Switch in battery area

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
I need some one to tell me what the switch in the battery box area is for. This is not the battery on off switch but a switch on the left of the battery box above the light. It is an on off toggle switch but cannot figure out what it does and cannot remember on walk thru what it is for.
Also I do not have any power to any electrical outlets on the whole rig. This is only while the rig is sitting in the storage lot. I do have house lights inside and out but that is it. I only have one battery and was wondering if it is not enough to run a vacuum or turn on the radio or television. My other rig was a 30 Amp and never had this problem so I wonder if it is because this rig is a 50 Amp. Any and all help is appreciated.
 
J

Jeff

Guest
Power!

Hi Tom:

I think the switch you are referring too, turns on the power to your water heater. It is there for the safety of the water heater electrical eliment. If you have this switch on in the battery box and the switch is on in the trailer, with no water in the water heater, you will burn up the heating eliment, very costly repair. So it is a safety feature. I'll take a look at my unit tomorrow, just to verify it is the same switch. My dealer told me to leave it off and only use the electrical one in the trailer, after I'm sure there is water in the heater.

AS for the power issue. Are you hooked up to shore power, or just trying to run off the battery and inverter? This may be a question for Scott at "Ask the Factory"

I'd post this portion to Scott and see what he has to say!

Talk to you later.

Jeff
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
"Been there - done that" on frying an electric heating element in a water heater (in my old TT).

Tom,

To my knowledge, no Heartland models currently have a DC to AC inverter. They do have a converter (AC to DC).

Jim
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
Jeff & Jim thanks for the quick replies. Guess I will have to buy an inverter. Never know when I may want to go boondocking. I do not have a generator as of yet (another wish list item) but with both inverter and generator I should cover myself in case. Also thanks for checking on that switch. I do not remember the dealer telling me anything about it. No references made in the manual that I can find.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Tom,

I have started to do some Inverter research. There are many brands and within each brand, many models.

I am considering putting an Inverter in the truck (to run my AC air compressor when I don't want to start the genny) and long term, I'd like to have one in my trailer. What I may do is buy one and mount it such that it can easily be pulled out and moved between the truck and the trailer.

What I am finding thus far is that for the coach, for electronics (TVs, PCs etc.), you want a true sine wave model. Prosine units from Xantrex are examples of this.

I am also finding that some units have battery charging built into them. This is useful in recharging the battery bank you are using to power the Inverter at times when you have no shore power available. Then when you reconnect to shore (or generator) power, the charger circuit in the Inverter charges the battery bank.

You've obviously had inverters in past trailers so most of this is review for you. What I see (for me at least) as a first consideration is size - as in how many continuous watts do I need. Of course this is a function of amps x volts for the 110 VAC items that I want to be able to run concurrently. For me, I am considering the 1800 watt unit.

Lots more research and consideration to go before I buy anything. If anyone else has done all the research, please let us know what you purchased.

Jim
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Jim, I'm trying to use your new guidelines, so I used a search on converters and see your post on this issue.

I'm not technical, but will my Bighorn charge the battery from the tow unit? I was in Everglades NP a couple of weeks ago and the battery monitor showed I was below 1/3, so I plugged into the tow vehicle and nothing improved.

Called the factory and was told that Heartland does not supply units that charge while towing, but the manual (page 25) states "Your battery will be charged slowly when the vehicle is hooked up to the tow vehicle's electrical system. The converter will also charge your battery when the trailer is plugged into shore power."

Who is right? If the manual is, why wouldn't the battery charge? I did run the tow vehicle for about an hour. Also, after leaving the campground, we drove about 3 1/2 hours to the next campsite and the battery still had not charged any. All fuses seem to be OK.

Any help would be appreciated.
 

dieselengineer

Charter Member
charge

Jim
I also had the same question and posted a question on ask the factory (bighorn) a week ago under "factory convertor". I understand that some convertors, I believe the 9100 model, there is a added option you can get to fast charge the battery from the shore power. I never received a reply. So I have not researched this past this point.
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
One of the problems you run into when trying to charge the battery with your tow vehicle is wire size. If the wire is to small, the resistance drop prevents you from getting a good charge. The voltage drop is so great over the length of the wire from the truck alternator to the battery in the trailer that you don't get much of a charge if any.

Also check to make sure you have continuity between the truck and the trailer to get any charging that is possible.
 

Cooper

Well-known member
The switch on my Golden Gate, in the battery box area turns on rear outside lights.
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Referencing charging the battery from the tow vehicle, my tow vehicle is wired to charge the battery in my fifth wheel. If you check your seven pin connector coming from your TV, I think you will find that the top right pin in your Tow vehicle is the positive supply for the trailer. It should be at least a 10 gauge wire to eliminate any voltage drop going to the trailer. Also be sure the ground wire at the trailer and the truck has a good connection. The ground pin in the 7 pin connector is the lower left side on the TV connector. You can check your trailer connector with a volt meter to see if it is wired to charge the battery. The positive is the top left and the negative is the bottom right of the trailer connector. It will read battery voltage if connected.

________________________________________

John
 
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