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  1. #11
    Fireside Member daltontrio's Avatar
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    @PharmaDoc

    Something else to quickly check before replacing your converter. A neighbor at a campsite last week asked me to look at this rig because he thought he had an electrical failure. His battery switch was in the "connected" position, (e.g., he couldn't remove the key), but I noticed a separate rotary style batter disconnect right beside/above his converter which was actually turned to the disconnect position. The way it was mounted would make it very easy to accidentally hit it when loading or if something moved in that compartment underway.
    2021 F350 CCSB 4x4 SRW with Air Lift springs
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    2021 Solitude 375RES-R w/ disc brakes
    Formerly REI 6 man tent


  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by PharmaDoc View Post
    OK I found the converter behind the south pass through panel. The converter electrical plug is buried behind a giant mess of cabling and plumbing 3 feet in but I think with some contortions I could get to it. If I remove the bottom drawer next to the service panel inside the RV I think I could get to the plug area as well, but I'd be feeling for it blind.

    The converter makes no noise at all with the power on - no fan of any kind. The breaker is on and seems good. The fuses seem intact - grey automotive 35A ea. There is 0 VDC coming from the battery cable connections.

    So I guess I dumb-luck fixed the immediate problem by trickle charging the battery from my 110 pedestal outlet - everything seems to still work OK.

    Is there anything else to check before declaring this converter unit dead and getting a new one? The OEM unit is ~200.00USD on Amazon - should I stick with it?

    Thanks.
    I have the same trailer, same problem. I've had the trailer out camping about 6 times this year with no issues. This past weekend I had just finished with auto-level when I see a cloud of smoke coming from the basement. A thorough search revealed no problems till the battery drained, then things got crazy. I have a few questions...
    What is the south pass through? Is that the cover in the basement on the rear facing side?
    What is a pedestal?
    Why buy another converter? Isn't that covered under warranty?
    2021 Reflection 150 Series 295RL
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  3. #13
    Setting Up Camp PharmaDoc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by saguido View Post
    I have the same trailer, same problem. I've had the trailer out camping about 6 times this year with no issues. This past weekend I had just finished with auto-level when I see a cloud of smoke coming from the basement. A thorough search revealed no problems till the battery drained, then things got crazy. I have a few questions...
    What is the south pass through? Is that the cover in the basement on the rear facing side?
    What is a pedestal?
    Why buy another converter? Isn't that covered under warranty?
    "What is the south pass through? Is that the cover in the basement on the rear facing side?"
    Yes the wall facing the rear of the trailer is held on by 4 wood screws - remove them and the whole wall can be removed. What you see inside is all the wiring and appliances from the back of the kitchen area cupboards forward. The converter is mounted to the deck by 2 screws, plugged into that back of the breaker panel to an outlet and connected to 2 HD wires to the battery.

    "What is a pedestal?"
    That is what the power access on a typical site pole is called; I built a pad and had a 30Amp service installed on a 4x4 pole.

    "Why buy another converter? Isn't that covered under warranty?"
    My electrician or their helper accidentally reversed the polarity on the wires from my 30 Amp socket. I can only assume this is what smoked the converter and caused my battery to discharge below recoverable. For 200 some odd bucks I am not going to be stuck in a dealer's wait list, and odds are they would be able to tell an electric overload i.e. "user error" caused the fault and they'd deny the claim anyway.

    My personal preference is to fix what I can easily and use the warranty for the big stuff, so I am not out the use of my RV for piddly things.

    "A thorough search revealed no problems till the battery drained, then things got crazy."
    Like I said, a cheap trickle charger (from Home Depot or Harbor Freight) plugged into 120VAC will keep your RV battery charged until you fix things, or you can hook up your tow vehicle's cord and keep the engine running - supposed to charge the RV battery too.

    Hope this helps.
    Ram 2500 Hemi V8 6.4L Long Bed
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    "If you're going to shoot, SHOOT. Don't talk."

  4. #14
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    I agree with your personal preference. Working with the dealer on repairs is not a pleasant experience. In my case, I want to see the converter and possibly get an answer about what happened before I give it to the dealer. I used my vehicle to supply DC and I will take a battery charger with me next time to keep the battery charged till the converter is fixed.
    Thanks for your help.
    2021 Reflection 150 Series 295RL
    2018 GMC Sierra SLE 2500HD Crew Cab Standard Bed Duramax
    B&W Companion Hitch

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