2019 Thor freedom Elite 22fe New converter still not charging

[rbrentp]

Shore power works but not charging house battery. Did all the diagnostics in several YouTubes, conclusion was converter was bad: replaced converter. No change. Breakers in the panel box with converter are all on. Is there a breaker or GFI hidden away somewhere? House switch is on (when left on drains battery). Used multimeter on each fuse to house connector and no 12 volt. Each of those should be hot. what am I missing? Is there a regulator between the breaker panel and the battery somewhere?

Thanks for help.

 

[16ACE27]

The distribution fuses in the Power Center should have 12 VDC when tested to a good ground on both test points on the fuse (if they are good) whenever:
The RV is plugged into SP, or
When not plugged into SP but the USE/STORE/Main Power battery disconnect is in USE/ON (disconnect latching relay CLOSED).

There are also two large fuses in the Power Center not in line with the distribution fuses that if blown, will disconnect the converter.

How do you KNOW the disconnect latching relay is working?
Have you checked the 50 amp DC breaker near your batteries?

When did things last work correctly?
What has changed since things worked correctly?

There is only one AC breaker of concern in the Power Center (other than the main breaker) and that is the one for the converter, usually at the bottom.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Shore power works? Do any or all of the 12v lights/appliances work on shore power? 120v AC appliances/outlets etc. are irrelevant for this... your issue is isolated to 12v DC.

As ACE said, is the 50 amp DC breaker near battery (often under motorhome on frame rail) tripped? Even if it's tripped, AND with the battery disconnect switch ON, it's possible to drain the battery... IF circuits are WRONGLY wired directly to the battery posts... which bypasses the breaker and disconnect switch. If that's the case, MOVE THOSE CIRCUITS to the disconnect switch or a bus ran off of the disconnect switch or 50 amp breaker.

If you are competent with a multimeter, check voltage DIRECTLY on the 12v output cables of the converter... NOT inside the fuse panel. Check voltage using BOTH CABLES... positive and negative. If you shortcut the ground, you could miss a grounding issue to the converter. Check your original converter too... if it's putting out 12v maybe return the new one?

 

[rbrentp]

Lots to respond to. Original is outputting 12V. Tested wrong red wire. Sigh. This is a 30 amp system so a bit simpler than stouter units. Found the 70 amp trip below the battery underneath. It did not appear tripped. Have attached a pic to see if that is what you are referencing. Have not seen one of those before but was tight not even sure how to test it.. Have not tested the fuses but assumed were good when none of the posts to different circuits showed any power. They are not likely all blown, but will test to be sure.

Just acquired this RV so no history. It may never have charged properly so will go back and double check that wiring is correct but it looked right Negs in matched block Pos in was in a separate block from the other large red which I think feeds the slide out. ANd it matches the youtubes Ive seen. Only in line fuse I have found is a yellow wire about a 10 attaching to pos side of battery. I guess that is the feed from the solar controller (there is no solar panel). The control gives a state of battery charge which is how I can see the drain, but am not sure. No wiring diagrams to be found. The USE/Store, is not so labeled. It is simply an On/off like a battery selector on a boat but for one battery. It powers the house. As for circuits wrongly wired to batter posts. Battery has three wires. One to Neg and typical battery wire to Pos + the yellow fused wire.

On shore power with the house battery dead nothing works. Missed that one at the top. Some of the things I have found say there is a GFI circuit. None of the breakers look GFI and I haven't found an outlet that looks like residential GFI. To my mind, if there is 12v to the board, and nothing coming out the problem should be there, But I cannot imagine what it would be. Thanks, i tried to respond to you both, hope it isn't too confusing. also added board converter hooks to.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

One thing at a time... let's get your converter working.

In this order...

For sanity, TEST and make sure your shore power is indeed supplying 120v AC.

Now check for 12 volts DC at the converter output cables... the red (positive) is showing in one of your pics. Find the equally sized black ground (negative).

Now verify that those two 40 amp fuses are good (in your pic). Do a continuity test on both of them.

Next make certain the rotary batter disconnect switch is ON.

Re-check that 70 amp breaker you found (in your pic). Press the little button and the yellow flag should pop out. Then push the flag back in to reset.

Now check for DC voltage at your battery posts. You should be getting something over 13 volts.

If there's no voltage at the battery, you may have an issue with your transfer switch... but please report what you found up to this point before getting into that.

 

[16ACE27]

Some of the things I have found say there is a GFI circuit.

The GFCI circuits have NOTHING to do with the converter or the 12 VDC system.

Did you test the 40 amp reverse polarity fuses?

 

[PS89]

Converter operational check

Measure and note coach battery voltage at battery posts with rotary disconnect switch OFF. You have to know its voltage so you can distinguish between it and any voltage from the converter along the way.

Refer to annotated photo to check converter operation. Make sure that shore power is HOT and all 120 VAC breakers are ON.

You should measure converter output voltage (12-14 volts DC) at both of the two lower terminals using the uppermost one as the ground for your negative meter lead.

1. If you do not have the correct voltage the "From converter" terminal, the converter is not working.
2. If you have the correct voltage on the "From Converter" terminal but not on the Out to coach battery terminal, the 40A fuses have been blown.
3. If both readings are correct, the converter is working and the problem is "Downstream"
4. Check Rotary disconnect switch is ON. Verify full converter voltage is passing through it. If so, go to #5.
5. Check for full converter voltage on both terminals for the 70A breaker (referenced to ground).

If you still need assistance, report all of the above readings and I can analyze and advise.

 

[rbrentp]

FIXED!! it was a 40amp fuse. I should know better. The Youtubers gave several tests but I guess they all knew a head of time that the unit was blown and not the fuse because none of them checked that fuse. I did not know what the 40s did..we live, we learn In post mortem, I think the loose wires to the house battery I found may have caused the 40 to blow. Seems like the wfco guys should have explained that when I talked to tech support and asked about breakers and fuses. Still I should know better. Solar controller showed voltage jump from 12.7 to 13.6v, battery the same.

Sorry to bother the group with a fuse, but I have learned much, Thanks.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

We've all been there! Glad you're up and running again!

 

[PS89]

it was a 40amp fuse

Hmmm. Was it one of the two fuses that I annotated as the "Polarity reversal" fuses? Note that those two fuses are in parallel effectively becoming an 80A fuse (array) and that all current from the converter but pass thru them.

If so, there are only once scenario that WFCO says will blow those fuses and that is connecting the battery backwards. There is another scenario that I can think of that would cause only ONE of those fuses to blow and that would be if one of the fuses had a poor or intermittently open connection and the other fuse was expected to pass more than 40A.

 

[rbrentp]

it was one of those. Perhaps the loose wire to the battery was the culprit.

 

[PS89]

it was one of those. Perhaps the loose wire to the battery was the culprit.

Unless it caused a reversal of polarity, not a plausible cause.

Check for continuity through both fuses individually.

 

[rbrentp]

I did they are both good now. Since it is new to me and most of the mileage is from the drive down to Florida, there is no telling what may have done it.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Suggest keeping a good assortment of replacement fuses on hand. You could replace with resettable fuses, but for as often as a typical DC fuse blows, IMO that's overkill. Besides, if a fuse is continually blowing it's best to find the cause.

 

[rbrentp]

I bought five of each, hopefully will never use.