Electricity/battery not working

harvest · 07-13-2021, 07:57 PM

I am preparing for a long trip and we got the battery replaced. The place installed it for me and put in a new box. I am now back home and nothing works. No electricity no battery. When he installed it there were two places to install the battery wires, one black covered wire on the left and one white covered wire on the right. The white one did make sparks after he first connected the black wire when he first installed it, but he said that would happen. Then the other two times he installed it (he had to do it a couple times because of something that was off, etc) he connected the white wire first and there were no sparks. I didn’t think to check to make sure it was working. Now nothing works. Please help! They are closed and we live about 50 minutes and are leaving for a big trip in a couple days.

tractors1 · 07-13-2021, 09:45 PM

You DID check it with a meter, right? Sounds like it might be installed backwards, but that should have blown the fuse. Wait, maybe it did?

Iowa Dave · 07-13-2021, 09:54 PM

Is your twelve volt on off switch flipped to on? Usually by the dining area seat face where your leg could shut it off by accident.
Iowa Dave

gbaglo · 07-13-2021, 10:02 PM

It's a 2005 trailer. No switch.
Battery is on back bumper. When I want to isolate it, I remove a wire.

P&L · 07-13-2021, 10:03 PM

We just replaced our battery too and my husband had this issue too. Apparently, there is a fuse on positive cable. Once he pushed the fuse in all the way, everything worked. Good luck!

Lorna

harvest · 07-13-2021, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P&L

We just replaced our battery too and my husband had this issue too. Apparently, there is a fuse on positive cable. Once he pushed the fuse in all the way, everything worked. Good luck!

Lorna

Thank you! Did the same thing happen where electricity didn't work either? (AC)
I don't know what pushing the fuse in all the way means.

harvest · 07-13-2021, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tractors1

You DID check it with a meter, right? Sounds like it might be installed backwards, but that should have blown the fuse. Wait, maybe it did?

I didn't install it. I drove it to an rv service shop for them to do it, where I also bought the battery. I don't know what checking with a meter even fully means

harvest · 07-14-2021, 05:07 PM

I took it in today and there were two fuses blown. The reason they blew is because the person connecting the battery didn't tell me to turn off the car and the trailer was connected to the car. (I didn't know and I had kids needing AC in there while they put in the battery).
Thanks for all the comments.
I also purchased a few extra fuses to have on hand, and got a little visual of the fuses in their spot.

gbaglo · 07-14-2021, 05:15 PM

It's all good.

harvest · 07-14-2021, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbaglo

It's all good.

Yes! phew!
Silver lining - I got to get familiar with the fuses and buy some extra.
Also - I found out that our fridge does not work on DC! I had no idea - I thought the DC light didn't go on because that light wasn't working or something. Downside- it is a special order Dometic part so it looks like we won't be able to keep our fridge working while driving for hours on end. I will make it cold at night with propane and keep ice packs in it during the day and won't pack it with too much.

gbaglo · 07-14-2021, 05:26 PM

Just run the fridge on propane, turning it off for fuelling, some tunnels and ferries. Pre-cool using AC.

harvest · 07-14-2021, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Just run the fridge on propane, turning it off for fuelling, some tunnels and ferries. Pre-cool using AC.

Thanks for that tip. We have little kids in the car and are pretty inexperienced. So it is safe to drive the car with the propane open and the fridge on propane? We just close the propane tank before we pull up to to fuel up. How do we know which tunnels? We likely wouldn't know we are in a tunnel until we are nearly in the tunnel! I am a better safe than sorry kind of person, so I was under the impression there is some risk there and also that many people do it...including the wonderful person who we bought ours from that delivered it to us that way!

gbaglo · 07-14-2021, 06:15 PM

Tunnels with have signage as you approach, if you need to shut down propane.
Ferries, the same.

cpaharley2008 · 07-14-2021, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harvest

Thanks for that tip. We have little kids in the car and are pretty inexperienced. So it is safe to drive the car with the propane open and the fridge on propane? We just close the propane tank before we pull up to to fuel up. How do we know which tunnels? We likely wouldn't know we are in a tunnel until we are nearly in the tunnel! I am a better safe than sorry kind of person, so I was under the impression there is some risk there and also that many people do it...including the wonderful person who we bought ours from that delivered it to us that way!

I always pull into the first pump leaving the trailer further away than if I pulled into the 2nd pump.......does this make sense? Never bothered with tunnels....

MVA · 07-14-2021, 06:23 PM

Glad it was a simple fix. Since you are still familiarizing yourself with trailer operations, the videos at Escape are informative:
https://escapetrailer.com/videos-orientations/

cpaharley2008 · 07-14-2021, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harvest

Thanks for that tip. We have little kids in the car and are pretty inexperienced. So it is safe to drive the car with the propane open and the fridge on propane? We just close the propane tank before we pull up to to fuel up. How do we know which tunnels? We likely wouldn't know we are in a tunnel until we are nearly in the tunnel! I am a better safe than sorry kind of person, so I was under the impression there is some risk there and also that many people do it...including the wonderful person who we bought ours from that delivered it to us that way!

Do not let the children distract you from proper towing, there are others that need your attention also.

harvest · 07-14-2021, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MVA

Glad it was a simple fix. Since you are still familiarizing yourself with trailer operations, the videos at Escape are informative:
https://escapetrailer.com/videos-orientations/

Thank you!

harvest · 07-14-2021, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I always pull into the first pump leaving the trailer further away than if I pulled into the 2nd pump.......does this make sense? Never bothered with tunnels....

Yes. That makes sense! Thanks.

harvest · 07-14-2021, 06:39 PM

So I was pressing buttons on the fridge - to put it to propane to see if the propane can make it cold from not being cold. Anyway, the DC light also went on…which would indicate that the battery/DC is working for the fridge? I am confused. I was told that I need a part to make that work - the DC hearing element.

Chris R · 07-14-2021, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harvest

So I was pressing buttons on the fridge - to put it to propane to see if the propane can make it cold from not being cold. Anyway, the DC light also went on…which would indicate that the battery/DC is working for the fridge? I am confused. I was told that I need a part to make that work - the DC hearing element.

Be careful if you use DC (assuming it works) because it may drain your single battery (depends on fridge model and run time).
Propane will take about 12 hrs to make the fridge cold. Adding a few cold items to the fridge helps the process. Start cooling the day before you leave.

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