Thanks again Jerry, I'm afraid that the oscilloscope is way beyond my ability, but I understand it would be interesting to find out what is going on. I had hoped the battery would charge and then see if it would last a few days. I will do as you recommend and remove the shore power when the battery is charged, and I will get it checked to, as I am sure that may still be part of the problem (or another one in and of itself). Thank you again! Shonktoo
--- On Sat, 2/12/11, Jerry Jones <jjerryj@suddenlink.net> wrote:
From: Jerry Jones <jjerryj@suddenlink.net>
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, February 12, 2011, 4:28 PM
Shonktoo, it does indeed appear that the converter is the culprit. I wish I could look at the 12V output of the converter with an oscilloscope just for curiosity's sake. It is still possible the converter has a loose connection someplace. It still is worth having the battery checked to be sure it is OK. Even if it takes a charge, it may lack capacity due to the long period of storage when it was completely discharged. With the battery fully charged, remove shore power and verify all the 12V circuits work properly then. Jerry J ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 4:07 PM Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
| Hi Nick and All, I had previously checked all of the contacts and hookups and they were fine. I also just put one of those LED circuit testers in each of the outlets and according to that they were wired correctly. I took the negative lead off of the battery as Jerry suggested and the lights in the trailer would barely glow and still flickered. The ceiling fan and the radio/TV would not come on at all, or would 'sputter' and go out all together. However, I noted that the 120 outlet still worked fine and everything plugged into them appears to be just fine. I have now borrowed a battery charger and have it on the battery to see if that will 'save' the battery and give it a charge. At this point it seems like the 12 volt side of the converter isn't working, but the 120 volt side is. I hope the battery is still good/save able as it appears that the converter may be the culprit. Thanks once more!!! Shonktoo
--- On Sat, 2/12/11, NicktheMan117@aol.com <NicktheMan117@aol.com> wrote:
From: NicktheMan117@aol.com <NicktheMan117@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, February 12, 2011, 7:22 AM
Oh, And be sure to check the little circuit breaker that is on the A frame that is between the battery and the converter. Those can cause a myriad of problems as well. Nick Tabmantoo Michigan In a message dated 2/12/2011 6:23:34 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, shonktoo@yahoo.com writes: | Hi Beth, Yep, that is the one. Where did you find it? Thanks much!
--- On Fri, 2/11/11, Beth Cannestra <myjossi@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Beth Cannestra <myjossi@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, February 11, 2011, 8:25 PM
Shonktoo, Don't worry too much if it is the converter. They are readily available and I bought one for less than $100 and installed it myself. This was the World Friendship Converter (WFCO), is that the type you have? The earliest T@Bs had a different one.
Beth
From: Lisa Woodward <shonktoo@yahoo.com>
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, February 11, 2011 7:17:09 PM
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
| Mr. Jones, Thank you very much for your reply. I will do exactly what you said and let you know what happens. This electrical stuff is foreign to me, but your directions are clear and concise. Just to clarify things the flicker is in all of the lights and can be heard in the TV/Stereo and the pump too. I hope it isn't the converter as I understand that they are expensive to replace. Is that an item that you can get at any RV dealer. If not, I'm not even sure where to look. Thanks again to everyone for their help! Shonktoo
--- On Fri, 2/11/11, Jerry Jones <jjerryj@suddenlink.net> wrote:
From: Jerry Jones <jjerryj@suddenlink.net>
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, February 11, 2011, 6:14 PM
Lisa, you can isolate the problem by removing the battery ground lead and see if the flickering stops. Contrary to Carol's experience, I have found the lights work quite well from the converter alone. You should also have the battery checked for free at one of the auto parts stores or service centers such as Auto Zone or Advance Auto, Sears or WalMart. Because it was left alone for such a long period of time and it is an older battery, it may well need replacing, whether or not it is the cause of the flicker. A flicker more often is an indication of a connection that is not solid--I had a flicker problem with one of our lights because of a poor socket connection. Another problem might well be the converter--if it is only half-wave rectifying, that could well be a problem in the converter, and would affect the battery charge. Check the battery voltage with a voltmeter. If you have a 12V light with test leads, such as a trouble light, disconnect from shore power and try it across the battery. If the light doesn't flicker, it points to a problem either in the wiring connections or the converter. Good luck Jerry J ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 5:42 PM Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
| Hi Carol, Thanks much for the prompt reply! I'm afraid that is what I will be leaning toward. Unfortunately batteries don't last forever. It's just weird that it is working at all, and that some of the info I have found relate to the converter working the 12 volt accessories even without the battery. As you stated, I have also noted a lot of traffic on the converter being cheap and not always lasting a long time. Maybe the two in conjunction are just not the best fit! Thanks again. Shonktoo
--- On Fri, 2/11/11, Carol Kelley <clkelley564@knology.net> wrote:
From: Carol Kelley <clkelley564@knology.net>
Subject: Re: [tabtrailers] Electrical Help
To: tabtrailers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, February 11, 2011, 5:18 PM
Ok, I had a similar issue and it is probably a bad battery. My dad explained that while the converter can run stuff it needs the "control" of the battery for best efficiency. He said quite honestly RV converters are on the cheap side and are not designed to run the 12V items independently. Carol On Feb 11, 2011 5:06 PM, "Shonktoo" <shonktoo@yahoo.com> wrote:
I need some help with my trailer. It is five years old, has the original battery and has been out of service for about two and a half years. I am now trying to ready it for a trip next month. It was plugged into shore power for about half of that time (on an infrequent basis when I was home), but has not been on shore power for the last 9 or 10 months.
Upon plugging it in to start cleaning and prepping it I noticed that the 12 volt lights were very weak, and were flickering. I attributed that to a low/weak/old battery even though I was on shore power, and had hoped that a good charge would remedy this situation on it's own. In fact all of the 12 volt accessories were flickering/operating intermittenly (the TV/stereo, water pump etc.). I have researched all of the electrical files that I can find on this site, and note nothing about this issue.
The trailer has now been plugged into shore power for four days and although the lights are burning brighter they are still flickering (all of the 12 volt accessories are still operating strangely). I have checked all of the fuses, the breakers, the plug wires and the ground, and all are tight and in good condition. It also appears that the battery is charging well as the lights are now burning brighter. Additionally, the 120 volt outlets work just fine and anything plugged into them appears to work properly.
From the files I have read on this site I understood that the 12 volt accessories should work even without a battery in place, as the converter would/should power them directly from the shore power. This is partially why I don't understand the flickering, or this possibly being an issue that is directly related to the battery being sub-par. Any advice or assistance on how to remedy this would be greatly appreciated and I thank you all in advance!
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