Converter voltage too low?

[luverofpeanuts]

I've been trying to track down a power issue, and after reading online resources, I think I've decided that I have a converter issue and it needs to be replaced. I thought I'd post here and see if others could sanity check my thinking.

Two tests seem to narrow it down pretty quick.

1) battery disconnected, shore power connected, the 'battery' meter LED meter reads 2/3rds ... I expect it to be full. Correct? Nothing else is on in the camper.

2) using a multi meter, I measured the voltage coming out of the main board on the converter (I pulled it out). I measured across the red and white wires at the board and also up at the fuse board. Both read around 12.4-12.6. Shouldn't that read in the 13.6 region?

The last two years, my batteries seemed to be week, even after a week plugged in. But this spring, I started to have problems with the battery draining quickly and then on the last trip out...if I wasn't plugged in to shore power, the battery couldn't run anything. If plugged in, things "seemed" to work...but then I wasn't paying attention to water pump and lights to see if they seemed dim/sluggish. My theory is between the converter and the battery there was "just enough" juice to keep things operating.

Thanks for any feedback.

--lp

[chuckster57]

If your converter is only producing 12.6VDC, then it's bad. Your sanity is intact.

[luverofpeanuts]

If your converter is only producing 12.6VDC, then it's bad. Your sanity is intact.

Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping doing the internet research & repeated experiments/test cases would funnel me to the right diagnosis. Time to find out ;-) It's always good to have sanity checking before proceeding....

I think I'll take a stab at swapping out the Converter tonight. After inspecting the wires, it looks like the wire that might need extra inspection is the black one that leads to the "REC" breaker first, before going to the converter board. The green & white input wires and the red & white output wires appear to be straightforward.

Thanks again!

-lp

[luverofpeanuts]

Swap complete, voltage back to 13.6 at battery and at converter output leads. Everything 12v is even sounding much better now.

While it was interesting to consider upgrading the converter itself, I stuck with the OEM replacement board and it was a straightforward swap.

Two things come to mind as I put this behind me.

1) Would using a mixture of LED and regular 12v lights have any effect on shortening the life of the converter?

2) Would using a Honda 3000IS generator for a few days a year have any effect on shortening the life of the converter?


My mind says under normal circumstances, the answer is "NO" to both of those. I wouldn't say I'm qualified to answer though ;-)

Thanks!

--LP

[chuckster57]

1) the answer is no

2) the answer is no

Chalk it up to "one of those things" that can happen to an RV.

[luverofpeanuts]

Chalk it up to "one of those things" that can happen to an RV.


Fair enough ;-) I was hoping that was the case ;-)


Now... on to my fridge issue......I fear I have an AC detection circuit gone bad...if I followed troubleshooting steps correctly. That, however, I'm starting to think I will leave to the experts.... I can live with running the fridge on gas for a couple of weeks.

I'll add the link to that problem here (http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26463&referrerid=15722), in case you are so inclined. I found a thread that mirrored my symptoms, so I added a post to see if there was ny resolution to the original poster ;-)

Thanks again for your counsel on this issue.

--LP

[chuckster57]

I just read your post. Sounds like the control board. If your fridge is less than 2 yrs old, it's a warranty issue. Otherwise control board is fairly easy to replace

[B-O-B'03]

... While it was interesting to consider upgrading the converter itself, I stuck with the OEM replacement board and it was a straightforward swap.

Two things come to mind as I put this behind me.

1) Would using a mixture of LED and regular 12v lights have any effect on shortening the life of the converter?

2) Would using a Honda 3000IS generator for a few days a year have any effect on shortening the life of the converter?
--LP

My converter had the same symptoms, and it was few weeks older than the 2 year warranty.

On the advice of someone from this board (thanks John), I contacted WFCO and they determined my analysis was correct and replace the defective motherboard, under warranty.

I had decided to go another direction and purchased a Progressive Dynamics replacement motherboard that just dropped right into the WFCO load center.

I also upgraded to 2 GC2, 6 volt batteries, since the 2 12 volt batteries were toast after being under charged by the converter.

Converters go bad, I don't believe you had anything to do with it :D

-Brian