Does InCommand work off battery alone?

[jalad12]

I'm a newbie at RVing and have taken mine out about 6 times in the past year. Each time out is a learning experience! I have a 2019 Cougar 27RES. The last time I took it out the InCommand did not work until it had been plugged in for two days. Thank goodness because the slide out could finally be extended! Anyway, my neighbor, who works at the dealer I bought the trailer at, insisted that my batteries were dead. Well, after having the trailer plugged in for two days and the Incommand finally coming on I believed him. When we returned I pulled the batteries (I have two in parallel) and one was dry and dead dead dead! This one was smaller than the other battery which, I've learned, is probably why the smaller one died. I tried to charge it but it got warm and smelled of sulfur. A sure sign it was history so I purchased another battery to match the other one. The other battery charged with no problem and retained a 14 V charge for a couple of days. I now have two 12V Duracell Ultra Deep Cell batteries that are a matching pair and hooked up in parallel.. Each battery is rated: CCA=575, CA=705, 200 mins @ 23 Amps. After installing them I was able to turn on the lights and the DVD player light came on, too. However, the InCommand did not turn on when pressing the on button. Is this normal? Does the trailer need shore power or generator power for the InCommand to work? Thanks for your help!

[chuckster57]

The system should operate on batteries only. It could be a few different things. First off when you changed the batteries did you make sure to hook the trailer leads up correct? If you attach a wire to the wrong post even for an instant it will blow the reverse polarity fuses. They are on the fuse panel separate from the row of fuses and probably 40A.

[JRTJH]

This is a "SWAG" at your problem. If, as you say, you had two batteries connected to the converter/charger and they were different sizes, then that's likely the reason the smaller battery "burned up".....

That said, the entire time that battery was "burning up" it placed a load on the converter/charger and may have damaged that component. Now, it appears that your batteries aren't properly charging (if you had lights when the new batteries were first connected but not now).

There are a couple of likely reasons for the new batteries not charging. First, as Chuck said, if you had any "reverse spark" reach the converter/charger, it would have "instantly" blown one or two of the reverse polarity fuses. Once they blow, all power to the batteries is "disconnected" so there will be no charging and no "load protection" for opening/closing the slides or lifting the trailer with the electric tongue jack or electric stabilizer jacks. Opening the slide "MAY" (not always) place a load on the converter/charger that would damage the charging circuits.

Even if the converter charger is not damaged by "high load conditions" it may have been damaged from the "burned up battery" as it tried to continue to charge it after it "shorted/opened" and placed a high load on the converter/charger.

I would disconnect the batteries from the system (completely remove both the positive and the negative cables from the trailer to the batteries). Once the cables are disconnected, plug the trailer into shore power, use a volt meter to check for voltage. You should read between 13.6 and 13.8 volts DC. If you have 0 volts, check the reverse polarity fuses. If they are good, the converter/charger is probably "toast". If you do have proper voltage, then check the battery voltage. If they are connected in parallel (correctly) then you should have 12.6 volts between the POS terminal of battery #1 and the NEG terminal of battery #2. If you have 25.2 volts, the batteries are connected in series (incorrectly) and you may have damaged the trailer 12 VDC system and possibly some of the components such as LED lights, refrigerator, water heater and air conditioner controls.

If the batteries read 12.6 VDC, they should "power up" the In-Command system whether you are connected to shore power or not.

My guess is that you've got an issue with either the converter/charger or with battery connections.

[travelin texans]

Also you've listed the batteries CCA/CA which indicates they are marine starting batteries not deep cycle rv batteries. Your rvs 12 volt system doesn't need Cold Cranking Amps, you need batteries rated in AH/amp hours, the more the better.

[sourdough]

Is this the battery you bought?

https://www.batteriesplus.com/produc...ultra/sli27mdc

[jalad12]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Is this the battery you bought?

https://www.batteriesplus.com/produc...ultra/sli27mdc

That is EXACTLY the battery I bought!

So now for the update....

Firstly, I like to thank everyone of you who responded to my message. All of your advice actually help me work through the issue I was having.

I disconnected the batteries from the trailer. I removed every thing from the batteries so there was not a single lead connected to it. I then went to the Circuit breaker/fuse box which is located right in front of the charger/inverter. All of the fuses were intact I removed the fuse panel. I noticed that the charger/inverter was not mounted to the floor. It was laying on top of some wires and the connections had exposed wire which were very close to the silver heating duct. A bit of history, the inverter did not work when I first purchased the trailer so I brought it to the dealer and they replaced it. This is how they must’ve left it when they were done replacing it.

I secured the inverter to the floor after straightening it out and moving the wires away from it. Once everything was secure I button everything up and methodically replaced the battery leads to the battery hooking up the batteries to parallel. Lo and behold be in command panel operated. I don’t know what I did, I may have hooked up in a wire in advertently. But all I know is that it works now and if it wasn’t for your help I’d still be struggling.

Regarding the batteries I Purchased, they’re both the same and although it says marine and RV battery is this not the proper battery?

[chuckster57]

Not to pick, but it’s a CONverter not an INverter.

Converter takes 110VAC and makes 12VDC.
Inverter takes 12VDC and makes 110VAC.

That battery looks like the right one. You have one or two? If two I hope they are the SAME everything, size, amp hours, date of manufacture.

[jalad12]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Not to pick, but it’s a CONverter not an INverter.

Converter takes 110VAC and makes 12VDC.
Inverter takes 12VDC and makes 110VAC.

That battery looks like the right one. You have one or two? If two I hope they are the SAME everything, size, amp hours, date of manufacture.

Everyday is a learning experience! Thanks for the lesson!

I have two batteries. Same make, model and amp hours. I can’t say they were made on the same day. I bought one a few months later than the other.

I charged the older one and it read 14.5 volts on a multi meter. The brand new one read the same. After hooking them in parallel to the trailer the InCommand read 12.7 volts.

[sourdough]

"Regarding the batteries I Purchased, they’re both the same and although it says marine and RV battery is this not the proper battery?"


Those batteries will be fine and are what many RVrs use. They do not provide the storage that some other types of batteries do but won't be an issue unless you do a lot of dry camping where you don't have shore power or a generator. If you DO plan on doing that kind of camping extensively a true deep cycle battery is better and you may want to upgrade in the future. We get by with 2 Interstate batteries the same as yours when we dry camp, but we do that for short periods of time and very infrequently.

[jalad12]

Frankly, I haven’t dry camped yet but I have a generator for those times. I’d like to purchase a solar panel for dry camping. I suppose if push came to shove I could plug into my truck!!