SOLVED: Half is on 12 volt and half is on AC current?

RuralPastor

Well-known member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

Ok I reset all the breakers this morning, and currently I have the 110 dosconnected and am charging the battery. As soon as I plugged in the battery chager I went in and tested the lights and they were bright as could be, just on the battery while charging. Si I am starting to suspect that it is a fault somewhere between the converter ( or the converter is bad) and the battery and something is slowly draining the battery

I would contact Heartland with your VIN and ask them if there is a reset or fuse on the battery charging portion of the converter. It is possible that your converter (think: power supply AND battery charger) has a blown fuse. If not, then I would be highly suspicious of the converter. Let us know what you found. I am definitely curious, and Texas is too far for me to travel to find out (although it's certainly warmer than Illinois was last night)!
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

and something is slowly draining the battery
How long has your rig been sitting while not plugged in?
There is some parasitic draw. For example from the CO detector.
Maybe the battery was dead and has not been charged long enough.
You did say in an earlier post that the lights were bright when you were plugged into 120.
Just another thought.
 

TedS

Well-known member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

6 volts across the battery. Do you have two 6-volt batteries in series and you measured across only one?
 

Chumbly

Active Member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

6 volts across the battery. Do you have two 6-volt batteries in series and you measured across only one?

Or only one 6 volt. Sounds like a battery issue to me...and cheaper to fix. And ya, I believe there are a few things that never turn off in your unit, (as in always draw power). I leave mine plugged in all of the time. If that isn`t an option then you`ll likely need to unhook your battery between uses... or put a switch in the circuit somewhere. As for what`s already been posted, I think they`re pretty much bang on- your lights are only 12 volt, and if you plug in your trailer and the lights brighten up, your converter is working fine.
 

dplantz

Member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

actually an error in my part, they do not brighten up when I plug in the cord, they brighten up when I plug in the battery charger lol. Even though the battery was new I took it out and am taking it in to get it tested tonight at Wall Mart
 

dplantz

Member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

my rig is plugged in all the time. I know the guy I bought the battery from got it new on 11-13-2012 , but previous to this I also had charged it for about 6 hours then 2 weeks later it is down again
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

We don't know how the replacement battery was installed. Keep this in mind, if when the battery was installed, and the polarity was crossed even for an instant, that will blow the fuses in the converter. So if the converter is not charging, check the fuses in the converter. Peace Dave
 

evolvingpowercat

Well-known member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

There is a small drain on the 12 volt in the Edge from the Refrigerator control board, the gas detector below the breaker / fuse box, and the Jensen audio, even if all the lights are off. Also, there are lights in the front pass-thru storage compartment, you should check and make sure they are turned off if you seem to be draining fast and you can't tell why.

If you put your Edge into storage, you should disconnect the battery or it will totally discharge in less than 2 weeks. You don't want to let your battery totally discharge it kills its life. Left sitting totally discharged for a long time and it may become un-usable with out special restoration procedures. (google sulfated battery for more on this).

Deep cycle marine batteries last longest if they are only discharged to 50% capacity, it is ok to occasionally discharge them to 20% capacity. If you totally discharge them it substantially lowers their life and a totally discharged battery can have the liquid inside freeze and damage the battery that way too. Charged batteries won't freeze at temperatures found in the lower 48.

It may be that the battery sat totally discharged so long it was damaged. You can try using a special battery charger that has "de-sulfation" circuitry - this may bring it back. The charger built into the Edge does not have this circuitry. You can get something with this circuitry at Sears (their battery float charger / maintainer has it) and other places.
 
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hoefler

Well-known member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

Check the polarity of the battery, if it is reversed, fuses are likely blown on the convertor. I would check the fuses on the convertor first, then check if there is a tripped GFIC and power to the outlet the convertor is plugged into.
 

dplantz

Member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

If by fuses you mean on the converter panel, they are all a-ok

I took out the power converter panel and circuit board last night to see if it had any fuses. There is one on the board that looks like a fuse ( but not clear glass, it is white) that is wired into the control board, otherwise I dont see anything else that looks like a fuse. Also, there is a fan on the circuit board, should it run if using the power converter, or does it just run when the unit gets hot? At this point it does not appear the converter is working at all. what tests can I run to see if it is generating any power at the panel?
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

What brand and model number is you converter? And yes, the fan runs as needed.
 

RuralPastor

Well-known member
Re: Im back, still having interior light issues

If by fuses you mean on the converter panel, they are all a-ok

I took out the power converter panel and circuit board last night to see if it had any fuses. There is one on the board that looks like a fuse ( but not clear glass, it is white) that is wired into the control board, otherwise I dont see anything else that looks like a fuse. Also, there is a fan on the circuit board, should it run if using the power converter, or does it just run when the unit gets hot? At this point it does not appear the converter is working at all. what tests can I run to see if it is generating any power at the panel?

1. Verify with a tester that you have 120 volts going into your converter (in case, for some reason, your breaker is bad).

2. Verify with a tester the voltage output at the converter (this would eliminate a bad connection between the converter and the battery). You should read 13. 7 VDC. Note: disconnect battery before doing this to eliminate reading the battery.

If the reading on the input is zero, your breaker (or connection) is bad.
If the reading on the output is zero, your converter is toast (or fuse). My guess. Sorry.
If you have 13.7 VDC on the output, then you have a connection bad between the converter and the battery.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
ATF: Edge - Electrical issue

I'm guessing the fuses got blown on the converter. Time to locate the converter to inspect the fuses, the AC input and the DC output.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

dplantz

Member
Re: ATF: Edge - Electrical issue

Waiting on a good voltmeter but I did go and pull the 2 fuses and they looked a-ok BUT interesting thing happenned. When I plugeed in the second one, the fan on the converter ran for about 10 seconds and then stopped and a small spark was seen when the fuse first made contact. I measured with my crude voltmeter and it is registering 12.50 VDC at the battery terminals. Gonna leave the trickle charger I had on the battery off of it a few days and see what happens. All the stuff I read says it is suppossed to have about 13 volts with converter working
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Re: ATF: Edge - Electrical issue

A nagging question is still on my mind. As asked earlier.....is the battery a 12V battery. Mistakes DO happen.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Re: ATF: Edge - Electrical issue

Dplantz:
1) A deep cycle/Marine battery is a compromise between a true deep cycle battery and an engine starting battery.
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Starting, Marine, and Deep-Cycle Batteries

2) I would charge this battery with a standard battery charger and get it tested at an auto parts store. WalMart should exchange it on just your word without a receipt (I might not mention that you are not the original purchaser, just to avoid hassles).

3) If your converter tests bad, and you don't have any warranty credit on it, I would suggest spending the money on a good 4 stage (including desulphation) charger/converter, like the Progressive Dynamics 9200 series. This is what Heartland was installing for many years, and the company has an exchange allowance if anything ever happens to it. http://www.progressivedyn.com/power_converters_9200.html

4) As suggested before, I now routinely disconnect my battery system ground lead when storing the trailer. Its pretty simple to do, or you can buy a master battery disconnect switch and wire it in.

Good luck, and I hope your problems are solved quickly.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Re: ATF: Edge - Electrical issue

I had a problem with my converter ... it was intermittent, sometimes it would work and sometimes it would not. I accidently discovered the plug was not making a good connection in the outlet. I tightened up the plug in the outlet and have not had any more difficulty since. I even bought a new converter before I discovered it. To troubleshoot this issue, wiggle the plug in the outlet.
 
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