Need help

Scar_ · 11-22-2022, 10:55 AM

Hey everyone! We recently purchased our first RV (2022 Hideout 26BHWE) and have started running into issues. Our lights dim and the furnace won't kick on consistently. We have been plugged in to shore power of some sort the entire time we've had the trailer so far. The issue only seems to happen at night/evenings. I don't get what could be the issue if everything's new and has been plugged in the whole time. I'm very new to this and have a healthy respect (ignorance) when it comes to electrical issues, so be gentile and speak as if I am a child when it comes to that subject lol. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

-Scar

wiredgeorge · 11-22-2022, 11:09 AM

Sometimes a dealer will install a second rate battery in new campers. Suggest you take the battery to an auto parts store for a load test. If the battery isn't the culprit, we will have to move on from there.

**chuckster57** · 11-22-2022, 12:12 PM

Is your trailer 30 amp ( three prong) or 50 amp ( four prong)? And are you plugged into a 30 or 50 amp pedestal?

Scar_ · 11-22-2022, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Is your trailer 30 amp ( three prong) or 50 amp ( four prong)? And are you plugged into a 30 or 50 amp pedestal?

It's a 30 amp trailer, and we are (currently) plugged into 30 amp service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Sometimes a dealer will install a second rate battery in new campers. Suggest you take the battery to an auto parts store for a load test. If the battery isn't the culprit, we will have to move on from there.

If I can get away from work before this rain hits, I can do that today, thank you. If by chance, the batteries are okay, what's the next thing down the line to consider?

**chuckster57** · 11-22-2022, 12:29 PM

If you have 2 batteries are they a pair of 12V or 6V?

If they are 12V hooked up in parallel, battery A positive to battery b positive and battery a negative to battery b negative, then check the trailer leads.

One should be on battery a and the other should be on battery b, just be sure to put the positive trailer lead on one of the positive posts and the negative lead on the negative post of the other battery.

Scar_ · 11-22-2022, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

If you have 2 batteries are they a pair of 12V or 6V?

I believe that they are a pair of 12v, but I will verify that after work in about an hour or so.

wiredgeorge · 11-22-2022, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scar_

I believe that they are a pair of 12v, but I will verify that after work in about an hour or so.

Chuckster is one of the very sharpest RV technical folks on the forum. His advice is priceless. There are a couple more and I will let the folks who are more technically proficient run with this. If you don't know how your battery situation is configured, that is a good first step figuring that out. There are a couple more folks on this board who are RV tech experts and you should have no trouble figuring things out with their assistance.

Dimming lights indicate an issue on the 12VDC side of things. Power comes in AC then is converted to DC by your converter. On my camper the converter sits behind the power center. Your trailer is 20 years newer so that may not be the case for you. Then the converter keeps your battery(s) charged and power goes to the fuse panel and ultimately to the lights. The battery(s) are the easiest check because a bad battery just may cause the lights to dim. Chuck wanted to know what type and configuration and that is necessary info to troubleshoot. I have one 12V battery so that is about as far as I can take things.

Folks with solar systems these days tend to have more expensive batteries and solar and that is why I was suspicious regarding what a dealer installed. Keep us posted.

**sourdough** · 11-22-2022, 03:37 PM

As the conversation has been going....check those batteries. Your symptoms sound like something they would cause. A couple of trailers back I ordered 2 batteries on the new trailer I was buying thinking....they would be new batteries. When I did the walk through then ordered the 2nd battery there was a new Camco on it (the dealer supplies the batteries). I ordered the 2nd and "assumed" it was another new Camco (did not look). Very shortly began having 12vdc related issues including the dimming lights as you describe. Dug back into the battery boxes and what did I find? The 2nd battery was some off brand (can't remember the name), covered in gook and looked 10 years old...THAT was the 2nd battery they installed. That battery, which was toast, killed my other new battery. You may or may not have that issue but I would definitely start at the batteries and see what is going on.

Scar_ · 11-23-2022, 07:53 AM

Alright, the batteries are two 12v batteries in parallel. All of the leads seem tight and clean. Last night seemed to be a bit better as far as the lights go, but we didn't have as much power being used.

**chuckster57** · 11-23-2022, 08:04 AM

Are the trailer leads hooked to one battery?

**sourdough** · 11-23-2022, 08:54 AM

Here's a link to what/why Chuck is asking about how the batteries are wired;

https://thecampingnerd.com/how-to-wi...-batteries-rv/

Note to section on how to wire 2 12vdc batteries to an RV and where the leads to the RV go on the batteries - pos goes to one, neg to the other. Is yours that way?

thefulminator · 12-08-2022, 08:49 AM

Were you always in the same location? Some older parks have problems, especially at night when campers are using lots of lights and heaters, where the AC voltage drops lower than it should. Maybe your converter not playing well with low volts. I keep a cheap AC line similar to the one below plugged in so I know when there might be a problem.

I had bad voltage fry the converter in a tent trailer a very long time ago.

wegone · 12-08-2022, 09:12 AM

Question guys, with dimming lights, etc, that means the current is traveling slower and isn't that a cause of wires getting too hot as well?

wiredgeorge · 12-08-2022, 09:42 AM

OP hasn't been back since 11/23 to follow up. If the voltage sags due a poor electrical service connected to a camper a quality EMS will catch it and turn off power prior to damage to the camper electrical systems. If the batteries or converter are an issue then this will require rectifying the issue else damage can occur on the 12V side I expect. Not sure heated wires will be a problem but could be if DC drops a lot and for a long time. I think the batteries will likely be more affected.

Jim Aitken · 12-08-2022, 09:59 AM

One more thing to check. Has your emergency brake breakaway pin been pulled out? The electric brakes draw a lot of power.
One time I had a similar problem to yours where the furnace wouldn't run and the lights would dim. When connected to shore power the batteries would charge with no load on them (except for the brakes) but when I added loads the voltage would drop and lights would dim. I spent hours taking the batteries to be tested before I discovered the breakaway plug was missing.

Wilco · 12-08-2022, 10:03 AM

Are the lights dimming only when the furnace turns on? That would indicate that the voltage was dropping because of the additional load. If they are dimming without the furnace running, that could be several things. Corrosion on the leads (wires) at the battery terminals, bad battery or the converter is not charging the batteries correctly.

Check that the battery terminals are clean and tight. Check each battery one at a time. Disconnect the leads and check each battery's voltage with the leads removed to verify they are properly charged. They should be greater than 12.5v. If they are not, check with the leads installed. The converter output should be ~14v to charge them. Clean the leads while you have them disconnected. CAUTION; Do not touch the leads to each other or the trailer frame because it is still energized from the other battery.

bobbecky · 12-08-2022, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Island Eddie

Question guys, with dimming lights, etc, that means the current is traveling slower and isn't that a cause of wires getting too hot as well?

Current is measured in amps, and is the volume of power moving through the wires. Heat is either caused by a bad connection or the wire too small for the amount of current trying to pass through. If the voltage drops, the amperage goes up and that can cause excess heat as well because you now have higher amps than is supposed to be running. That's why you will burn up motors and other devices with low voltage because of the higher heat in the wiring. Also, electricity travels at the speed of light, or at least it does until something fails.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity

Kzneft · 12-08-2022, 01:44 PM

Hi Scar. I don't know why everyone is telling you to check your batteries??? I can see a battery issue if you are NOT plugged in, but if you are plugged in to shore power you are not even using the batteries. Either the 110 to 12v converter is not working well, or it's your transfer switch is not switching your 110 to 12v and you are still using your batteries. You can easily check this by disconnecting your batteries and see if everything goes dark while plugged into shore power.

**sourdough** · 12-08-2022, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kzneft

Hi Scar. I don't know why everyone is telling you to check your batteries??? I can see a battery issue if you are NOT plugged in, but if you are plugged in to shore power you are not even using the batteries. Either the 110 to 12v converter is not working well, or it's your transfer switch is not switching your 110 to 12v and you are still using your batteries. You can easily check this by disconnecting your batteries and see if everything goes dark while plugged into shore power.

The highlighted above would be incorrect. Not only does the RV use the battery power to run high usage items (slides etc.) that the converter should not be used for alone, bad batteries will drain the converter output and cause exactly what the OP described - btdt.

**chuckster57** · 12-08-2022, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kzneft

Hi Scar. I don't know why everyone is telling you to check your batteries??? I can see a battery issue if you are NOT plugged in, but if you are plugged in to shore power you are not even using the batteries. Either the 110 to 12v converter is not working well, or it's your transfer switch is not switching your 110 to 12v and you are still using your batteries. You can easily check this by disconnecting your batteries and see if everything goes dark while plugged into shore power.

What “transfer switch” are you talking about?

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