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Old 03-05-2017, 11:54 AM   #1
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Default I do not get it. Tow vehicle charging.

Should my tow vehicle battery be able to power the 12 volt devices in the camper with the camper battery disconnected?

I thought the camper battery would be charged by the tow vehicle.

I just spent 45 minutes in the storage space of my camper, a 2007 18 FBS, trouble shooting this.

The 12 volt power feed coming from the tow vehicle has 12 volts when plugged into the tow vehicle. This wire goes to a big wire nut that goes right, along with other black wires, to the + of the battery on the camper.

The same goes for the white wire from the tow vehicle. It goes to a bunch of white wires one of which goes right to the - of the battery.

So my questions is. Why doesn't the 12V things in the camper work when hooked to the tow vehicle when the camper battery is disconnected?
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:25 PM   #2
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I'm pretty sure it should. The TV should be able to both recharge the trailer battery and power the trailer, but only if the trailer main power switch in the ON position.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:08 PM   #3
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I'm pretty sure it should. The TV should be able to both recharge the trailer battery and power the trailer, but only if the trailer main power switch in the ON position.
So did I. My trailer doesn't have a disconnect.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:45 PM   #4
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Are you sure you don't have a disconnect? Sorry to ask, but it seems odd to have to "hot swap" a fresh battery.
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Old 03-05-2017, 07:06 PM   #5
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Are you sure you don't have a disconnect? Sorry to ask, but it seems odd to have to "hot swap" a fresh battery.
Yup, The only disconnect was a 30 ATC fuse on the battery + out on the tongue . I removed that and put in a 30 amp breaker switch.

I was under there for 45 minutes trying to figure it out. The black and white wires from the battery had 12 volts. The black and white wires from the plug had 12 volts when hooked to my tow vehicle. Those two sets of wires connect together with a bunch of other black and white wires. That should put the tow vehicle battery and trailer battery in parallel. The tow vehicle battery should be able to power the lights with the trailer battery disconnected.

Now, With the camper battery connected i get 12 volts at the end of the trailer plug. so I know it is all connected correctly.
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Old 03-05-2017, 10:49 PM   #6
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The reason we ask about the main power switch is that Cruser includes them on all of their trailers. How long have you had your trailer and do you have a owners manual? Normally the push-pull power switch is located in the pass thru storage area at the front of the trailer. When it is pushed in it is OFF, and pulled out it is ON. When the switch is off no 12 volt power comes from either the trailer battery or the TV. Other than that, I'm at a complete loss as to what might be happening.
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Old 03-06-2017, 06:42 AM   #7
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I have read on here about the disconnect. My Camper does not have one. I have traced the wires from the battery and the TV connector the whole length of the camper.
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Old 03-06-2017, 08:08 AM   #8
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You asked:"Should my tow vehicle battery be able to power the 12 volt devices in the camper with the camper battery disconnected?"

Probably not due to the limited current that can pass through the small diameter (high guage) wire in the tow vehicle.

"I thought the camper battery would be charged by the tow vehicle."
Charging requires only a small amount of current over a long time so probably it does charge a bit as you drive.

Does everything work if you put a fully charged battery in it? I have used jumper cables between the TV and trailer when I was too lazy to drag a battery out to the trailer.
If so, I am as puzzled as you are.

If things are normal with a battery, then you are being limited by the high resistance in the long, thin wire from the TV.

Keep us posted.
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Old 03-06-2017, 08:41 AM   #9
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Yes, the camper does work perfect on the battery only and the battery does charge when plugged into shore power. I was thinking that the lights in the camper would at least glow when hooked to the tow vehicle alone. Oh well. Thanks for the help.
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Old 03-07-2017, 10:23 AM   #10
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Yes, the camper does work perfect on the battery only and the battery does charge when plugged into shore power. I was thinking that the lights in the camper would at least glow when hooked to the tow vehicle alone. Oh well. Thanks for the help.
I'm pretty sure when disconnect the battery, you have disconnected the path through which the 12v travels from your tow vehicle to the 12v trailer system.

But I could be way off though! Dead or not, I *think* the battery needs to be present and connected for the power to get all the way through.

What year and model is your trailer?
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Old 03-07-2017, 11:15 AM   #11
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I'm pretty sure when disconnect the battery, you have disconnected the path through which the 12v travels from your tow vehicle to the 12v trailer system.

But I could be way off though! Dead or not, I *think* the battery needs to be present and connected for the power to get all the way through.

What year and model is your trailer?
2007 18fbs
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Old 03-07-2017, 01:48 PM   #12
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I think you've already said, but you are sure there is no battery disconnect switch inside your trailer?
It would look something like below.
I've even heard of the switch being inside your pass through storage, probably hidden to one side, so you almost have to stick your head in and look for it.
I've confirmed thats where it is in a 2009 189FBS, so maybe......
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Old 03-07-2017, 04:41 PM   #13
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I think you've already said, but you are sure there is no battery disconnect switch inside your trailer?
It would look something like below.
I've even heard of the switch being inside your pass through storage, probably hidden to one side, so you almost have to stick your head in and look for it.
I've confirmed thats where it is in a 2009 189FBS, so maybe......
I am 100% sure there isn't a disconnect switch, other then the one I installed, in the camper. I was laying inside the pass through where the wires from the battery and tow vehicle come through the floor and make their way around the camper. I followed the wires back to the converter.
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Old 03-07-2017, 08:36 PM   #14
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I am 100% sure there isn't a disconnect switch, other then the one I installed......
Hmmmm, okay.

I'll go back to suspecting that 12v from your tow vehicle won't get back to the inside of your trailer with the battery not connected.....

Its a long shot, but all I can think of. Easy enough to check at least.
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Old 03-07-2017, 11:19 PM   #15
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The disconnect for our 2008 189FBR was a small black box dead center in the pass-through under the bed and it was so irritating because we store a lot of stuff there and it kept getting turned off, then we had to empty it out to access it, so I just took it out and we pull the fuse when we have to mess with the battery. Is there any reason I should put one in (in a better location!) It's been like this for 15,000 miles of camping.

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Old 03-08-2017, 06:19 AM   #16
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The disconnect for our 2008 189FBR was a small black box dead center in the pass-through under the bed and it was so irritating because we store a lot of stuff there and it kept getting turned off, then we had to empty it out to access it, so I just took it out and we pull the fuse when we have to mess with the battery. Is there any reason I should put one in (in a better location!) It's been like this for 15,000 miles of camping.

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During my troubleshooting. I had to reattach that black box to the floor. Cause the plastic broke. My guess is the previous owner broke it off when storing stuff in there. What a poor designs.
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Old 03-08-2017, 07:02 AM   #17
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That's what I'm thinking. Yours was modified by a previous owner. Our 2008 189fbr has the very badly located disconnect mounted on the black box as well. My husband immediately fixed it so that it could not be bumped by cargo.
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Old 03-10-2017, 01:56 AM   #18
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I'm guessing Diver Rick is on the right track. The circuit from your camper's batteries powers the camper. It protects your tow vehicle from being drained and unable to start. When you disconnect the camper batteries, there is no power being provided to the camper.
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Old 03-10-2017, 07:00 AM   #19
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Yeah that.
Any design that allowed an inside light, refrig or 12 volt fan accidentally left on to drain the camper battery and the TV battery would be a poor design. Perhaps there's a diode or some similar protection built in to the power supply.
My 2%.

As for those switches:
A friend asked me why, on a camper costing thousands of dollars, do they install a $2 switch?
Well, it's because they ran out of $1 switches.
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Old 03-10-2017, 07:06 AM   #20
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Most of the chargers need the battery in place on the trailer to complete the 12v circuit. Mine is built that way and I am guessing that yours is also.
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