127 replies to this topic

[DonC]

After installing 300w of solar I've had two great trips, the first my camper has worked as expected in over three years of ownership.

 

Well, I just got back from a week trip where everyday there was something else.  

 

Here are a few observations.  I have a Trimetric so I can tell what's going on.

 

Charging with the truck running.  A few times there was no increase in amps/hr, so no charging at all from the truck.  Another time it spiked to 8 amps/hr and then over the course of 5 minutes I watched it count down to no charging.  A couple of times I saw 2 - 3 amps/hr.

 

One of the weirdest things is I was sitting in the camper and unlocked my truck doors with the remote.  I saw an immediate drop of 1 amp/hr when the cab light went on.  Click again to lock the doors and the cab light goes out, and 1 amp increase.  I could do this at will, cab light on and it drops, cab light off and it increases.  Now that I'm home I can't replicate it.

 

Solar.  Full mid-day sun and my solar charging light on my controller is not on, zero amps of charging.  A few times I saw 3 - 4 amps/hr, and it should be 9+ amps.

 

Bottom line, after three days I was dead and frig not cooling. 

 

Absolute total frustration.

 

All wires seem to be tight, all fuses ok.  Any ideas on where to start?

Edited by DonC, 21 June 2015 - 07:26 PM.

[buckland]

I am no electrician but sure sounds like a bad ground.... Loose. On again off again with surges.. Check theconnections at the battery in camper first then all the nuts. Moisture in a cap can do it too. Good luck.... Don't feel alone.... I hate chasing electrical headaches!

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Don, it sure seems that you have an open connection somewhere in the system, or a really failed part.  How good are your batteries?

 

Your keyless remote operation seems pretty interesting.  I learned recently (yup, a few sparks) that the line to the camper is always hot.  FWC puts the separator in the charging line, so I am going to assume that the truck battery is at a higher potential than the camper, and that clicking the remote puts more/less load on the truck, so that is being seen as a change in potential (voltage) by the Trimetric, hence the change in load.

 

Edit:   Mulling a bit.   If you have a bad battery(ies), the separator may have clicked off/failed, not allowing any current to get to your camper.  That could explain no charging from the truck now.   The battery could also be the source of the issue for solar.   Maybe...  I am just an old one wire electrician, so perhaps someone else could chime in.

[Advmoto18]

My 2 cents...

 

1.  Unusual charging numbers AND the display backlight not illuminated during daylight sounds like a possible faulty (loose) ground.

 

2.  Alternator charging.  Sounds like the truck's voltage regulator and alternator output are normal and properly functioning.  Alternator output is determined by the voltage regulator based on alternator RPM, how hot the alternator is and demand from truck's energized/activated electrical components/accessories. 

 

Nothing strange at all about the problem going away once home!  As a retired airline pilot, I can't count the number of times I had a problem airborne, and once on the ground, the maintenance technician was unable to duplicate the problem.  Gremlins have a way of disappearing only to return when least expected.

[DonC]

I think the batteries were replaced last year by FWC

[brianjwilson]

My 2 cents...
 
1.  Unusual charging numbers AND the display backlight not illuminated during daylight sounds like a possible faulty (loose) ground.
 
2.  Alternator charging.  Sounds like the truck's voltage regulator and alternator output are normal and properly functioning.  Alternator output is determined by the voltage regulator based on alternator RPM, how hot the alternator is and demand from truck's energized/activated electrical components/accessories. 
 
Nothing strange at all about the problem going away once home!  As a retired airline pilot, I can't count the number of times I had a problem airborne, and once on the ground, the maintenance technician was unable to duplicate the problem.  Gremlins have a way of disappearing only to return when least expected.

Oh the good old sideways look from the mechanic and the "could not duplicate" write up.


Curious, what is the voltage at your camper battery now? Some isolators and controllers will completely block out charging if the battery is discharged below a certain voltage. I don't know what you're using or if it's possible but just another thing to look at.

Definitely have a good look at all of the wiring connections. Make sure there are no bad crimps on the battery terminals or anything. It just takes one poor crimp somewhere to make a mess. Just because all of the bolts or wing nuts are tight, doesn't mean the wires are tight in the terminals.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Please post the cause when you get it figured out.

After installing 300w of solar I've had two great trips, the first my camper has worked as expected in over three years of ownership.
 
Well, I just got back from a week trip where everyday there was something else.  
 
Here are a few observations.  I have a Trimetric so I can tell what's going on.
 
Charging with the truck running.  A few times there was no increase in amps/hr, so no charging at all from the truck.  Another time it spiked to 8 amps/hr and then over the course of 5 minutes I watched it count down to no charging.  A couple of times I saw 2 - 3 amps/hr.
 
One of the weirdest things is I was sitting in the camper and unlocked my truck doors with the remote.  I saw an immediate drop of 1 amp/hr when the cab light went on.  Click again to lock the doors and the cab light goes out, and 1 amp increase.  I could do this at will, cab light on and it drops, cab light off and it increases.  Now that I'm home I can't replicate it.
 
Solar.  Full mid-day sun and my solar charging light on my controller is not on, zero amps of charging.  A few times I saw 3 - 4 amps/hr, and it should be 9+ amps.
 
Bottom line, after three days I was dead and frig not cooling. 
 
Absolute total frustration.
 
All wires seem to be tight, all fuses ok.  Any ideas on where to start?

[DonC]

Gladly!  I've not had time to look at it today.

[Ethergore]

Its a little hard for me to follow online but I live in Redlands too. I wouldn't mind coming over and giving a hand and second opinion. I'm far from expert but have my own solar setup and lots of wiring bits. Two heads are better than one.

[DrJ]

Don,

 

A few ideas for you:

 

1- The battery isolator in your camper could have failed or occasionally not working. You can tell this is the case by measuring the voltage in your truck batteries and then checking your trimetric to look at the camper batteries. If the voltage is above the set point of the isolator and still no amperage is being transfered that would indicate a failure.

 

I've replaced mine once before. They do break, although fairly rare.

 

2- You may have a bad battery. I would recommend having camper and truck batteries tested. It could be that they are not taking a charge. 

 

I think the two problems you stated are separate, but a grounding problem could also partially explain them as well.

Grounding faults can be very hard to find.

 

I'd start with #1 and #2 first and see what happens.