Electrical System

Let me say up front that I have very little understanding of electricity in general...

Now that that's out of the way, I have a few questions about my new (to me anyway) 2001 2720SD.

Regarding the electrical switchplate under the sink, I can't find any explanation anywhere in the owner's manual or either "Mike and Kelly's TrailManor 2720 User Manual" or Ed Felker's "Derived from TrailManor Owner's experiences" manual. I have searched the board and found other discussions about this, but it is still unclear to me...

I have now closed my trailer, but from memory, the buttons on the switchplate from left to right, go "test" and "water pump". I understand what the "water pump" switch is for. As far as the light panels go, again from memory, from left to right (though I forget the specific nomenclature), they go potable water tank , gray water tank, and electrical. My understanding is that when you press the "Test" button, the levels on the water tanks and the batteries will be shown by the number of lights lit up on the light panels. So far so good?

If that is the case, I think I understand the two plumbing readings. Now we come to the electrical indicator. While I was connected to our electrical outlet from the house, all four lights were lit on the electrical light panel when I pressed the "Test" button. When I disconnected from shore power and pressed "Test" all four buttons lit up again. What exactly does that mean? That my batteries (I have two golf cart batteries) are fully charged? Do the batteries actually charge when on shore power? I don't see how that would be possible without some type of alternator, I guess...

I am concerned about this because on return from a recent vacation, I left the fridge on DC during travel and it was actually hot inside the fridge after about 8 hours of travel. I later learned that though I have the lights hooked up, I don't have an auxilliary wire connected on my tow vehicle, so it would not have been powering the fridge nor would it have been recharging the batteries. Because of that experience, I am worried about the batteries and their charge level. But when I press the test button whether on shore power or disconnected from shore power, all four lights light up. What gives?

Thanks in advance. This is a wonderful website! Have already learned a ton.

Steve

[kdrickard]

Steve,

If I understand the situation correctly; on your recent trip you turned the refer to run on "DC", so it should pull battery power from your TrailManor (TM) battery(s). And, your tow vehicle does not charge the TM while on the road, so the TM battery(s) should drain while traveling and the refer should be "cool" to some degree.

I'm not familar with the 2001 refer details, but I'd take a quick battery reading with a 12v meter after running the refer on DC for a few hours (campingworld or electronics store) If it looks like the 12v power is good in the batteries, suspect the refer has a 12v problem if the inside temp is warm.

I'm sure others will have additional info on this.

Kevin

[Bill]

Steve -

You have a very good understanding of the electrics.

Re the specific situation, I concur with Kevin.
IF you turned the refrig control to DC, and
IF the tow vehicle charge line is not connected to the TM, and
IF the refrig did not cool, and
IF the TM battery did not discharge at all,
THEN it means that the refrig did not draw any power from the TM battery.

Reasons could be that the main power wire is disconnected from the battery, or the main battery fuse (30 amps) is blown, or the fuse in the refrigerator's DC power line is blown, or the refrigerator has a problem in the switch or the 12 VDC element. The first two can be ruled out by the fact that when you disconnected from shore power, the test lights still lit up. That means that the battery is properly connected, and is powering the TM's DC electrical system. And incidentally, the fact that all four lights came on confirms that the TM's converter is properly charging the battery when shore power is connected. (It is common for the top-most light to go out soon after shore power is unplugged.)

So most likely the fuse in the refrigerator's DC power line has popped. This is easy to check. The converter and the power distribution panel are located near the floor in the hall outside the bathroom. Most likely a brown louvered metal panel. Open the panel. You will see four black circuit breakers like the ones in your house - these control the AC power, and are not of concern here. You will also see a number (I think 9) of slim colored plastic pieces. These are the fuses for the DC appliances. If you have your owners manual handy, there is a nice sketch in the back.

At any rate, the fuses should be listed on a paper label in the compartment. I think the fuse for the refrig is the fifth from the left, but check the label to be sure. Pull it straight out (you may need a pair of needle-nose pliers to get a grip on it) and hold it up to the light. You should see an uninterrupted S-shaped strip of metal buried in the plastic. If the strip is broken, the fuse is blown. You can get a new one from WalMart or any auto supply store. Buy a box of five so you will have some spares - make sure you buy the same amp rating (probably 15 amps) as the one you remove, and the same shape/size (there are ATC and mini-ATC types, and they look very similar).

Let us know how this works out.

Bill