Am I supposed to have 120v AC off the house batteries?

[vt800c]

I have a 2017 Four Winds. When de-winterizing it (for the first time) I tried running the slides out on battery power. No joy. Even when running the chassis engine, nothing on the slides. I started the generator (it needed a jump start, but that's another story) and they worked no problems. Is that normal? As I have a good all-around I'm not too worried, but If I want to run 120v, do I need an inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter? Or am I missing something here? Thanks for the help.

[JamieGeek]

If you needed a jump to start the generator it is likely your battery didn't have enough juice to run the slide either?

The other potential issue is: did you forget to put the use/store switch in "Use"? (If no 120VAC and in "Store" the slide(s) won't budge.)

[TurnerFam]

you may be missing something here, yes, but I am, too... I don't understand your question

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

you may be missing something here, yes, but I am, too... I don't understand your question

I guess it was two parts: can I run the slides out from the house batteries, and can I get 120v from the house batteries.

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

If you needed a jump to start the generator it is likely your battery didn't have enough juice to run the slide either?

The other potential issue is: did you forget to put the use/store switch in "Use"? (If no 120VAC and in "Store" the slide(s) won't budge.)

The batteries were new a month ago, and not connected unless I needed them. And the 12v house lights didn't run off the chassis, but did work off house batteries. I might have a tripped circuit breaker somewhere. Under the hood maybe?

[TurnerFam]

yes, and no. 120v comes from an INVERTER(which you may or may not have), or Generator or Shore power only. Batteries only provide 12v.

your House batteries are designed to easily handle the movement of your slides, but if they fall low enough, such as below 11.5 or so, you may find that they don't respond when you try to move them - there's just not enough 'punch' to get them started.

Generally, if you run your GENERATOR, which provides not only 120v power to your coach appliances and outlets, but also to your Battery CHARGER, it will provide enough 'punch' to then move the slides.

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

yes, and no. 120v comes from an INVERTER(which you may or may not have), or Generator or Shore power only. Batteries only provide 12v.

your House batteries are designed to easily handle the movement of your slides, but if they fall low enough, such as below 11.5 or so, you may find that they don't respond when you try to move them - there's just not enough 'punch' to get them started.

Generally, if you run your GENERATOR, which provides not only 120v power to your coach appliances and outlets, but also to your Battery CHARGER, it will provide enough 'punch' to then move the slides.

Ok..how can I tell I if I have an inverter installed? I have a small one I can use that plugs into a lighter when driving,so I'll be ok this trip. Thank you.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by vt800c

The batteries were new a month ago, and not connected unless I needed them. And the 12v house lights didn't run off the chassis, but did work off house batteries. I might have a tripped circuit breaker somewhere. Under the hood maybe?

The chassis batteries run the Ford /Chevy installed stuff and the house batteries run the Thor installed stuff. The charger takes 120 Volts A/C and changes it to 12 volts DC to charge the house batteries and supplement the house batteries' output. The house batteries are capable of supplying about 600 amps max where as the charger is limited to about 50 amps, so the charger will tun the slide and lights but will probably not start the generator by itself. Your emergency start switch combines both batteries and can be used to start the engine or the generator depending on what you need.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by vt800c

Ok..how can I tell I if I have an inverter installed? I have a small one I can use that plugs into a lighter when driving,so I'll be ok this trip. Thank you.

Thor installs a remote inverter control panel next to the coach's master control center on the smaller gas coaches. On the larger coaches the inverter control is integrated into the Firefly panel.

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Thor installs a remote inverter control panel next to the coach's master control center on the smaller gas coaches. On the larger coaches the inverter control is integrated into the Firefly panel.

Thanks. Looks like there may not be one installed, as I only have a single control panel. It's a sprinter diesel chassis.

[Long & Winding road]

Also look next to the batteries to see if the curcuit breaker has been tripped. Reset if so.

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by Long & Winding road

Also look next to the batteries to see if the curcuit breaker has been tripped. Reset if so.

Where about would the circuit breaker be? I looked in the battery area and there appears to be something that I cannot quite see. I will try to photograph it Tomorrow and post for comment. Thank all of you for your assistance.

[Long & Winding road]

On most RV's its right next to the battery on a wall or metal frame. It will have a little flag the will pop up (My flag is yellow). Push down the flag to reset. It also has a button on it so you can trip the circuit (yellow flag will pop up) while your working on your batteries. Might need a flashlight to find.

Here is a link to one that should "look" like yours.

https://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Circuit...ircuit+breaker