Weekend of Headaches

[Sivymp1]

So it is the second time out with our new Passport. Picked up the camper out of storage and hooked up the battery. Got some sparks but did not think anything of it. Got the camper to the campground and plugged it in....No A/C, no refridgerator power. Call the camper place and find out I blew some fuses hooking up the battery...no spare fuses. Head home for the night will return Friday. Supposed to be at campground early but people keep coming by to see us. WTH! Finally get to campground around 6pm. Get all new fuses plugged in..Ahhh A/C! But the kids want sound for tv! Grrr found a fuse in stereo...you guessed it blown. But I have a spare. Works! No fridge. Oh well will resort to ice and coolers. Need a beer...Child...no water dad. Go and hook up the water.....wife.....we have a water leak. Guess child left the water on and the plug in the sink....1/2 in of water in camper. Oh crap! Water cleaned up...need a beer. Saturday call camper place...camper needs to come in to get refridge reset..ok will call on Monday. Rest of the weekend went ok....Call camper store on Monday...fuse behind black box. Got home from work, remove black box...surprise...blown fuse! Replaced and fridge works fine. Bought extra fuses and I think I know where they all are now. Oh and on the A Frame it says Black to positive and white to negative. WOnder why we would put that right next to the battery...or better yet why do we hook up the battery backwards and not like a car?

[Festus2]

A few years from now, you'll look back at the "Weekend of Headaches" and laugh. Not so funny now but wait a while.

I'm trying to think of a positive you can take from all of this but can't think of a darn thing!

[JRTJH]

WOW !!!

and it sounds like through it all, you kept your sanity and continued to smile. That's a sure sign that you'll be out there next weekend again.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet you'll never pick up a battery cable again without checking it multiple times before hooking it up, and then checking it once again before hooking up the next one.

Many of us have been in your shoes. Hang in there, it gets better

[GaryWT]

Well you know the full electric system now. Good luck in the future and happy camping.

[antiqfreq]

Sorry you had a 'misfortunate' weekend,

but I DID enjoy reading your post.

At least someone had a good time...........

JO

[So Cal CPA]

There are two things in your story would have sent me off the deep end:

1. wife.....we have a water leak. Guess child left the water on and the plug in the sink....1/2 in of water in camper.

2. Supposed to be at campground early but people keep coming by to see us. WTH! Finally get to campground around 6pm.

No beer in the world would have settled my nerves. Congrats to you for keeping cool. Especially the water thing, my previous camper had a leak just about every time we used it. So glad its gone.

And Festus LOL - I'm trying to think of a positive you can take from all of this but can't think of a darn thing!

[Wantoride]

I had the same problem with my battery. It was put in/ on opposite from a car.

[SAABDOCTOR]

WELL with all these batteries getting put in backwards,It might be time to think of your rv as a old english car thEY wERE positive ground

[allmi01]

A thought on the battery polarity. If you have a label machine, how about a simple + and - label on the wires before you disconnect. that way, you don;t have to remember which one goes where after a long winter.

I know, here I go thinking again..... but for a .02 label, keystone shoudl consider this.

Mike

[BirchyBoy]

Originally Posted by allmi01

A thought on the battery polarity. If you have a label machine, how about a simple + and - label on the wires before you disconnect. that way, you don;t have to remember which one goes where after a long winter.

I know, here I go thinking again..... but for a .02 label, keystone shoudl consider this.

Mike

I wrote "black" and "white" on my battery with permanent marker. No fancy machines required

[jsmith948]

Keystone (or the dealer) placed a label right above our battery connections indicating that "black is pos. - white is neg"

[Povo]

I had to hook up the dual batteries in our 327RES for the first time since taking taking them out for the winter. Thought I had diagramed them but apparently not. Called the dealer to make sure I did it right. (connected the battery in a fishing boat wrong once and was lucky I didn't take out the electrical system) Apparently there is "in tandem" and "parallel" and I needed to make sure I did it correctly.

One thing about this forum is that it's always much less painful to learn from other peoples mistakes than your own.

[flybouy]

One suggestion, one observation.
Suggestion - go to hardware/big box supplier and buy a roll of RED electrical tape, wind some on the positive cable and memory issue solved.
Observation - dear God don't EVER go camping again without cold beer!