DC powered items not working when plugged into shore

[brentbow]

Hi everyone!
Newbie here! We just took our 1999 Trailmanor 3023 out for the first time this past weekend. It was very late when we arrived, so, I set up the camper, plugged into the 30 amp shore power, and went to bed. The kids like a little light at night so I left one of the overhead lights running. Once I woke up in the morning I noticed that all things DC were running low...battery had not been charging. Is there some sort of transfer switch or converter that must be stuck or broken? Are there any threads on the forum that may be helpful in figuring this out? Fortunately, there was a bathhouse close to our site that allowed us to use the shower, etc. since our water pump is also on DC. Also, all of the outlets were working properly.

Side note---the AC was running but not very cold. Can I charge that with a can from the store?

Thanks very much! All of you members are so helpful and nice! I look forward to being a helpful, contributing member in the future once I get my camper all figured out.

Brent

[Bill]

No, there is no switch of any kind that has to be turned on.

AC power is present, which shows that the source at the power post was good and its breakers were switched on. This also shows that the 30-amp main breaker in the TM was on. DC was present at the lights, so the TM's 30-amp main battery fuse is OK.

Next step is to check the TM circuit breakers, since one of them controls the AC input to the charger part of the converter. The circuit breakers are the black-handle things in the converter distribution box, four or five of them. Easiest thing to do is simply to snap each one off and back on again. Do not simply push each one toward the ON position - this will not reset a popped breaker.

Next thing is to check the 12-volt fuse on the output of the converter. If it is blown, the charger will not charge. Unfortunately, this fuse may be inside the converter's charger circuit, not necessarily in the bank of fuses that are easily accessible. You probably have a Magnetek/Parallax 6300-series converter. If you can confirm this, we can help you find the fuse and check it.

Bill

[brentbow]

Thanks very much, Bill. I will check this afternoon and report back tomorrow.

Thanks again!

Brent

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by brentbow

Can I charge that with a can from the store?

Unlike your car, most of these units are sealed. Even if they aren't, there are issues regarding the sort of refrigerant it used, and what you would use now. A lot of old refrigerants are no longer produced due to their contribution to ozone layer depletion. So, you replace the whole thing if it leaks its refrigerant.

[brentbow]

Good morning!
The Power Converter is Magnetek Model 6332. I have a picture if that would be more helpful. Can I just take the front off of the converter and find that 12v fuse? I checked the circuit breakers and they all seem fine.

That's unfortunate news on the Air Conditioner. I guess that would be the most likely culprit (a leak) if it's not cooling properly. Is there anywhere that sells those for cheaper than most?

Thanks again for y'all's help!

Brent

[Shane826]

Before spending $500-$1200 on a new A/C unit I would definitely take the top cover off and see if the condenser is gunked up or the capacitors are melted. But being a20 year old unit, it may well be leaking. With the cover off, look for oily residue on the copper lines, condenser, etc. I don’t know if they put any kind of dye in these systems.

As for cheaper than most, I’ve priced out the Atwood Air Command 15kBTU across the Internet. Cheapest I’ve found is my12voltstore.com That’s the model I want to upgrade to. Quiet, more cooling power, and has a heat pump as well.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by brentbow

Good morning!
The Power Converter is Magnetek Model 6332. I have a picture if that would be more helpful. Can I just take the front off of the converter and find that 12v fuse? I checked the circuit breakers and they all seem fine.

Brent

Brent -

I mentioned a fuse, but I dug out my Magnetek manual, and it is actually an internal 15-amp self-resetting circuit breaker. I have attached a picture of the converter's internals. Note that the white labeling refers to the relay as "if equipped". A 6332 is equipped. If you open it up, you can measure the charger outputs. There are actually two outputs. You would measure between the red wire and white, and the blue wire and white. If you find that there is no output at theses points, there are any number of things that could be wrong, and you probably don't want to dig into it unless you are an electroniker. I can send you a schematic if you would like to do it.

The Magnetek converters have two sections. The lower section is the charger, and the upper section is the power distribution panel (fuses and so forth). The charger in the lower section is not really a very good charger, and the easiest thing is to replace it. There are a number of replacement charger sections that simply slide into the Magnetek enclosure once you have removed the original charger section. I would recommend one of these, and there are a number of folks here on the forum that have done it. A Search on "Magnetek" or "converter" should turn some of them up. The alternative is to remove and discard the old charger section, leave the space empty, and buy a standalone external charger from some outfit like Precision Dynamics (www.progressivedyn.com). This is what I have done.

Bill

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by brentbow

Good morning!
Can I just take the front off of the converter and find that 12v fuse?

Yes. It should be a door that opens. You might want to use an ohmmeter or one of those cheap fuse testers from the auto parts store. Sometimes you can't see that the fuse is blown.

[brentbow]

Thanks very much, guys. I'm about to head home from work and do some tinkering...will update tomorrow.

Thanks again!!

[brentbow]

I found a 15 amp fuse that was busted. It is labeled "tv amp." Would that be significant enough to be my problem?

Thanks!