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Old 09-05-2018, 07:53 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by alanmalk View Post
a $20 multimeter used at the battery terminals is a 10 second test
Alan

For me, you have to add 20 minutes re-reading the instruction manual.
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Old 09-05-2018, 10:39 PM   #22
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And if there is a second rule, it should be "Do the easiest test first". As many others have suggested, a $20 multimeter used at the battery terminals is a 10 second test and gives you much useful information. And I bet you will use the multimeter many times and get your money's worth.
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So now I'm looking at multimeters. Not knowing anything, this one appears to be easy to use. Will it do the job?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7ZD1VN...ing=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 09-05-2018, 11:08 PM   #23
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So now I'm looking at multimeters. Not knowing anything, this one appears to be easy to use. Will it do the job?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7ZD1VN...ing=UTF8&psc=1
I would get a autoranging meter instead that's a little simpler to use. Maybe something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...UX1AIAHV&psc=1
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Old 09-06-2018, 01:11 AM   #24
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So now I'm looking at multimeters. Not knowing anything, this one appears to be easy to use. Will it do the job?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7ZD1VN...ing=UTF8&psc=1
That's way more than you need. One like previously suggested or even simpler like this little $10 one will track down any problem that you're likely to have.

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Old 09-06-2018, 08:29 AM   #25
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Old 09-06-2018, 08:37 PM   #26
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In all of my camping, I’ve only seen one pedestal without a breaker and it was a really run down campground.

Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free. I was shocked our 2013 battery still tested good (had it checked before we left for AK).
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Old 09-06-2018, 10:05 PM   #27
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So now I'm looking at multimeters. Not knowing anything, this one appears to be easy to use. Will it do the job?
That one is fairly complex and confusing. It also does more tests than are necessary for a RV.

I saw this on the Home Depot site:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...132A/207038607

It eliminates a good number of tests - including Amperage. The loss of Amperage may or may not be a problem until you become more curious about how individual pieces of your trailer work. For example, how much current does your fan use on Low? Perhaps next year...

But to make up for loss of some tests you get "simple to use". That is a serious consideration for your first meter. For most common problems you just need the Voltage and occasionally Resistance (think blown fuses, dead incandescent bulbs, wire corrosion, etc.)

Voltage is used for almost everything else (battery health, power to appliances, voltage drop under load, correct voltage at the USB outlet, etc.)

It has Auto-range which keeps the dial simple.

And if it turns out to be flaky (after all, it is only $12 USD), you can bring it right back to Home Depot for a new one.

On the other hand, I own a Fluke 87 - which stays home in a padded case and is never loaned to the neighbors.

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Old 09-06-2018, 10:46 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by alanmalk View Post
That one is fairly complex and confusing. It also does more tests than are necessary for a RV.

I saw this on the Home Depot site:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...132A/207038607

It eliminates a good number of tests - including Amperage. The loss of Amperage may or may not be a problem until you become more curious about how individual pieces of your trailer work. For example, how much current does your fan use on Low? Perhaps next year...

But to make up for loss of some tests you get "simple to use". That is a serious consideration for your first meter. For most common problems you just need the Voltage and occasionally Resistance (think blown fuses, dead incandescent bulbs, wire corrosion, etc.)

Voltage is used for almost everything else (battery health, power to appliances, voltage drop under load, correct voltage at the USB outlet, etc.)

It has Auto-range which keeps the dial simple.

And if it turns out to be flaky (after all, it is only $12 USD), you can bring it right back to Home Depot for a new one.

On the other hand, I own a Fluke 87 - which stays home in a padded case and is never loaned to the neighbors.
--
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Thanks Alan. We'll go with this one.

By the way, Kevin double checked all connections today and all seem good. The actual problem has progressed. Now we have no power in the trailer at all when NOT on shore power or towing. The solar panel display is not working, so we assume nothing is going to the battery. He has a couple other things he wants to try before we take it in. I will post back if we have any progress.
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Old 09-12-2018, 11:06 AM   #29
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In all of my camping, I’ve only seen one pedestal without a breaker and it was a really run down campground.
We stayed at a number of really nice RV parks in Canada that had no user-accessible breaker. And when there were breakers, they were almost always already in the "on" position. When we got back into the US, we again saw breakers switched off between uses. I agree with a previous poster...I think it's a regional thing.
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Old 09-12-2018, 11:13 AM   #30
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In all of my camping, I’ve only seen one pedestal without a breaker and it was a really run down campground.

Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free. I was shocked our 2013 battery still tested good (had it checked before we left for AK).
I've seen quite a few pedestals without breakers, particularly in Canada, and even in new campgrounds. If you have the Progressive EMS, the delay prevents you from plugging in a loaded connection even if there is no pedestal breaker. It doesn't help unplugging, so if you want to prevent arcing at the connector, you should trip the trailer main.
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Old 10-16-2018, 03:58 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Check your battery main fuse. There are several other things to check but start with that.

Next, check the connections, particularly the battery cable negative side.

Yes, it's fine to use shore power in the meantime.

Do you have a multimeter?
This was the very first response to my post. Unfortunately I misunderstood the first question (bolded above). There is a fuse box in the drivers side bench with a 30 amp fuse labeled 'battery'. I thought that was what you were referring to. That fuse was fine.

We did end up getting a multimeter (now my husbands newest favorite toy ) . Today while still tinkering with the battery and the multimeter Kevin discovered that there is a 50 amp inline fuse and sure enough it had blown. Replacing that has fixed our problem.

So problem solved. And the good news is that the solar panels were still charging the batteries so they were not dead or depleted at all. We still don't understand what we did wrong to cause this but will definitely be more careful when connecting/disconnecting to shore power from now on.

It's kind of amazing to think that a $4 fuse rendered our trailer useless!

Thanks again for all your input everyone!
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:04 PM   #32
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Did we destroy our batteries? If so, how did we do it?

Yeah! Problem solved = Happy Ending, and thanks for posting it all here so we’re all smarter [emoji6]

One caveat though: Whatever caused that fuse to blow in the first place could still be a lurking gremlin...
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:11 PM   #33
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Not at all the same problem but a few days ago I used the outside 110’outlet. The plug on the appliance was tight. I wiggled it to remove it. Next day Rita reported one of the outlets errr make that three outlets inside the trailer were not working. Remembering that another Escape owner had pointed out that the ground fault master outlet was the outside outlet I checked it. Sure enough, wiggling the plug as it was slowly pulled out had tripped it. One push of the reset button and back in business. It takes a while to learn all of the nuances of these trailers especially if you don’t read the manual or put them through an unlikely circumstance. Glad you found the fuses and hope you have a couple spares now along with the small blade fuses in the panel.
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:30 PM   #34
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This was the very first response to my post. Unfortunately I misunderstood the first question (bolded above). There is a fuse box in the drivers side bench with a 30 amp fuse labeled 'battery'. I thought that was what you were referring to. That fuse was fine.

We did end up getting a multimeter (now my husbands newest favorite toy ) . Today while still tinkering with the battery and the multimeter Kevin discovered that there is a 50 amp inline fuse and sure enough it had blown. Replacing that has fixed our problem.

So problem solved. And the good news is that the solar panels were still charging the batteries so they were not dead or depleted at all. We still don't understand what we did wrong to cause this but will definitely be more careful when connecting/disconnecting to shore power from now on.

It's kind of amazing to think that a $4 fuse rendered our trailer useless!
Oops, I should have specified, Jill. The battery fuse on the cable, not the one in the fuse box. Oh well, at least you found the problem. I keep an extra one in my toolbox, although mine has never blown.
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Old 10-16-2018, 06:14 PM   #35
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Oops, I should have specified, Jill. The battery fuse on the cable, not the one in the fuse box. Oh well, at least you found the problem. I keep an extra one in my toolbox, although mine has never blown.


No worries Robert. It’s always a learning experience and Kevin has a new toy out of the deal! [emoji6]

And yes we have spare 50 amp fuses now too.
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:34 PM   #36
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This was the very first response to my post. Unfortunately I misunderstood the first question (bolded above). There is a fuse box in the drivers side bench with a 30 amp fuse labeled 'battery'. I thought that was what you were referring to. That fuse was fine.

We did end up getting a multimeter (now my husbands newest favorite toy ) . Today while still tinkering with the battery and the multimeter Kevin discovered that there is a 50 amp inline fuse and sure enough it had blown. Replacing that has fixed our problem.

So problem solved. And the good news is that the solar panels were still charging the batteries so they were not dead or depleted at all. We still don't understand what we did wrong to cause this but will definitely be more careful when connecting/disconnecting to shore power from now on.

It's kind of amazing to think that a $4 fuse rendered our trailer useless!

Thanks again for all your input everyone!
This makes for good reading about why the battery fuse blows. Others have had the same problem.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...ues-13003.html
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:45 PM   #37
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It's kind of amazing to think that a $4 fuse rendered our trailer useless!

I would say the $4 dollar fuse saved you a lot of money!
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Old 10-16-2018, 09:36 PM   #38
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I would say the $4 dollar fuse saved you a lot of money!
Good point!!!
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