Thanks again Jerry. I am up early this morning and doing what you have suggested to test the electrical system is one of my main projects for the day.
--- 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, 9:25 PM
Lisa, even if it is the converter, as Beth said, it shouldn't be very expensive. I recall only paying about $40 for a replacement converter board for my "American" brand converter, which was in the earlier TABs. The converter itself is just a circuit board that mounts in the electrical distribution box, which most of us refer to as "the converter." The entire assembly won't need replacing. I will see if I can find the contact information used when my converter was ordered. Any RV dealer will not likely have the exact one on hand, but should be able to order one for you. If I can find the contact information used when ordering mine, I will pass it along. Good luck Jerry J ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 8:17 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!
|
Get your own web address.Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
|
Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and always stay connected to friends.
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment