Mike

[Ricky Bobby]

They are Toast. Bought new AS 11.09.17 with these Interstate Batteries. They are stamped 8.2016 so they were a year old then. Never used them and installed a manual cut-off which I used in storage. Guess they were bad to begin with. Called local dealer they said they would have to get from Ohio, so I'm waiting for some new batteries. Thanks to all.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update.

Batteries need to be kept charged. The manual cut-off switch only gives you a longer window to store fully charged batteries. Plenty of posts about how long a lead-acid battery will take to discharge on its own to 50% capacity but that time is measured in months, like 3-4 I think.

11/9/17 to 7/7/18 is about 8 months. If you left the batteries alone for this long, the damage was probably mostly done on your watch IMO.

As mentioned earlier, after you install fully charged new batteries, please reply here because your charger/converter may not be working right IMO.

Cheers,

Peter

PS -- This Battery School resource is a good place to get oriented on the care of RV batteries:

http://www.batteriesnorthwest.com/ba...hool.cfm?TID=0

[JMynes]

You’re getting the runaround.
Batteries don’t have to come from Ohio. Any Interstate (assuming that’s what you have) dealer can warranty them.
Since they are stamped 8/16 an Interstate dealer might not want to warranty them. I believe the warranty on Marine Starting batteries are only 1 year. But your Airstream dealership should step up and replace them because you bought them less than 1 year ago.

[OTRA15]

Unless he did not maintain them correctly, per Post #12? Need more facts IMO.

[Ricky Bobby]

Thanks guys,
I never checked the batteries in November when I bought it. My mistake. I used the trailer by pulling with my jeep and shore line 7 times on trips and at our park. So the batteries had many times in the past 8 months to be recharged and I only cut them off when at home. So the batteries could not have been neglected on my part. I either got bad batteries or the AS converter is to fault. What is a great converter to purchase? Progressive Dynamics PD 4655.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

They are Toast. Bought new AS 11.09.17 with these Interstate Batteries. They are stamped 8.2016 so they were a year old then. Never used them and installed a manual cut-off which I used in storage. Guess they were bad to begin with. Called local dealer they said they would have to get from Ohio, so I'm waiting for some new batteries. Thanks to all.

Hi Ricky Bobby,

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having with your batteries. We know that you are waiting on new batteries, but if there is anything that we can assist with, 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.

Thank you.