Batteries not charging from shorepower

[Kemmy]

I have read other threads about this issue but still searching for a solution.
I have a 2015 25 foot Flying Cloud FB and the batteries are not charging and in fact are exhausted. I am connected to shore power and have 116vac. Microwave works. The shore power is hard wired to the transfer switch on the back of the breaker/fuse panel and test with the multimeter at 116 vac. I have checked the 30 amp fuses and breakers, disconnected and reconnected shore power, and hooked up tow vehicle but cannot get the batteries to charge. I am attaching a picture of the transfer switch which has three sets of connections, one set shows the 116 vac with multimeter, I’m not sure what the others should test at. Anyone know?
I also attached a picture of control panel.

I appreciate any input.

[Kemmy]

P.S.

I have a Power WatchDog hardwired into shorepower that disconnects during a surge so I don’t think I had a surge

[OrangeCrush]

So you have good AC to the distribution panel because microwave works. Your converter charger should be in there somewhere, probably at the bottom. Do other DC items work, like lights? If not then you may have a bad converter/charger. Also, check the voltage at the batteries when connected to shore power as you may just have some bad batteries.

[Jcondon]

Originally Posted by Kemmy

I have read other threads about this issue but still searching for a solution.
I have a 2015 25 foot Flying Cloud FB and the batteries are not charging and in fact are exhausted. I am connected to shore power and have 116vac. Microwave works. The shore power is hard wired to the transfer switch on the back of the breaker/fuse panel and test with the multimeter at 116 vac. I have checked the 30 amp fuses and breakers, disconnected and reconnected shore power, and hooked up tow vehicle but cannot get the batteries to charge. I am attaching a picture of the transfer switch which has three sets of connections, one set shows the 116 vac with multimeter, I’m not sure what the others should test at. Anyone know?
I also attached a picture of control panel.

I appreciate any input.

The third breaker from the left says Bedroom and Converter. Is the bedroom outlets working? That breaker may be bad. They can fail. Bust out that meter. The converter feeds the fuse panel through a larger fuse. Probably 50 amp. Check for 12 volts DC to ground there if that converter has power. You have a meter. Track down where the 120 volts stops and the 12 volt stops. The source is your converter.

[Al and Missy]

If your trailer has the USE/STORE switch, it should be in the USE position to charge the batteries. It has been reported on here that if the batteries are depleted, the USE/STORE switch may not activate to the USE position. If that is the case you will have to connect an auxiliary charger to the batteries to get the voltage up high enough for the switch to work.

[Kemmy]

I tested AC voltage some more and everything on the AC side is good. I have 115 vac to the converter board but only ~ 5 vdc leaving the converter. Unless a bad battery disconnect could cause this I am believing the converter is the culprit. Thank you so much for the replies I received. Great Community.

[cldamonhall]

Sounds like the converter is failing. This happened to us last year.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Converter / chargers do indeed die. It's not that uncommon. You can replace it with a "same/same" model or go with something else. The "same/same" stuff is easy to drop in. It's no more or less likely to fail in another few years. There are a variety of "upgrade" units out there. Fitting one in is normally in the DIY range of things.

Regardless of what you get, resist the temptation to get it from an anonymous source on Amazon. You want to get it from somebody you can talk to on the phone if you have questions about this or that ( which is pretty normal ). Even with an "upgrade", these converters still are a bit fragile. The first upgrade I did died 3 weeks later ....

Bob

[Ray Eklund]

Your Batteries are DEAD. Check the DATE on each Battery. Once you KILL your batteries... over time or immediately... start from the beginning and avoid drawing them below 50%.

We helped a couple with a SOB and they ran a generator to try to maintain their ONE battery. The Battery was 5 years old, NO Solar... the battery was DEAD. They just purchased the trailer used. Never had or used a RV in the past. They are on the Learning Curve.

Get yourself New Batteries. Then figure out what you are doing if these DIE, you are eliminating the easiest of possible solutions. We do not travel with you. We have no idea if you know what you are doing.

We discovered with the 25 foot Safari, without Solar... the generator was a waste of money and did not do us much good. Bought TWO 100 watt Solar Panels from Costco for $200, sold the Generator and never had battery issues. Leaned the Solar Panels against a Milk Crate (usually one did the job).

Our 2006 23 foot Safari had two AGM Interstates, a 80 watt solar panel on the roof and when we sold it in 2014... worked perfectly. You need to start at the beginning, before spending a lot of money chasing the wrong fixes.

Figure Labor at $100 to research the electrical problems an hour. The cost of one 100 watt Costco Solar Panel in house.

Go to Costco and get the 100watt Solar Panel for $100, hook it up easily yourself with the included Controller. Get TWO panels if you camp early Spring and Late Fall when the Sun is lower and shorter days.

Costco now sells Interstate AGM batteries... as well.

Cheaper than any Generator. Uses no gasoline. Charges directly to your Batteries. Simple to hook up. No 'middleman' electronics in this arrangement.

If your Batteries DIE after this... then you have more issues. Start Simple... and then solve ONE issue at a time. The beginning... Two New AGM Batteries, Solar Panels (1 or 2) depending on your 12 volt power needs.

Been using simple Solar for us since 2006 and up to October 7, 2022.

If you wanted to power the television and microwave... ignore this post.

If this is too much of a challenge... stay hooked up at RV Parks.

[geirws]

i went through that problem with my motor home. the ground wire was so badly corroded that it would not charge i had to replace the ground wire from the batteries

[OrangeCrush]

OK, So AC to converter but ~5V out. Al and Missy are correct, the converter connects to the battery through the Solenoid. Ray is also correct, if you have a completely dead or shorted battery it could be dragging down the converter. So next thing I would try is to disconnect the batteries and then check to see if the converter voltage goes up to 12+V and you get DC lights on. If it does not, then you probably have a bad converter or a short somewhere other than the batteries. At that point I would then disconnect the converter out to make sure there is not another short somewhere else and if the outputs is still low you definitely have a bad converter.

[Jcondon]

Originally Posted by Kemmy

I tested AC voltage some more and everything on the AC side is good. I have 115 vac to the converter board but only ~ 5 vdc leaving the converter. Unless a bad battery disconnect could cause this I am believing the converter is the culprit. Thank you so much for the replies I received. Great Community.

You have a bad converter if you have 120 AC going in and 5 volts DC coming out. Just for kicks switch your meter to AC and test the DC lugs again. I bet you will find some AC on those lugs. He rectification circuit has probably given up. Bestconverter.com has an exact replacement.

[GeeSag]

The Luv Subin couple did a great video showing how easy it is to change out that Parallax converter.
Go to Bestconverter.com and buy the upgrade kit.
The change out was very easy.

One takeaway from the video is to use the clip type wire splice and not wire nuts.

[Kemmy]

Thank you all for the posts and guidance. Spot on accurate

I called the OEM (Parallax) about the converter/charger. Very helpful tech Brian guided me through testing with the multimeter and agreed it had failed. I ordered a new one through Boat and RV Accessories yesterday morning so it could get out the door before the weekend. It was cheaper than Amazon and I will have someone to contact if I have issues. Should be an easy replacement (4 wires). I did not buy the fuse/breaker panel. I have the batteries out and charging, they are one year old so we will see if they make it or need to be replaced.

Thanks for the additional information Ray. I am going to purchase at least one portable panel.

This forum is great because people are willing to share their knowledge and experiences.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If the batteries are flooded cell, check the fluid level in them while you have them out and charging. Best to check this both before and after the charge process is complete. If they are AGM's there is no way / no need to do this.

Both batteries should sit on a charger for at least 24 hours to get them close to "full" after what has happened to them. (this assumes a > 20A charger on each battery). They should be up around ( or over ) 13.4V at that point. There also should be near zero ( < 1A) current coming out of the charger. If they are still below 13V and pulling significant current, it's time for a replacement. Even if they do charge up, it still may be time for a replacement. If they don't charge, there's no doubt.

Batteries get replaced in pairs. If one charges up fine and the other not so much, they both get replaced. Both batteries should be same brand / type / date code. Unless the store is way low on stock, that's what you get anyway. Same / same means they will properly share the charge and share the load.

Just like the old batteries, best to put the new ones on the chargers when they get home. There's about a 98% chance this isn't needed, still better to be sure and get them charged.

Fun !!

Bob

[Kemmy]

After 24 hours on the charger one battery is at 11.9 & the other is at 12.1 vdc so I will replace them.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Kemmy

After 24 hours on the charger one battery is at 11.9 & the other is at 12.1 vdc so I will replace them.

Hi

If the chargers are at least 20A units, then that's a bad sign. If they are something really small ( like some of the Battery Tenders ), they might not be able to do the job. A lot of folks have observed over the years that you want a reasonably hefty charger for this sort of thing.

Bob

[robearl733]

In all likely hood, your converter has failed. I have a 2016 FC FBT and mine failed while on a long trip. First I replaced the batteries since they were 5 years old. That was not the problem. The the converter was not charging. While on the trip I purchased a good battery charger from AutoZone plugged it in on outside socket of the Airstream and that kept batteries in good shape while on shore power. Now I always carry it just in case. When I got home I ordered a new converter from Best Converters and replaced it myself. It was pretty easy and it’s a much better converter than the stock one. I’d put money that your convert failed. Mine was all burned when I got it out.