Converter issues

We have been having issues with our BC batteries not charging and had presented the issue to Heartland Customer Service last week, whom sent us a new converter to install.

We installed the converter and had issues with the charging the batteries still. We found the reset button on the bus-bar and all was working; batteries were charging at 13.7 and we went the last three nights with all systems working.

Today, we were out all day and when we returned, the lights were dim and the batteries were showing 9.6 volts.

Any thoughts?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Assuming you're on shore power, the converter should be supplying power to the lights as well as to the battery. Sounds like it's either off, unplugged, or failed.
 
Thank you @danemayer, I took everything out of the basement and took down the oddly secured wall again to find...the converter unplugged.

Not too sure why the plug worked itself out three days after the new converter was installed and two nights after pulling the rig 450 miles, but all is in working order again.

Thanks

J
 

callowaykid

Active Member
Just to piggy pack on the question, I had my Mallard at Camping World for about 6 months getting a new roof out,on when I received the phone call that my converter had died. $480.00 later they had put a new one in. The tech guy at CW told me these converters go out all the time, I was none to happy to hear that. My camper at home is not plugged in so things don't run all the time, could this be an issue? Do any of you think that running your power supply consistently would make things last longer ie, fridge, AC, etc. Right now my camper is not turned on until we get to the campsite about once a month or so. Didn't mean to hijack your thread SimplySchwab but your question got me thinking.

GO DAWGS!
 

callowaykid

Active Member
But the way my camper at the time of the new converter was just over a year old, just out of warranty (of course) insurance said would not cover it even though it happened at CW and not at my house

GO DAWGS!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I haven't seen any evidence that Power Converter failures are commonplace. I'd venture a guess that there are as many that come unplugged or have blown fuses as there are complete failures. And by far, most problems are due to the mini-circuit breaker tripping, allowing the battery to run down.

As for whether it's better to run the refrigerator, A/C, other appliances all the time, I'd guess it might be best to not let them sit for extended periods of time without use. But if you run them all the time, things will eventually wear out.

For example, air conditioners have compressors that cycle on and off causing vibration and stress to the compressor and attached parts. Like residential units, if designed and built well, they will last a very long time. But eventually the wear and tear results in failure. On the other hand, they also have seals and lubricants. If allowed to sit unused for long periods of time, the seals and lubricants may degrade, leading to failures.

A middle ground may be best.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
It is not all that unusual for the converter to come unplugged due to vibration while traveling down the road. Many have used a zip tie to secure the plug to the outlet and solved the problem
 

Cands

Member
I purchased an Oakmont R345 a couple of months ago. I have an ongoing "buzz" going on over by the fuse box. It's the kind of sound you might hear coming from a fluorescent light. Conventional wisdom tells me that it's the converter. However, when I open the box, all I see is breakers. First, where is the converter and second, is it the converter. The dealer is telling me that I have to tow it back over to him for repair, which due to my actually utilizing it to live in at the moment, puts me in a crush. Can it be pulled out and another put back in OR is this something that will need a real technician?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Cands,

It may be the Power Converter buzzing. And they're not very difficult to replace. One of the 120V AC circuit breakers in your main panel supplies current to the Power Converter so it can make 12V DC to power the fuse box and recharge the batteries. If you turn the breakers off one at a time and the noise goes away, that's probably the Power Converter circuit. You can confirm this by checking voltage on the 12V DC system. With Converter ON, the voltage at the battery(ies) should be 13.2-13.6 VDC. You can use a volt meter to check this at the battery terminals. With Converter OFF, the voltage will usually drop below 13.0 VDC within a few minutes. If you don't have a volt meter, but have an auto-leveling system, you can cycle the mode to show voltage at the control panel.

If the buzzing goes away with the breaker OFF, and you confirm that the voltage at the battery(ies) has dropped, the noise is coming from the Power Converter.

The converter is usually located behind the rear wall of the pass-through basement storage. You simply unplug the converter's power cord. Before disconnecting the 12V DC wires, you might want to turn the Battery Cutoff Switch to OFF. With battery power cut off and the converter unplugged, you can safely remove the 12V wires. Take a picture on your smart phone before you start. That way, if you lose track of which wire goes where, you can refer to the picture.

If you're under warranty, and you feel confident doing the replacement yourself, you can ask Heartland to ship a new converter directly to your location for self-install. They're usually pretty good about supporting self-install.

The attached picture shows a Power Converter. But yours may be located differently relative to the water heater and other devices.
 

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mlpeloquin

Well-known member
You may also want to add hinges to the basement wall and latches so you can have easy access next time you need to get in. It is a pain to unscrew the wall each time you need to check something. If you find it hard to find the screws use a magnet.
 

Cands

Member
Hi Cands,

It may be the Power Converter buzzing. And they're not very difficult to replace. One of the 120V AC circuit breakers in your main panel supplies current to the Power Converter so it can make 12V DC to power the fuse box and recharge the batteries. If you turn the breakers off one at a time and the noise goes away, that's probably the Power Converter circuit. You can confirm this by checking voltage on the 12V DC system. With Converter ON, the voltage at the battery(ies) should be 13.2-13.6 VDC. You can use a volt meter to check this at the battery terminals. With Converter OFF, the voltage will usually drop below 13.0 VDC within a few minutes. If you don't have a volt meter, but have an auto-leveling system, you can cycle the mode to show voltage at the control panel.

If the buzzing goes away with the breaker OFF, and you confirm that the voltage at the battery(ies) has dropped, the noise is coming from the Power Converter.

The converter is usually located behind the rear wall of the pass-through basement storage. You simply unplug the converter's power cord. Before disconnecting the 12V DC wires, you might want to turn the Battery Cutoff Switch to OFF. With battery power cut off and the converter unplugged, you can safely remove the 12V wires. Take a picture on your smart phone before you start. That way, if you lose track of which wire goes where, you can refer to the picture.

If you're under warranty, and you feel confident doing the replacement yourself, you can ask Heartland to ship a new converter directly to your location for self-install. They're usually pretty good about supporting self-install.

The attached picture shows a Power Converter. But yours may be located differently relative to the water heater and other devices.

Thank you. However, is dumb as this sounds...where would one find the Battery Cutoff Switch?...As you might imagine, I've got buttons all over the place, an owner's manual that tells about the warranty, and a walk through was done by a recent high school graduate....in other words, I'm discovering things almost every day that I have no idea about...Also, when you say its behind the wall of the pass through storage, is there a way to get into it easily OR does that mean that you actually have to take the wall down????
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Thank you. However, is dumb as this sounds...where would one find the Battery Cutoff Switch?...As you might imagine, I've got buttons all over the place, an owner's manual that tells about the warranty, and a walk through was done by a recent high school graduate....in other words, I'm discovering things almost every day that I have no idea about...Also, when you say its behind the wall of the pass through storage, is there a way to get into it easily OR does that mean that you actually have to take the wall down????
Hi Cands,

Actually not dumb at all. I don't remember seeing what brand/model of trailer you have. 5th wheels usually come with battery cutoff switches close to the battery. I think many of the bumper pull trailers may not come with a cutoff switch - if you want one, you'd have to add one. It's usually a red knob about 2 or 3" that is rotated 90 degrees to cut off battery power. If you don't see one near your battery, you may not have one. In that case, you'll need to disconnect the battery cables.

The wall does have to come down. If the wall is covered by felt, it may be difficult to see the screws. A magnet will help you locate them.

What trailer do you have?
 

Cands

Member
Hi Cands,

Actually not dumb at all. I don't remember seeing what brand/model of trailer you have. 5th wheels usually come with battery cutoff switches close to the battery. I think many of the bumper pull trailers may not come with a cutoff switch - if you want one, you'd have to add one. It's usually a red knob about 2 or 3" that is rotated 90 degrees to cut off battery power. If you don't see one near your battery, you may not have one. In that case, you'll need to disconnect the battery cables.

The wall does have to come down. If the wall is covered by felt, it may be difficult to see the screws. A magnet will help you locate them.

What trailer do you have?

I have an Oakmont R345. The buzzing comes from the step up and sounds as though it's coming from the breaker box. When I told the service guy about it, he said that the converter is BEHIND the breakers which meant that whole thing has to come out. That's pretty hard to believe, but hey, I'm not a service tech. It's driving me nuts although between the television, air conditioner, and my wife, often it can't be heard. However, I'd love to get it taken care of, especially since I've had it only about 8 weeks....
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The location of the Power Converter varies on different models and floor plans, and I don't know exactly where it is on your Oakmont. It may not be very far from the circuit breaker or fuse panel, but it may be easier to get to it from the pass through storage.
 
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