Solar/battery problem

[Nindy]

Need some help. 2015 Escape 17B with solar panel and two 6 volt batteries.

I had the same problem others have had with the battery box sitting on wood on brackets on the back bumper and the wood rots out. I flipped the disconnect switch, disconnected the batteries, took off the boxes, and replaced the wood with cutting board material since I had a large cutting board I never use and it was big enough to cut both. Sanded the rust and repainted the brackets.

Put it all back together, batteries installed, flipped the disconnect switch and nothing happens. GoPower display is blank. The batteries were fully charged when I took them off and still are.

What am I missing? Thank you!

[Ron in BC]

This is where a multi-meter is worth it's proverbial weight in gold.

If you have one test for voltage at the switch terminals. I had one of those switches go bad.

Ron

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by Nindy

...

The batteries were fully charged when I took them off and still are.

What am I missing? Thank you!

What you are missing is voltage.

(Sorry, a bit of humor.)
Actually, there is a large element of truth. But start with the easiest things first. Are the two batteries wired in series, and are the proper battery terminals connected to the proper wires?

To confirm the above, one battery should have its "-" terminal connected to the black (ground) wire. The other battery should have its "+" terminal connected to the red (positive) wire. Then the remaining 2 terminals should be connected with a short wire (any color), so one end of the wire is on a + and the other end on a - terminal. Now take your multimeter and confirm there is a nominal 12 V between the ground and positive terminal. Easier to do than for me to write this.

Now, another easy check. On your fuse box should be a fuse (or 2) that blow in the event you got the positive and ground wires mixed up. Only takes a millisecond but while you are at it, check all the fuses just in case.

This should have taken you 2, perhaps 3, minutes so report back and tell us all is good up to this point.

[Nindy]

Yes, I do have a multimeter so can check the switch terminals, Ron. Tomorrow since it’s dark and I’ve moved and can’t keep it at home right now and it’s at a nearby storage facility. The battery hookups are a no-brainer but I took photos anyway. I’ve checked the voltage on the batteries and they’re still fully charged as they were when I removed them a couple days ago. Haven’t checked the fuses yet but will tomorrow. Thanks!

[Nindy]

“What you are missing is voltage”. ���� I like that, Alan.

[Nindy]

I can update you now! I went to the trailer this morning and decided to start with testing the voltage at the disconnect switch and seeing if the switch was the problem. I recalled later, when initially flipping the switch, it did not have a satisfying "click" to it and I briefly wondered about that but it had been months since I needed to use it and thought it was my imagination.

I tried it again today and there was that click and with a sweet little hum it all came back to life. I must have "cleaned" the switch by turning it on and off enough times yesterday to get the gremlins out.

I went to a local RV parts supply store to get a spare switch in case this one was aspiring to fail eventually. They didn't have the exact switch but a really helpful guy talked to me about how to test the switch and how in a pinch I could just screw both wires onto the same terminal of the switch and be back in business for a while. He also talked about how switches do get scummed up a bit with little use and how I probably did clear it to work after trying multiple times. I've had that problem with other unrelated switches in the past but didn't think of it. And he also said that there was probably a solenoid to worry about.

While I had the ear of a helpful person I asked his opinion about my plan of action for a couple of trailer windows that were fogged due to seal loss. I was debating getting estimates for new windows vs. driving four hours to a guy in Arkansas who takes windows apart, cleans, and reseals them. He said everyone around here goes to the guy in Arkansas and they do a great job and it's less expensive and you don't have to wonder if your new windows are ever going to come in.

Today was a much better day than yesterday, lol! Thanks for your help and support.

[John in Santa Cruz]

FYI, no solenoids in the escape battery circuit...

[HABBERDABBER]

Every time you flip a switch, on or off, there is a momentary arc (spark) of electricity produced. That arc is small, but hot, and can react with the atmosphere to produce by-products, which get deposited on the switch contacts. This is called "fretting corrosion".

So yes, cycling a switch can work through the "crud".
Mechanically, a switches contacts can weaken and degrade over time also, also producing erratic behavior.

Nothing is forever, and nothing lasts.

[Tosh]

https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/