Slide outs not working on shore power

[Bradleybc]

I have a 2020 keystone cougar travel trailer with the in command system in it. The slides and the awning and the electric stabilizers won’t work on shore power. I hear the “click” (which I assume are the relays) when I press the out or in button for the slides/awning. The electric stabilizers won’t budge but they aren’t operated via the in command panel. The stabilizer switches are in the storage compartment. This is all while the battery power is switched off. After I switch the batter power on, everything works. I’ve checked all the fuses and I’ve made sure all the relays are securely plugged in. I know my travel trailer has 2 circuit breakers behind the battery box but I’m not sure that would effect the shore power, seems like that would only effect the power coming from the battery. I have tested the cable that I use for shore power and it’s fine. All lights/refrigerator/electrical outlets work in the travel trailer on shore power…just not the slides/awning/stabilizers. Has anyone had this problem? Any tips or tricks that might help me figure the problem out? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Bradleybc

I have a 2020 keystone cougar travel trailer with the in command system in it. The slides and the awning and the electric stabilizers won’t work on shore power. I hear the “click” (which I assume are the relays) when I press the out or in button for the slides/awning. The electric stabilizers won’t budge but they aren’t operated via the in command panel. The stabilizer switches are in the storage compartment. This is all while the battery power is switched off. After I switch the batter power on, everything works. I’ve checked all the fuses and I’ve made sure all the relays are securely plugged in. I know my travel trailer has 2 circuit breakers behind the battery box but I’m not sure that would effect the shore power, seems like that would only effect the power coming from the battery. I have tested the cable that I use for shore power and it’s fine. All lights/refrigerator/electrical outlets work in the travel trailer on shore power…just not the slides/awning/stabilizers. Has anyone had this problem? Any tips or tricks that might help me figure the problem out? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

If your talking about some sort of battery disconnect when stating "battery power switched off" I'd recommend leaving that switch on all the time otherwise you have no power to slides, stabilizers or any other 12 volt item if not on shore power nor will the batteries be charged if/when plugged into shore power.
When plugged in your converter will be, should be, charging the batteries as well as providing 12 volt power to low Amp draw items such as lights, water pump, but a connected fully charged battery is required for high Amp draw items like slides & leveling system/landing gear & to operate all 12 volt items when not on shore power.
Simply put, turn the batteries on & leave them on, if storing the rv your best option is to disconnect the negative cable from the battery that goes directly to ground. Using the factory disconnect DOES NOT completely disconnect batteries & due to parasitic drains on the batteries they WILL be dead in as little as a week depending on the condition of the batteries.

[Bradleybc]

Thanks for the info. I have had this travel trailer for 3 years and I have never had to leave the battery power in the on position (factory battery disconnect) for the slides/awning/stabilizers to work. I usually turn the battery power on while we are traveling and I turn the batteries off via the factory battery disconnect switch when I get to my destination. I’ve never had any battery charging issues and my Battery is currently 13.8 v. Could there be something going on with my converter that would cause my situation? Thanks again for your
Info

[JRTJH]

Depending on the "reliability of your battery" (many dealers use the cheapest battery they can buy) at the end of three years use, your battery may be nearing the end of its useful life.

The way you turn your battery switch off/on could be a significant part of why the battery isn't working properly. Using the switch in that configuration seems to me, that the only charge the battery is getting is during towing, and as soon as you arrive at your destination, you essentially "disconnect the battery" and then plug into shore power.

The converter charger then provides the 12 volt power for your trailer setup and during camping (with the battery disconnected) and then, when you get ready to leave, you again "connect the battery and use the tow vehicle to charge it during the trip home" and disconnect it again as soon as you get there.

Doing that, you remove the battery from the system when opening/closing the slides and leveling the trailer. If you look at your trailer "command center" you should find a red decal that says, "WARNING: do not use the slides/leveling system or other high amperage component without a fully charged battery connected to the trailer". The reason for that decal is to protect the converter/charger from damage when those "high amperage motors" first start up.

So, yes, your battery isn't be fully charged/used during trailer setup and you may have some converter damage from your "technique". A battery could have a "dry cell or internal damage" and read 13.8 VDC with no load, but as soon as you apply a load to the battery, that bad cell "reveals itself". I'd pull the battery, since it's 3 years old, have it load tested and go from there. Any Auto Zone or most other parts stores can load test your battery, usually for free.

And, in the future, I wouldn't operate the slides or the leveling system without the battery cutoff switch in the connected position (providing power to the trailer) both when the trailer is connected to shore power and when towing. The only time the battery should be disconnected from the trailer is during "long term storage" when there is a potential for the battery to fully discharge. Otherwise, it should be "on the converter/charger" and acting as a "high demand protector" for the converter.

[JRTJH]

Here are some photos from trailers showing the battery connection requirement. And, after rereading your posts, if the "battery voltage is at 13.8VDC" that you mention was taken from the incommand screen, that is the "system voltage at the screen" so if you were connected to shore power, you were reading the converter voltage. And, if the battery was also connected, you were reading the "converter plus battery voltage". The only way to read the "battery voltage would be to completely disconnect the trailer from all power sources except the battery, wait about 30 minutes, then read the incommand battery voltage. Even then, you'll have some "phantom loads on the battery" and the reading won't be correct.

The only way to get a "true battery output voltage reading" is to disconnect the battery cables, wait 30 minutes and read across the battery terminals. Remember that voltage reading is not "under load" so a defective battery will "hide a bad cell" until the battery is placed under load. So, taking it to AutoZone or NAPA to be load tested is your best way to determine if your battery is still functioning.

[markcee]

The battery should be on whenever the trailer is in use - whether on the road or camping. Disconnect switch activated only for storage.

I also have a '20 Cougar and as John mentioned - your battery may also have run its course. I had to replace my original, dealer provided junker at the end of last season as I was having problems running in my levelers and slides unless I also had shore power connected - that battery was just not holding a charge.

[flybouy]

All good advice above. I'll try to explain the "why" you need the battery in the circuit. The following numbers are for informative purposes and may not be exactly applicable to your unit but the explination applies.

Let's say your "typical" dealer installed battery is a marine dual purpose battery. Let's say it's rated at 50 amp hours and. 300 cold cranking amps. That translates to a 50 amp load for 1 hour and a maximum high amperage draw from a starter motor of 300 amps. So as not to overload the information stream I'm leaving a lot of things out that aren't really useful for this illustration.

Now for your converter. They come in different capacities so for this example let's say it's a 50 amp controller. That means it can produce 50 amps at 12 vdc MAXIMUM. There are 12 vdc loads that vary depending on what you are using. Lighting (non led lights can total quite a bit), control circuits for fridge and water heater, radio, over the air tv antenna booster, and furnace motor. So depending on what you have running will effect how much of that 50 amps is remaining. If you have 10 amps drawing that leaves 40 amps remaining.

Now the high amp loads are motors like landing gear, hydraulic pumps, leveling motors, and slide outs. A motor may draw 2 times (or more) it's running amp rating when it initially starts. So the initial energy needed to start a motor moving can easily exceed the capacity of the converter. The battery, being a storage device can provide that short burst of high amperage draw. While operating high amperage loads without a fully charged battery in the circuit may work it will weaken the converter and eventually cause it to fail. Hopefully this will help explain the "why".

[sourdough]

I hate to sound like a broken record but the above is good advice (and what I consider the correct way to use the battery cutoff). Myself I never use the cutoff because even in storage my trailer is plugged in so I just maintain the battery water levels. Your method has very possibly (hopefully not) damaged the converter.

[wiredgeorge]

In storage, the gas alarm is still connected to the battery and bypasses the battery cut off switch. It will drain your battery quicker than you might think.

[Bradleybc]

Thanks for the info everyone. Sounds like I have been improperly using the battery. I will take the advice and leave the battery on. I left the battery cutoff in the on position with a past travel trailer (forest river…not keystone) with the refrigerator on and it drained the battery. I ended up with a damaged cell from that brain fart. The refrigerator wouldn’t run on propane…it was an electric only model. While it was my own fault..that experience was the reason I have been disconnecting the battery. I’ll get the battery load tested and go from there. Everything works on the travel trailer when the battery is added back to the electrical system, so I may have been able to avoid any damage. Thanks again for the replies to my post…that’s why I came here first…I knew the members here could tell me what was going on. Thanks again!

[SC GT Yellow Jacket]

Just had a similar problem with no response from On Command to move slides while on shore power. When I disconnected shore power and checked voltage shown by On Command it was 12.2 volts. Would this low voltage prevent any movement by slides? I connected my tow vehicle, and with it running, I could move the slides. Any thoughts?

[chuckster57]

I would be checking the converter.

[Mcfeeley]

Originally Posted by SC GT Yellow Jacket

Just had a similar problem with no response from On Command to move slides while on shore power. When I disconnected shore power and checked voltage shown by On Command it was 12.2 volts. Would this low voltage prevent any movement by slides? I connected my tow vehicle, and with it running, I could move the slides. Any thoughts?

I’m now having a similar problem. What was your fix?

[Raptor Dave]

For some reason my slides would sporadically work. (brand new trailer and batteries). I was told by Keystone that the batteries must be 12.8 volts or above for them to work. Didn't matter if I was plugged in shore, connected to the truck or running the gen. They would still work sometimes and the batteries were full. I could hear the relays clicking at the control center but no movement. As a last resort I replaced all 6 relays for the 3 slides and have not had a problem since.

[dutchmensport]

I did not read all the posts...


In short: Slides, electric / hydraulic jacks require the battery to operate properly. The converter alone does not out-put enough DC voltage for these devices. The batter is required. Leave the battery cut-off switch turned "off".... meaning ... your battery is operational, not disconnected.