RE: HELP! Leaving Tue AM..Have Elec Problem

[CampinSteve]

 Help...I have a 2000 Coleman SantaFe. We are leaving for Cherokee, NC Tuesday Morning.  I opened up the Pop-up today to pack it and check it out and I have no power. (Yes it is plugged in) The A/C will work.....and all the receptacles are working.....but the overhead lights will not work...and the little fan down on the power box isn t blowing.   Does anyone know what the issue is?  Is it save to camp like this?  I have plenty of lights I can plug in, but I don t want to burn down the pop-up. I am calling the dealership in the morning to see what they say, but I figured I would try here as well.  I have the Pop-up plugged in my garage on a dedicated GFI plug.  It is 110 but nothing else is running off it?.so I feel safe running the Pop-up off it  (Have done it MANY times before).  What will happen at the campground?  I think the converter isn?t working.  My question is this?does the converter need to be working for me to go camping and run the A/C if needed. (I have a portable gas leak detector).  After reading my owners manual, the only thing the converter does is make 12volt stuff work?.the overhead lights and gas leak detector.  Someone tell why I should or should not do this.  Thanks

[tlhdoc]

 CampinSteve
Have you checked the 12 volt fuses in the power inverter?

[YellowXterra]

 CampinSteve
You should have several fuses in the converter, check them all I had this same problem and it was a blone fuse. Also I had a friend with a new jayco and we were camping and his camper lost the 12V power coming out of the converter he still had 120 volt power but no 12V for the lights. Also check the 12V safety switch should be under the galley.

[CampinSteve]

 CampinSteve
Thanks for the reply......
 
 Yes all fuses are working.  I have 2 (a red and blue) house type breakers and 4 blue (15 amp I think) auto type fuses. All are working.
 
 I am thinking that if the A/C is working...I can get by with using a plug-in lamp or two this week for light inside the pop-up. The fridge works off ac/dc/gas so I should be ok there.  The only thing that I need that isn t working is a gas leak detector...but I have a portable one of those. I think I am ok...or am I missing something?
 

[Campaholics]

 CampinSteve
Steve,
 
 It sounds like no power to the converter.  Check the fuses.  
 
 If the fuse is blown, check for shorts or reversed connections at the battery.  White on -, Black and Brown on +.  If there are no appearent shorts, then power back up, with everything turned off.  Turn things on one at a time.
 
 Also check your battery water levels.
 
 Safety issues:
 
 If the pu unhitches while towing the breaks won t come on due the dead battery.  You may recharge the pu battery while towing.  All in all I wouldn t bet my life on it.
 
 You may still need to bring it in for service, but maybe a couple of simple checks will solve the problem.
 
 Enjoy your trip.
 
 Bob
 
 

[diggescampin]

 CampinSteve
Your converter problem is the same problem we have with ours. I ve checked and double checked the fuses and am not that lucky that it was a blown fuse.
 The only fix I know of would be a new converter...
 
 HOWEVER...
 
 Here is what we do till the conv. craps out altogether. I kinda accidentally found out that if I plug my battery in, then unplug it, the converter works as long as the power is not interrupted (such as a power failure at the cg). If that should happen, as it has with us, I simply plug in...then unplug the batt. again and the converter is off and running.
 
 We have been camping that way all this year. Just got home today from a 5 night, 4 day trip. The conv. worked the whole time after I " jump started"  it.
 
 Enjoy your trip.....It s back to the  salt mines for us tomorrow morning.

[CampinSteve]

 CampinSteve
It all sounds good...but the problem is I have no battery. I never had one on the pop-up. Also....ok get ready to yell at me...the pop-up dosent have breaks so that isn t an issue. All fuses are good.... just no power to lights and gas leak det.  Usually when I plug in at home or the campground I hear a little hum...from the fan on the converter. This fan isn t turning on. I am assuming the converter is dead for some reason.  I guess I am wanting someone to tell me that it is ok to plug the pop-up plug into the campground power supply (the funny triangle type plug) and not burn down the pop-up because the converter isn t working.

[MtnCamper]

 CampinSteve
Check the white junction plug together thing behind the galley, by the tenting (outside) if it came unplugged no lights, converter won t run because there is no 12V draw on it.

[cpine]

 CampinSteve
I just had a problem similar to this. No overhead lights, but the outside light by the door worked. The safety switch under the galley was not working. I just had to exercise it a couple times and its fine now. Check that switch if you haven t already.

[LKaskel]

 CampinSteve
A few troubleshooting thoughts.  When the galley is raised into place there is a switch the galley will sit on that completes the 12 volt circuit.  Make sure the galley is sitting in-place correctly or simply push the switch down for a test.  Also I have seen the wires connected to that switch (you will have to look inside the cabinet) come off the switch...probally from being pulled somehow.  This is an easy check!  If both wires are not on simply push the spade lug connector back onto the switch.  This is all low voltage and not " shocking" .  I ll bet (at least hope) it s something simple like that!  Also, you might try unplugging the camper for a few hours incase the converter overheated at some point and did not reset itself.  They will shut themselves off if they get too hot.  Lastly try connecting your tow vehicle (tv) to the campers plug as if towing and leave it running.  This supplies 12 volts to the camper and should give you another source of power to check the lighting out if the " tv"  plug was wired correctly. Let us know the outcome!

[MtnCamper]

 CampinSteve
Does the water pump run?
 yes-> white plug.
 no -> kill switch.

[tlhdoc]

 CampinSteve
Hey everyone if his propane detector doesn t work it isn t the kill switch on the galley.  It works even when the trailer is popped down, IF there is power to the inverter.

[Redwolf]

 CampinSteve
We had this problem last year, and had to replace the power converter.    It was intermittant before the big trip to Colorado, and gave up the ghost during the trip.  We bought a couple of clip-on shoplights from Wal-mart and plugged them in for lights.
 
 When we got back I bought a new converter and installed it.

[ForestCreature]

 CampinSteve
I m not sure what kind of converter you have but ours has an internal fuse that has blown , it s one of those little glass round ones enclosed in a black fuse holder.
 It s no fun having problems right before a trip.