No cabin battery power

[dogdog1]

2000 Class C Ford Conquest

I'm researching this for a friend who's off the Internet right now. A few days ago his wife started out from CT to VA. Everything was working the day before but on the day she left there was no battery power in the cabin. She spent a couple cold, dark nights before reaching VA last night. Everything seems to be working on Shore Power but still no battery. So, a couple of questions:

They replaced the two primary batteries late last year but forgot the one under the stairs - what is the function of this third battery?

In reading these topics I see the batteries referred to as Chassis, House, Coach etc - can I assume everybody is talking about the same batteries or is there some difference between them?

It appears there are NO wiring schematics to be had for these RV's? Is this correct and most everybody just traces out their own peculiarities?

Thanks for any info.

[Frosty]

Normally Class A & C RV's have one regular style battery for starting the engine, the "chassis battery". Also, there are two deep cycle, AGM, gel cell, ect. type batteries that sit side by side and are wired together for running the DC side of your RV, like the fridge, lights, furnace, and water pump. These are called the "house batteries". If there is no power anywhere in the RV while not hooked up to shore power, a fuse may have blown. The entire DC side of the rig operates on automotive blade style fuses. The AC side operates through circuit breakers like in your regular home. The breakers and fuses are usually together in the converter box inside the rig. Should be a retangular plastic box. Normally when a fuse blows a little red light next to the bad fuse will illuminate. But of course you need a little power to turn on the light. Hope this helps. If you have any additional info, that may help in troubleshooting. Good luck.

[Hugh G]

I have a similar problem, i.e. no "house" power. It all started after I was connected to the garage "shore"power and started the air conditioner, The air conditioner was making a loud noise. I inadvertently started the generator while plugged into "shore" power and things went down-hill. The air conditioner then wouldn't start and neither the generator. The circuit breaker inside my garage was thrown. I reset it.

Now I have AC power in the unit but no DC power. I charged the battery but still no DC power. I've checked all the "house" fuses and circuit breakers I can locate, but still no DC power. I'm wondering if the power convertor might have gotten fried or that I haven't located all the fuses/ breakers.

The RV is a 2005 BT Cruiser and I'm new to RV'ing - haven't had it out of the driveway yet, mainly trying to learn about the thing. Any help would be much apperciated. Thanks.

[Luckiest Dreamer]

I have a similar problem, i.e. no "house" power. It all started after I was connected to the garage "shore"power and started the air conditioner, The air conditioner was making a loud noise. I inadvertently started the generator while plugged into "shore" power and things went down-hill. The air conditioner then wouldn't start and neither the generator. The circuit breaker inside my garage was thrown. I reset it.

Now I have AC power in the unit but no DC power. I charged the battery but still no DC power. I've checked all the "house" fuses and circuit breakers I can locate, but still no DC power. I'm wondering if the power convertor might have gotten fried or that I haven't located all the fuses/ breakers.

The RV is a 2005 BT Cruiser and I'm new to RV'ing - haven't had it out of the driveway yet, mainly trying to learn about the thing. Any help would be much apperciated. Thanks.
The converter is a place to look. Mine has three fuses on the outlet side. They are spade type and if they are blown----------
I do not know what brand or model you have so more reserch on your part is needed. My converter is under the bed.

[Hugh G]

Thanks folks,
I've yet to locate the "electric convertor w/charger". I've located the Automatic Transfer Releay beneath the toilet area cabinet, but haven't found the Convertor yet. The two items are different, aren't they??? Any help would be apprecaited. The RV is a 2005 BT Cruiser model 5290.
Hugh

[Luckiest Dreamer]

http://www.progressivedyn.com/
Above is a link from one of the providers of converters that may help you recognise what one looks like. I have a Tourmaster and am not familiar with your model. My converter is wired directly behind the transfer switch and plugs into a 20A outlet that is wired separately into the 110V panel. Both are under the bed as is the 110 panel.

[Hugh G]

I finally located the convertor in my 2005 BT Cruiser model 5290. It's located behind the Power Distribution Box/Panel. To access it, it is necessary to remove the Power Distribution Box to even see it. There is limited working space and I haven't yet checked out the fuses. Thanks for the various help/suggestions.

[Hugh G]

Update: 2005 BT Cruiser model 5290 Electrical Problem

The converter (PD9260C) checks out fine. I troubleshooted it today and found the fuses to be good and the DC output to be good (13.62v). So I'm still trying to find out why I have lost DC power to the coach. I've checked all the coach fuses/circuit breakers I can locate. One thing I noticed, however, was when I "test" and "reset" the bathroom GCFI I hear 3 clicks - seems like the clicks are coming from down below the bathroom sink/toilet area. They are not coming from the transfer relay or converter. Is there a solenoid or breaker somewhere in that area??

To re-cap, my problem started when I was connected to 15-20 amp garage power and was running the air conditioned. As a new RV'er, I cut on the generator. It tripped the garage circuit breaker and there was no AC/DC power to the coach. After I reset the garage circuit breaker I now have AC power to the microwave and TV's but no DC power.The slides work when the E450 engine is running but not otherwise. The generator and air conditioner wont start. I've recharged the 9 month old battery to fully charged and still not DC power. I'm beginning to think that the automatic transfer relay or possible a solenoid might be the problem, but I suspect the transfer relay circuit board might have gotten fried. Perhaps I've overlooked something more simple since I'm so new to RV'ing.

Any help appreciated. Thanks

[todbadriver]

What was the issue and how was it resolved. You had/have the same RV as my dad and he has no DC power. I appreciate your help.

Dave

[KRoseVideo]

I have a 2005 GulfStream BT Cruiser BT 5211 and had similar problems with the DC, although I have not started the generator when I was plugged in to a land line.

There were a number of problems that I encountered and eventually overcame. I will try to outline them here and, if there is interest, I could make a video.

1) First thing I needed to do was go to Home Depot and buy a decent Ammeter (Ampere Meter) and a decent Volt Meter. One meter can do both jobs, but I bought separate units.
Use the Volt meter to check the battery to see if they are charged. 12+ Volt on your Volt meter. Check at the Positive side where the cable attaches from the vehicle and the Negative side where the Negative Lead attaches from the vehicle. This assumes you have two 12 volt batteries hooked up in parallel. (See YouTube Videos for how to hook up if necessary.) I used the Ammeter to know what, if any, Current was flowing through the cables to the batteries. The Ammeter helped a lot with diagnosing the problems and with knowing when I had succeeded.

2) The second thing is to know the priority for charging the batteries. FIRST is a Land Line whether 30 amp or the cheater plug 15 amp connection. Either of these will provide power to the converter to charge up your 12 volt batteries. SECOND power Source is from the Vehicle running in which case the excess power after charging up your vehicle battery is diverted to the Coach Batteries. (See 3 below.) THIRD Priority for charging your batteries is the Generator whose main function is to provide AC Current.

3) In my BT Cruiser, There is a 5 amp fuse that is "in-line" approximately 1 foot from the Vehicle battery, in the wire that heads over to the junction on the driver's side of the engine compartment. In my case, we found that the 5 amp fuse was blown. Replacing this helped but not totally. We used the Volt Meter to confirm that we were getting 13+ Volt to the opposite side of this junction, thereby giving higher voltage to charge the 12 Volt battery. I checked at the battery end of the + cable and saw that it was 13 + volt so this was good. Initially, prior to replacing the 5 amp fuse, our DC Volt Meter just showed the Voltage of the house battery which at the time was 12 volt since I had, by this time, bought a battery charger and charged my batteries outside of the camper to be sure that I knew the batteries were both good. (They were 8 months old at the time.) The 12 volt reading was just the voltage of the battery. It still seemed that my batteries were not really getting fully charged. So I moved to step 4 below.

4) Finally solved my problem when I figured out what those three BUSS BREAKERS down in the battery compartment did and how they possibly got dis-connected by the cables or other wires bumping against them. It seems that there are little red buttons sticking out of the front face of each of these breakers. These stick out at a height near the top of the batteries which made me conclude that a cable must have hit one of the three when I installed the two batteries in Parallel as described earlier. I eventually pressed the red buttons on all three of these breakers and then NOTHING WORKED. I knew I was making progress. Using my flash light, I played with the breakers and found a little black flapper sticking out the bottom of each of the Buss Breakers. I pushed these flappers up and they stayed in position. then, Vola, I had full DC Power and could operate all of my DC Appliances.

Note: My DC system provides control power for the Dometic refrigerator to ignite and operate with Propane. Or, the refrigerator can operate with AC Current from a Land Line or Generator. My Frige does not operate with just the DC power.

Hope this helps somebody. Roy // KRoseVideo

[Jpcoll01]

I know this is a very old thread but I have the same issue on my 06 BT Cruiser. I have 13.6 at the battery and on both sides of the 3 breakers down by the battery until I try to start the gen, at that point everything goes out ans I get 3.2 at the breakers even though none of them are kicked (does anyone know of an automatic circuit breaker somewhere on the coach? The circuit will reset itself after an unknown amount of time (or sometime after unhooking the battery ans re-hooking it).

[Frutza]

Take your batteries and get them load tested, your seeing a surface charge, the batteries show good voltage until loaded, check the voltage and turn the headlights on, you should see the same thing,
Pull the batteries out, charge them, then most auto parts stores will do a free load test.
Surface charge, a battery will build a charge just sitting there not being used, but has no amps to it

[Jpcoll01]

This makes sense. The 13.4 could be coming from my solar charger which would have been coming into the batteries the whole time I was checking them and then completely discharged when load applied? They are less than a year old but anything is possible. .

Edit: was worth a shot, I unhooked the solar ans batter was showing 12.9 which makes sense. Applied load and something kicked underneath and everything went out. It battery showing 12.9. Another thing is that my inverter which is wired directly to battery is showing the same voltage while the panel is showing less. I have been tripping, waiting (auto reset) trip again for the past couple days ans think there is an auto reset breaker that is completely useless at this point. (Just like any breaker or GFCI will go bad after being repeatedly tripped). Any ideas where that might be?
Also, I heard a click when I pushed the gen start, I assume that was the relay clicking.

[Jpcoll01]

After the breaker (assuming at this point) kicks then everything downstream of the battery goes to 3.2v on that circuit so the panel won’t come on at all as it is expecting 12v. Is anyone aware of anything behind the electrical panel.

[ed.b]

I'm thinking that putting the buss breakers behind the wheels was not a good idea. I wonder if I can put a shield in front of them. Could a pebble hitting the red button trip them? What would cause them to trip off?
ed

[THenne1713]

I'm thinking that putting the buss breakers behind the wheels was not a good idea. I wonder if I can put a shield in front of them. Could a pebble hitting the red button trip them? What would cause them to trip off?
ed
You tied into a OLD thread from [2011-2018], but guessing you have a Trailer, and I agree electric SHOULD BE in waterproof box, but if 12vdc tripping battery breakers, whatever LOAD is on them can cause trips, e.g. SLIDE, can trip if button held too long, or solenoid sticks closed, or Battery Polarity backwards. WHAT is your issue?

[DougH57]

2002 Conquest Lite TT (19’). Bought used put new converter and battery in and the camper sat unused 18 months while repairing. Plugged into shore power All the AC and DC work. Output at converter 13.75v but at the battery it’s battery voltage (12.48v). Unplug from shore power no DC. Voltage at converter 0.45 v. I’ve traced the red wire from converter to battery and all good. All fuses good. The DC system works when plugged into tow vehicle. I took the camper for a short ride to test the WDH. When I returned and plugged into shore power AC power worked but none of the DC/interior lights. The outside DC light works. Unplug from shore power plug into tow vehicle the interior lights work but the outside light does not. Also when on shore power the carbon monoxide alarm does not glow green and I get a low beep (from the alarm?). I’m completely at a loss.. Any direction/help is appreciated. Oh, The DC panel was not changed when I bought a new converter.

[THenne1713]

DougH57, Sounds like disconnect at either: 1) REVERSE POLARITY FUSES at converter (cause= battery installed backwards?); 2) BATTERY SWITCH OFF; 3) 12vdc CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPPED (located within 18" of battery, mine under step w/ battery); 4) Wire at battery dropped/ hidden and NOT connected? LUCK (TIP: Start NEW thread next time, you tapped into one from 2011, LOL)

[Bravehrt87]

:D:DI’ve spent the last three days trying to figure out why my coach couldn’t work on dc alone. I looked for a tripped breaker, especially the “manual breaker” mentioned in some posts but couldn’t find any on my 2010 Yellowstone class c. Fortunately I didn’t destroy my dc fuse panel, under the foot of the master bed, I found 3.7 v there. My batteries were reading fully charged (I have installed solar panels) and am plugged into shorepower most of the time. Eventually I decided I had to check the batteries instead of just reading the monitor. Each battery read 6.5 or so, but did not equal 12 across outside terminals. The jumper wire connecting the positive and negative terminals between my two 6v deep cycle batteries looked good and tested good for continuity. I used a temporary connection to replace the jumper and lo and behold I now have 13.7 volts and everything works including starting the generator. I could only start it for the last couple of weeks if I had the motorhome engine running. I didn’t know I didn’t have battery power because I was plugged Into shorepower so everything worked off the converter until I unplugged the cord and everything went dark! I also connected my charger to the batteries to test if they were good or needed charging. They were both fully charged so that narrowed it down for me. I cut the insulation off the old jumper, one end had a crush type blue plastic o ring connector, the other end had a plain o ring connector that had electricians tape wrapped around it. The wire was good, the issue was corrosion on the end with the plastic cover the wire inside the connector was all greenish copper corrosion, killing the continuity. I had expected the taped end to be bad but it was fine. Anyway, I have correct voltage and everything works again! Hope this helps somebody, especially if you’re using two 6v batteries. Another place to check!

[carlamoore923]

Thank you so much for doing the work I don't think i would have ever seen the little flapper on the circuit breakers i kept pushing the red button to re set then found this thread and viola everything worked.

[THenne1713]

Battery Power and Converter/ Charger power goes to the FUSE PANEL, and then to the RV circuits/ devices, but has (usually TWO) 30a fuses on fuse board, separate from the row of outputs that control connections Battery (or Converter) to the FUSES. Locate/ check these two 30a? If NOT ON the board face, (some) older models HID them on the back of the phenolic plastic FUSE BOARD., DISMOUNT BOARD (two screws?) AND LOOK ON BACK? Hope this helps?

[jsbelknap]

I have a 2005 GulfStream BT Cruiser BT 5211 and had similar problems with the DC, although I have not started the generator when I was plugged in to a land line.

There were a number of problems that I encountered and eventually overcame. I will try to outline them here and, if there is interest, I could make a video.

1) First thing I needed to do was go to Home Depot and buy a decent Ammeter (Ampere Meter) and a decent Volt Meter. One meter can do both jobs, but I bought separate units.
Use the Volt meter to check the battery to see if they are charged. 12+ Volt on your Volt meter. Check at the Positive side where the cable attaches from the vehicle and the Negative side where the Negative Lead attaches from the vehicle. This assumes you have two 12 volt batteries hooked up in parallel. (See YouTube Videos for how to hook up if necessary.) I used the Ammeter to know what, if any, Current was flowing through the cables to the batteries. The Ammeter helped a lot with diagnosing the problems and with knowing when I had succeeded.

2) The second thing is to know the priority for charging the batteries. FIRST is a Land Line whether 30 amp or the cheater plug 15 amp connection. Either of these will provide power to the converter to charge up your 12 volt batteries. SECOND power Source is from the Vehicle running in which case the excess power after charging up your vehicle battery is diverted to the Coach Batteries. (See 3 below.) THIRD Priority for charging your batteries is the Generator whose main function is to provide AC Current.

3) In my BT Cruiser, There is a 5 amp fuse that is "in-line" approximately 1 foot from the Vehicle battery, in the wire that heads over to the junction on the driver's side of the engine compartment. In my case, we found that the 5 amp fuse was blown. Replacing this helped but not totally. We used the Volt Meter to confirm that we were getting 13+ Volt to the opposite side of this junction, thereby giving higher voltage to charge the 12 Volt battery. I checked at the battery end of the + cable and saw that it was 13 + volt so this was good. Initially, prior to replacing the 5 amp fuse, our DC Volt Meter just showed the Voltage of the house battery which at the time was 12 volt since I had, by this time, bought a battery charger and charged my batteries outside of the camper to be sure that I knew the batteries were both good. (They were 8 months old at the time.) The 12 volt reading was just the voltage of the battery. It still seemed that my batteries were not really getting fully charged. So I moved to step 4 below.

4) Finally solved my problem when I figured out what those three BUSS BREAKERS down in the battery compartment did and how they possibly got dis-connected by the cables or other wires bumping against them. It seems that there are little red buttons sticking out of the front face of each of these breakers. These stick out at a height near the top of the batteries which made me conclude that a cable must have hit one of the three when I installed the two batteries in Parallel as described earlier. I eventually pressed the red buttons on all three of these breakers and then NOTHING WORKED. I knew I was making progress. Using my flash light, I played with the breakers and found a little black flapper sticking out the bottom of each of the Buss Breakers. I pushed these flappers up and they stayed in position. then, Vola, I had full DC Power and could operate all of my DC Appliances.

Note: My DC system provides control power for the Dometic refrigerator to ignite and operate with Propane. Or, the refrigerator can operate with AC Current from a Land Line or Generator. My Frige does not operate with just the DC power.

Hope this helps somebody. Roy // KRoseVideo


So this looked like exactly what was happening...until I dug deeper.
we just bought a 2005 33 ft. Independence Class A. All works except to Dock power.
For the life of me, I can not find the converter. There are circuit breakers at the front of the bed and all seem to work, but no converter unless I am missing something.

I also can't find any cabin batteries! I have 4 perfect deep cells in the front of the hood that are in series and read out 12.5ish In addition I looked for the Buss breakers and no sign of those either.
We can run our DC lights for about 10 min and there done, but all 4 deep cells are fully charged. We do have one of those goofy red handle disconnects in the front but appears to function. The Coach starts without any issues.

And for the life of me I can't seem to find a resource to identify the function of a battery switch that is located on the block where the radio and fan switches are located on the dash.

Any and all input is appreciated

[THenne1713]

So this looked like exactly what was happening...until I dug deeper.
we just bought a 2005 33 ft. Independence Class A. All works except to Dock power.
For the life of me, I can not find the converter. There are circuit breakers at the front of the bed and all seem to work, but no converter unless I am missing something.

I also can't find any cabin batteries! I have 4 perfect deep cells in the front of the hood that are in series and read out 12.5ish In addition I looked for the Buss breakers and no sign of those either.
We can run our DC lights for about 10 min and there done, but all 4 deep cells are fully charged. We do have one of those goofy red handle disconnects in the front but appears to function. The Coach starts without any issues.
And for the life of me I can't seem to find a resource to identify the function of a battery switch that is located on the block where the radio and fan switches are located on the dash.

Any and all input is appreciated

1) So BATTERY switch on dash is usually a BOOST, connects Coach to Chassis battery to START in case of Dead chassis battery; usually will NOT be Instantaneous, so allow 5-15-minutes; maybe even crank GEN first too? DUAL FUNCTION, can also be used TO START GEN IF COACH DEAD, (probably more common?); 2) If you have not converted to LED, highly recommend that first; (Reduces battery drain by 90%); my CONVERTER FAN has not run since changing bulbs. The RED Handle BaATTERY DISCONNECT should be turned OFF anytime stored without Shoreline power to prevent battery drain. If you have a printed MANUAL, suggest you make NOTES as you decipher your coach? You can download if needed from Gulfstreamcoach.com website? 3) The x4 deep cycle batteries should be your coach; turn off your red handle to verify it works. BOOST or CHARGE COACH WHILE DRIVING acoomplished w/ SOLENOIDS, and YES, they can/ do go bad, so test both annually or when trouble symptoms arise? Suspect MOST Red Battery switch do NOT disconnect chassis battery, but I could be wrong? LUCK