Who wants to help the noob...

SoCal · 06-29-2016, 03:12 PM

Hello FF Family...total newbie here!! As such, I find myself confused. Thought I'd start a thread were I could embarrass myself and have y'all tell me what a knucklehead I am. Sounds fun right? Don't be shy, join in...

So here's the backstory. Last May bought a 2006 FF X160. Towed it to the local trusted shop and had them pack the bearings and make sure everything worked. They gave me a nice pep talk and off I went camping last summer.
Ahhh the memories. Then October came and I parked it...unplugged, untouched and sadly unloved until this very day. I admit, I'm a bad man. : (

So my questions, feel free to laugh along

Voltmeter shows my battery at 0.00...nice. Tried a 2A trickle charge set to deep cell for a few hours, let it sit alone an hour and measured again. Still 0.00. Any way to salvage a completely dead deep cell battery?

I've only plugged to shore while camping at sites configured for such things. If I plug in at home do I need to make sure the amperage on the circuit is rated 20A or 30A or something??

TIA, SoCal Noob

APD · 06-29-2016, 06:31 PM

Batteries want/desire to be at full charge, the worst thing for a battery is to sit for a period of time discharged. I've never heard of a battery that was saved after sitting at 0 volts as yours has sat. I would say buy a new battery.

I plug in at home (with an adapter) on a regular 15 amp wall socket BUT I don't use the AC unit or anything else that draws a heavy load while plugged in this way. It's just for lights and the battery maintainer and maybe a small fan for air circulation. While it's okay for battery charging I wouldn't recommend using the converter for long term battery maintenance. I use a separate battery maintainer that has a "float mode" to keep the house battery healthy when not in use.

profdant139 · 06-29-2016, 06:40 PM

Nobody is laughing -- I did exactly the same thing with my first trailer. Painful lesson learned.

First, can you plug in the trailer with the battery installed? If so, the built in charger will recharge it. Any ordinary extension cord will do, if you have an adapter that enables you to connect your RV cord to the extension cord.

If you can't plug in the RV, take the battery out and buy a simple charger at an auto parts store -- it is a good thing to have in your garage, anyway.

You may or may not have killed the battery. You have probably shortened its useful life. No big deal. Batteries do not last forever anyway, and you probably have a little group 24, which is barely adequate to begin with. That is what the factory usually installs.

So anyway, leave the battery to charge for a day or so, and then test the voltage with a standard multi meter (very cheap and useful little device). If it tests at 12.7 volts, leave it for a day and test it again. Should be at about 12.6 or so. If it drops to 10 volts, it is damaged by nonuse and will not hold a charge.

In the future, make sure that you remove the battery from the RV and then put it on a trickle charger. I recommend the BatteryMinder Plus. Keep the battery as fully charged as you can, all the time. Try never to let it drop below 12.1 volts, which is a 50 percent state of charge.

Also a good idea to get a hydrometer to test the specific gravity of each cell -- very cheap and easy to use. If one cell is going bad, that device will give you a warning before the whole thing dies.

Please do not ask how much money I wasted before I figured this all out -- a few hundred dollars.

Be sure to ask lots of questions -- us former noobs love to help others avoid the mistakes we have made.

So where are you headed? With a 160, you can fit into some amazingly tight campgrounds in the Sierras . . . .

Eagle · 06-29-2016, 07:29 PM

SoCal ...... Everyone was a newby when they first got a camper.

Everyone learns by asking questions and there is no such thing as a dumb question ..... but there can be dumb answers

ON this forum, 99.99% of the time, you will NOT get a dumb answer!

PaintyLiz · 06-29-2016, 11:01 PM

I can't help you with your battery problem, but i wanted to relieve you of any newbie embarrassment... We owned our camper for six years only using it a few weekends a year. Really didn't know much about any of it. Then tried to take a real trip and the power converter failed within the first two days, no a/c, no refrigerator, no lights lol. After I got up nerve to replace it myself, I realized that i could figure out how everything works and make changes to the camper and make it our own. I haven't looked back! Replaced faucet, figured out how the electric water heater worked and replaced the element, repaired leaking windows, tore out dinette........ Now we live in our camper two months at a time ...

**LJAZ** · 06-30-2016, 08:38 AM

Unfortunately your battery is toast. On the plus side, while batteries aren't cheap, they are pretty easy to replace.
To plug in at home, a regular 15A outlet will be fine unless you plan to run the AC. Do you have a manual for your converter? If so check to see if it has a float charger. Mine does so I can just leave the trailer plugged in at home all the time and just check the water level occasionally.

Eagle · 06-30-2016, 08:55 AM

I replaced the Interstate lead/acid deep cycle battery that came in my camper with a deep cycle AGM Optima battery.

https://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batter...=agm+batteries

The initial cost may be more but you never have to check the water level (they are sealed) and give great service. I've used them in cars/pickups .. some for near 10 years and NEVER had one go bad.

Just a thought.

SoCal · 06-30-2016, 10:18 AM

Thank you for all the helpful and kind replies. You guys are the best!!! I really appreciate it. So I do have the adapter and I plugged into a couple circuits on the home. Left it plugged in all evening and night, unplugged, sit for an hour, test....0.00. Gathered my 8 yr old and pronounced time of death at 7:52am June 30 2016. She had a short life but we'll always remember her pioneer spirit during our first summer.

APD - 15A and no A/C, got it. Does that mean any time I am using the adapter from the standard big 110v 30A plug on the trailer down to the house style 110v 15A, that I'm not supposed to use the Microwave or A/C??

Profdant - thanks for the voltage and battery maintenance info. Helps me understand how to stay on top of the battery situation.

Eagle - great tip on the sealed battery, didn't know there were such things.

Painty....thanks for your kind words and blog. You are an inspiration!! So many great tips. Can't wait to get cracking on some of those mods. Fine work!! Which means I will have countless other dumb questions for you... ; )

LJAZ - thank you. when you say manual for your converter....ummmm what converter? lol I think when you guys say adapter to plug in...I do have the regular little adapter that converts the 110 30A to 110 15A. Am I supposed to know sumthin about converting AC and DC?

Headed where? As of now I have a week coming at San Elijo, great beach, noisy Amtrack and kinda pseudo camping. Then we have a week at Yosemite...love that place. We'll see what else I can get on the calendar...

Thanks again everyone!

SoCal Noob

APD · 06-30-2016, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal

APD - 15A and no A/C, got it. Does that mean any time I am using the adapter from the standard big 110v 30A plug on the trailer down to the house style 110v 15A, that I'm not supposed to use the Microwave or A/C??

Using those could over load the smaller capacity circuit. Hopefully it would only trip a breaker but I don't take the chance.
Also, and you may know this already, if the trailer is plugged in but not parked level be sure the refrigerator is turned off to prevent damage or fire possibility. Refrigerators must be level for safe operation.

profdant139 · 06-30-2016, 12:05 PM

SoCal, the converter is built into the trailer -- it is the power center. It is what charges your batteries and distributes current throughout the trailer.

How did you ever score a spot at San Elijo?? Those are booked up months in advance. Don't know if this weekend's big southwest swell will hit the North County coast -- it should, right? If it does, you are in luck!! Seventy degree water -- woo hoo!

SoCal · 06-30-2016, 02:29 PM

Thanks again boys, I think I got it. Check the converter to see if it has a float or trickle charge. If so I can plug into the home and monitor once a month. If not, then pull the battery and use a charger with an appropriate maintenance mode trickle charge. Fantastic, I think I'm ready for quiz 1 in RV battery 101.

Prof, ya both San Elijo and Yosemite are brutal reservations. They sell out in seconds. I usually head into work with heavy Internet bandwidth and the wife stays home and we both sync up the clock and when 7am hits, it's game on. Then based on those two spots we fill out the rest of the summer.

Can't wait to get home and look for my converter, lol. what a geek...

SoCal Noob

profdant139 · 06-30-2016, 04:40 PM

When you find the converter (should be pretty easy to spot!), get the make and model and then Google the specifications. Almost all of the Fun Finders have adequate converters, equipped with adequate trickle chargers. Not top of the line equipment, but good enough.

If you want a good trickle charger, buy something like a BatteryMinder Plus. Remove the batteries after each trip and hook them up to that device. Supposedly, it "pulses" the energy to prevent sulphur build-up on the plates. Some people say it's a hoax. It seems to work for me -- my batteries are going strong after several years of hard use.

Also, if you plan to do a lot of camping without electrical hookups, you might consider two batteries, and bigger ones. Get the biggest units you can lift without injury. I have two group 31 marine batteries, with 110 amp hours each, mounted on the tongue in battery boxes. They weigh 65 lbs each!

Some folks say they should both be hooked up, to take advantage of something called the Peukert effect. (GTS -- google that stuff.) I don't agree. I use one at a time. If and when it drops to 12.1 volts, I switch it out and use the spare -- after three or four days of use, usually. The reason I don't like to use both at once is that if one goes bad, it'll drain the other, and I am out of luck. Experts say I am being too cautious. I am not an expert, but I am very cautious.

And now that I have a 120 watt portable solar panel, I don't often have to swap them out. The panel recharges my main battery every day. Then, on the next trip, I use the spare first, so that each battery gets roughly the same amount of use.

But don't try to solve every problem in the world right away. As a newbie, take it slowly, making changes and upgrades only as needed, until you feel more comfortable with trailering. Everything will get easier and easier, over time.

SoCal · 07-01-2016, 10:56 AM

Thanks again prof, great info!!

So here's couple more for the panel... I decided to go look for this thing called converter. Sun was in decline, so I thought I'd connect shore power and turn on a light. So I ran an extension cord from the garage out and plugged in. The microwave beeped and the led came on. Flipped the switch on the overhead light...nada. Tried the front area lights, nothing. No radio either, yet there was power to the microwave and power to the A/C.

So correct me if I'm wrong here, but the air and micro run off AC and since I'm plugged in they powered up. Lights and radio and the small stuff run off DC I think. So because the battery is completely 0.00V dead, I can't run any off the DC stuff?

Not really sure about all this and the house is somewhat old so I thought I'd test the outlet. It's 15A but when I plugged a tester into it it showed Open Neutral. I have no idea what that really means so I tried another plug nearer to the house and it showed "correct" but still I could not get any lights or radio or anything....

TIA...again...SoCal Noob

profdant139 · 07-01-2016, 08:15 PM

Have you checked the control panel? There are rocker switches that enable you to turn on the lights. On both of my Fun Finders, the rockers were red.

SoCal · 07-02-2016, 02:36 PM

Well I confirmed the power converter is a World Friendship Co WF-8945AN that does indeed have a float mode when connected to shore power. I also am the proud owner of a new G31 AGP battery. Hooked it all up and my baby is alive and well. I plugged it into the "correct" outlet from my garage and I will check the voltage to see how it responds.

I'm off to clean up the old half peeled stickers. Sadly there at a point were I think it will look much better just plain off white.

Kansas newbie · 07-03-2016, 06:12 AM

DH was tired of the peeling stickers as well. Got them off, amazingly the red ones were the worst for curling up, and now we have "outlines" of the grey and DH says he might just get some grey paint to fill in. The big sticker on front was removed before we bought it from the previous owners, and the only time you can see the "ghost" writing is if the sun hits it at the correct angle. Too bad the stickers don't last over time or that the replacements are either too hard to find for older models, or way too expensive!

John_C · 07-03-2016, 01:46 PM

Hi SoCal,
I apologize for the late arrival, but been tied up lately...

Welcome to the Forum and the world of trailering, and congrats on your "new to you" FF...

It sounds like you are getting your questions answered and progressing well... I live in Mn where winter temps can and usually drop below zero for extended periods; because of this I remove both my batteries (Grp 31 lead acid) during winter storage. I move them into a heated garage, check the water level in them, clean them, and connect them to a 2-Bank Battery Tender (same as a Battery Tender Plus, but is two chargers in one box) for the winter. The last battery in the trailer was a small Grp 24, I think old age and probably lack of care by previous owner, killed the 7 year old battery. I think 7 years for a lead-acid is about 120 years for a human... i.e., it's time was due...

When I pull the cover off the trailer and reinstall the batteries for the season, I pull the trailer out of the back yard and move it to a space at the edge of the driveway. I run the trailer Shore Power cable to the garage where I plug in an adapter from the 30 amp cable to a 15 or 20 amp garage wall outlet (I wired the garage and added 20 amp plugs). This will run everything in my unit for testing (A/C and Micro) and will run the Frig, lights, and charge the batteries. I am going to run a 30 amp outlet to the driveway when I catch up on the other 10,000 things the Boss keeps adding to what I can do now that I am retired with ALL THE TIME ON MY HANDS....

There is a ton of great info on this Forum, but I thought I might mention a good read available... Woodall's RV Owner's Handbook ... This is a generic DIY Maintenance and Repair handbook that has a lot of good info and explanations in it, but do not let it become a replacement for OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturer) manuals.

I picked up a 4th edition copy for around $25 a couple years ago and keep it in the trailer ... The back of the book says $24.95.

In addition, I suggest that you start building/assembling a "Build-Book" for your trailer and accessories... My trailer came with a fairly complete book containing all the Manufacturer's equipment manuals for the trailer, appliances, and accessories on the trailer. I continue to dig for anything missing and anything I install/upgrade, and add the manufacturer's manuals to the book... I put all this info in a 2" Binder and keep it in the trailer along with Woodall's RV Owner's Handbook ...

SoCal · 07-05-2016, 10:48 AM

Hi John,

Thanks for the welcome and the great tips. I'll look for the handbook. Never really thought about it, but I have an old Chilton's for my late granny's buick, would be fantastic to have a similar type handbook for the RV world.

And you're corrrect...I do need to start organizing a the material I do have...along with the rest of the garage.

SoCal Noob

SoCal · 07-07-2016, 02:52 PM

I wanted to install a couple usb plugs to run off the 12v DC for when I'm boondocking. Anyone have any ideas? My first thought was to maybe install something to the right of the factory stereo/entertainment center. In my unit there is only a blank piece of wood, unlike this pic that has some other device. Seems like I could splice into the power on the stereo and mount it there.

I'm not sure how to access this area tho. In fact I don't even know how to pull the stereo. Any insight to this??

guybmoto · 07-07-2016, 05:41 PM

The other thing to do is make sure to use the battery disconnect when you're not using the trailer. There are enough power "vampires" in there (radio, carbon monoxide detector, etc.) that it'll eventually drain the battery completely when it's sitting idle.