The rv’s converter charger cant work to charge the battery unless it’s hooked to good working shore power (via the RVs power distribution panel and breaker) and as above the charger is working with no blown fuses or tripped breakers between charger and battery as well as good intact wiring to battery (no blown fuses or tripped breakers )
If hooked to good shore power the RVs 120 vac outlets and appliances should power up and work plus the converter/charger have input power making it capable of producing 13 to 14 volts dc to charge up the battery.
Yes the battery obviously needs a good closed connection to the converter/charger to get charged
If the battery is showing 12.93 volts that tells me the charger is working (to some extent see PS below) and there’s a good solid connection from charger to battery because 12.6 is fully charged while around 13 to 14 volts tells me it’s working and receiving at least some charge from a working charger. Again, if its voltage rises to around or near 13 or more the shore power and charger must be working (to some extent see PS below) The voltage depends on battery and charger but 12.93 sounds like alls okay (to some extent see PS below) !!!!!
It’s when the battery voltage doesn’t rise at all or even drops when hooked to shore power and battery something’s not working. If it rose from 12.6 or less to the 13/14 volt range all may ?? be working. Again test battery voltage not hooked to shore power then plug up and see if battery voltage rises there’s your answer !!!!
PS ADDED CAVEAT
Many Converter/Chargers Ive owned as the battery becomes charged the voltage will be reduced to around 13.2 Float volts SO 12.93 MAY BE A BIT LOW ??? HOWEVER if it raises from 12.6 or less to 12.93 its supplying at least some degree of charge. The thing is the actual voltage DEPENDS on battery condition and state of charge,,,,,,,,,,,On the Converter/Chargers design and operation,,,,,,,,,,,,,,PLUS I dont know your meters accuracy ?? Maybe its closer to 13 + instead of 12.93 ????
NOTE if 12.93 is the highest voltage your Converter/Charger ever gets the battery voltage up to and/or it takes a longggggggggggg time to charge your battery it could need replaced !!!!
John T
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More good questions 54, you're hangin in there !!
If a breaker or fuse reads the same voltage on both sides a fuse typically (could be exceptions ) isn’t blown or the breaker tripped. It’s when voltage is different or non existent on one side the fuse is blown or breaker tripped...If youre reading the chargers output of say 13+ to 14 + volts on one side of the fuse but battery voltage say 12.6 or less on the other THE FUSE MUST BE BLOWN OPEN. One side of the fuse connects to the charger and the other to the battery and if good BOTH should read the same
NOTE if the fuses are okay and theres a good solid connection FROM charger TO battery YES the voltage on BOTH sides of good non blown fuses would be the same. The job of the Converter/Charger is to pump charging amps into the battery and it does so by producing a HIGHER VOLTAGE than the battery in order to produce current flow INTO the battery. The open unloaded output voltage of a Converter/Charger might be 14 or so volts but when connected to a battery (a load) it can drop. If the voltage isnt the same on BOTH sides of fuses THERES A PROBLEM they may be blown open or not fully connected... If the chargers output voltage is different (should be higher and on one side of fuse) than battery voltage (lower and on other side of fuse) THE FUSE MUST BE BLOWN OPEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again test battery voltage not hooked to shore power then plug up and see if battery voltage rises there’s your answer !!!!
Keep asking your questions we will all try our best to help !!!!!!!!!!!
John T 54 Year RV owner and one happy camper
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MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Hi Fifty-Four, I assume you're responding to my last post. I composed that one on my phone, so it's a bit terse. Not that I'm at my desktop computer, let me elaborate.
The two fuses in question connect the battery to the power converter. One connects the converter's positive output to the battery's positive terminal, while the other connects the negative output to the negative terminal. The idea is that if you happen to connect the battery backwards, one or the other of the two fuses will blowing, protecting the power converter and anything else that doesn't like reversed polarity.
When you pull the fuses, the power converter is disconnected from the battery. And if you disconnect the shore power, you should only see voltage on the fuse sockets that are connected to the battery. The other two sockets will be dead until you plug in shore power. Once you plug in shore power, the power converter side of the fuses should have voltage, probably about 14 volts. Hopefully this explains what's going on and what you should expect to see. Good luck.
I might just throw out there during a commercial for the football game to check the wiring from the converter to the battery. Nicked, mouse eaten, bad ground, loose lug where it is supposed to be clamped tight, corrosion around the wire ends, corrosion or bad connection or paint blocking the ground bolt on the frame, and corroded battery terminals or bolts. LA up by 3 now over Baltimore.
Victron has a great reputation as far as Combination Inverter/Chargers are concerned. I had 2 Xantrex go bad grrrrrrrrrrrr
John T
Mornin again 54, heres the problem NOT being there I dont know exactly where you're reading the chargers voltage ?????????????
Note. Assuming they are all good for now if you just forget about all the fuse chat below and somewhere that charger will have two big main dc output terminals pos and neg. That’s where if working there would be the 13/14 volts. When plugged to shore power is there ???????????
1) ACROSS any one single fuse (side to side) thats good, closed, not blown open, I would expect near zero volts difference as its basically a short circuit. If good and the charger is working and no blown fuses or tripped breakers, Id expect 14 or so volts DC on BOTH sides of any pos side fuse with respect to Negative. ACROSS a fuse is NOT the same as either Pos terminal to Neg !!!!!!!!!!!
2) From EITHER side of a fuse THATS THE CHARGERS POSITIVE OUTPUT with respect to Negative. I would expect 13 to 14 Volts. If it were 14 on the charger side (charger sounds okay) but 12.6 or less on the to battery side, I suspect a blown fuse or tripped breaker between charger output and battery. If alls well there would be 13 to 14 volts on BOTH sides of the pos side fuse with respect to its DC Negative.
NOTE if you happened to have a fuse on BOTH Pos and Neg sides of the chargers output, and alls well and working, NO BLOWN FUSES, thats where you should read 13/14 volts from one side of ONE fuse (say Pos) to one side of the OTHER (say Neg) fuse NOTTTTTTTTTT 1.2 Volts
3) That 1.20 (I suspect you mean volts not amps??) if its actually the chargers output Voltage (I have no idea) and it has good 120 VAC input power via shore power MEANS A BAD CHARGER
4) If that 1.20 volts is across (side to side) of a fuse that's NOT typical
When you check for shore power is there 120 to the RV and its 120 volt household outlets and appliances all working ??????????.................Is there 120 to the chargers input ??? Any of its pilot lights on ??????????? Is the 15 or 20 Amp AC breaker that feeds the charger on and not tripped ?????????
In the event your charger has fuses on BOTH its Neg and Pos, BOTH must be good and there must be a good solid wiring connection to your battery with no other blown fuses or tripped breakers from charger to battery.
Sorry, NOT being there I cant know where youre reading 1.20
Measure battery voltage Pos to Neg sitting NOT plugged to shore power,,,,,,,Plug to shore power (insure no tripped breakers in power panel) and see if it raises to 13 to 14 volt range ??? If so charger is working. If not, charger not working,,,,,,,,,, or a blown fuse or tripped breaker,,,,,,,,,,,, or no 120 to chargers input,,,,,,,,,,,,,or battery shot.......... If you can identify chargers where DC output is present, it should be 13 to 14 volts if working powered up and no bad fuses or breakers. Again if theres fuses on BOTH Pos and Neg side of charger you should read 13/14 volts from one fuse to the other fuse. If theres only one fuse (on Pos) you should read 13/14 volts Pos to Neg/Ground if alls well working no blown fuses etc
I have to run for now but will check back later and add more to this
John T
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MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Troubleshooting, as I mentioned earlier, is a matter of going forwards, then backwards and forwards again until you pin down the fault. Unfortunately, it's not clear to me which tests you've performed and what your results were. Also, I really hope you're not probing with your DMM set to amps, as that's a recipe for disaster. Please stick to DC volts.
OK, let's run through the tests.
- Install the battery in the RV and plug into shore power. Did the battery voltage rise? If so, good, everything is probably OK. If not, proceed to the next step.
- Pull the reverse polarity protection fuses and check them for continuity. You said they were good, so go to the next step.
- Remove shore power and check between the two fuses for voltage. Assuming the fuses are mounted horizontally, you'll check the right end of one fuse socket to the right end of the other fuse socket, then do the same on the left ends. One side should have the 12 volt battery voltage, and the other end should be zero volts. If there's no battery voltage, there's a bad connection between the battery and the power converter. If the battery voltage is good, go to the next step.
- Plug back into shore power, but leave the fuses out. Now check there should be voltage at both ends of the fuses; battery voltage on one side and converter voltage on the other. If you don't see around 14 volts on the power converter side, there's a problem with the power converter. You can confirm that by trying to operate some 12 volt accessories, such as the camper interior lighting or the water pump. If you DO see the converter's 14V output, then something strange is going on, possibly a bad connection in the battery wiring as someone suggested.
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MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Well, that doesn't seem right, depending on exactly how you were making that measurement.
Do your 12 volt accessories (interior lighting, water pump) work when the battery is disconnected but shore power is plugged in?
Another Good Morning 54, my previous remark to you was "I have to run for now but will check back later and add more to this"
Sorry it took so long (In RV on the road with spotty internet, family and legal jobs for clients) but Im here now to help, lets solve your mystery
HOWEVER Im taking a different approach, instead of you asking questions, I'm asking you some questions this time and your answers can help me find your problem, so hold on take them one at a time and give me some answers:
1) Be sure the RV is NOT plugged to shore power for at least an hour and in the meantime to the best of your ability look in your battery compartment and charger location TO CHECK AND TIGHTEN EACH AND EVERY TERMINAL AND CONNECTION AND CRIMPS AND CHECK ANY FUSES OR CIRCUIT BREAKERS YOU FIND ESPECIALY IN THE WIRING FROM CHARGER TO BATTERIES.
QUESTIONS while un plugged A) What is the Voltage on your batterys Pos to Neg posts _____________________________ ??
B) Are your RV's 12 Volt Vent Fans, Water Pumps and lights working ___________________??
2) Now plug the RV to working 120 VAC shore power.
A) Now what is the battery voltage _____________________________________?
B) Check all the 120 Volt Circuit Breakers in the Power Panel ESPECIALY one that feeds your Charger, if in
doubt trip then re set them, are they all working On NOT tripped Off ________________________________?
C) Are the RVs 120 Volt outlets powered up working and any 120 Volt appliances working _____________?
D) Are your RV's 12 Volt Vent Fans, Water Pumps and lights working ____________________________________?
E) Can you see if the charger has 120 VAC Input Power (fed via 15/20 breaker in panel) lit up and working _____?
F) See if you can locate and get a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage _______?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
3) Wait 15 minutes after plugged to shore power Now what is the battery voltage _____________________________________?
Put a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage __________________?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
4) Wait 45 minutes after plugged to shore power Now what is the battery voltage _________________________________________?
Put a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage __________________?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
FYI once more:
A If the charger has 120 VAC input power is working and has good connection to the battery with no bad fuses or breakers tripped, it should cause a good batterys voltage to rise to at least 13 up to 14 or so volts IS IT ________________________________________???
B If the charger to battery connection is good with no bad fuses or breakers or faulty connections ITS VOLTAGE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS BATTERY VOLTAGE. If the charges voltage is different (higher) than battery voltage, there must be a bad connection or bad fuse or breaker in between the two
C A good battery at rest, stabilized and fully charged should be around 12.6 volts subject to temperature, but rise if hooked to a working charger
D POSSIBLE CAUSES OF BATTERY NOT CHARGING 1) Faulty Charger 2) No 120 Volt input power to charger (check panels circuit breaker) 3) Blown fuses or tripped breaker in/on charger or bad or open connection in wires FROM charger TO battery 4) Bad battery 5) No good 120 Volt shore power getting to RV THERES MORE BUT ALL I HAVE TIME FOR NOW I WILL AGAIN CHECK BACK LATER AS TIME PERMITS
There ya go 54, this is the best I have to offer not being there with sooooooooooo many unknowns and variables but Im trying my best GET ME SOME ANSWERS and I will go from there
Good luck, best wishes and God Bless
John T 54 year RV owner and electrical engineer who has lived in one half my life the past 17 years and still one happy camper yayyyyyyyyyy
Sorry it took so long (In RV on the road with spotty internet, family and legal jobs for clients) but Im here now to help, lets solve your mystery
HOWEVER Im taking a different approach, instead of you asking questions, I'm asking you some questions this time and your answers can help me find your problem, so hold on take them one at a time and give me some answers:
1) Be sure the RV is NOT plugged to shore power for at least an hour and in the meantime to the best of your ability look in your battery compartment and charger location TO CHECK AND TIGHTEN EACH AND EVERY TERMINAL AND CONNECTION AND CRIMPS AND CHECK ANY FUSES OR CIRCUIT BREAKERS YOU FIND ESPECIALY IN THE WIRING FROM CHARGER TO BATTERIES.
QUESTIONS while un plugged A) What is the Voltage on your batterys Pos to Neg posts _____________________________ ??
B) Are your RV's 12 Volt Vent Fans, Water Pumps and lights working ___________________??
2) Now plug the RV to working 120 VAC shore power.
A) Now what is the battery voltage _____________________________________?
B) Check all the 120 Volt Circuit Breakers in the Power Panel ESPECIALY one that feeds your Charger, if in
doubt trip then re set them, are they all working On NOT tripped Off ________________________________?
C) Are the RVs 120 Volt outlets powered up working and any 120 Volt appliances working _____________?
D) Are your RV's 12 Volt Vent Fans, Water Pumps and lights working ____________________________________?
E) Can you see if the charger has 120 VAC Input Power (fed via 15/20 breaker in panel) lit up and working _____?
F) See if you can locate and get a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage _______?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
3) Wait 15 minutes after plugged to shore power Now what is the battery voltage _____________________________________?
Put a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage __________________?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
4) Wait 45 minutes after plugged to shore power Now what is the battery voltage _________________________________________?
Put a volt meter on the chargers Pos and Neg terminals, what's the Voltage __________________?
NOTE it should be THE SAME as on battery see below
FYI once more:
A If the charger has 120 VAC input power is working and has good connection to the battery with no bad fuses or breakers tripped, it should cause a good batterys voltage to rise to at least 13 up to 14 or so volts IS IT ________________________________________???
B If the charger to battery connection is good with no bad fuses or breakers or faulty connections ITS VOLTAGE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS BATTERY VOLTAGE. If the charges voltage is different (higher) than battery voltage, there must be a bad connection or bad fuse or breaker in between the two
C A good battery at rest, stabilized and fully charged should be around 12.6 volts subject to temperature, but rise if hooked to a working charger
D POSSIBLE CAUSES OF BATTERY NOT CHARGING 1) Faulty Charger 2) No 120 Volt input power to charger (check panels circuit breaker) 3) Blown fuses or tripped breaker in/on charger or bad or open connection in wires FROM charger TO battery 4) Bad battery 5) No good 120 Volt shore power getting to RV THERES MORE BUT ALL I HAVE TIME FOR NOW I WILL AGAIN CHECK BACK LATER AS TIME PERMITS
There ya go 54, this is the best I have to offer not being there with sooooooooooo many unknowns and variables but Im trying my best GET ME SOME ANSWERS and I will go from there
Good luck, best wishes and God Bless
John T 54 year RV owner and electrical engineer who has lived in one half my life the past 17 years and still one happy camper yayyyyyyyyyy
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will-max dairy
Well-known Member
Still working Electrical Engineer here.
Batteries, batteries, batteries... people think they are so simple.
Amazon still sells the applications guide from Gates Energy Products, put out back in the 1990's that I "teethed" on. It was, like, a hundred and something pages...
Trying to condense that knowledge into a thread here on YT is a daunting task. I salute you on that one... I will also offer no other advice; because you're asking all the right questions...and any other direction would just confuse the OP.
will-max dairy
Well-known Member
Great information thanks for the post. It’s hard to teach a newbie over the internet what takes entire libraries and years of experience to comprehend but hey we’re all trying our best to help.If you have any more ideas of what may be his problem please add them I’ve run out of things that could be the cause of his non charging grrrr
In 50 years of rving I’ve evolved from wet flooded lead acid to agm now LiFeP04 and never going back
Nice sparky chatting with fellow engineers.
John T long retired EE
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