inverter not charging the battery

[qttire1]

2 Questions - On our 4th TT and stepped up to a 2022 mesa ridge last year. First TT with a inverter. Only been able to take it out 2 times. Had it hooked up to our house on a 30amp while not traveling. Went camping to Cape Charles KOA and after the 3rd day we could not pull our slides or awning in. Also we have some aftermarket under carriage lights that I installed and they started going crazy by themselves. The only way I could pull in the awning or slides was to switch the battery disconnect to ON.

So it seems the battery was not charging when on shore power but also is not charging when hooked to my truck. Trying to figure out why this is happening all of the sudden. Since the tt is a 2022 the battery should only be a year to 1 1/2 old. Battery did have heavy corrosion, which I cleaned off but after driving home 3 plus hours, the battery never charged. Is it more likely a bad battery, when on shore power now everything seems to work except charging the battery.

2nd question is - we have a residential fridge and want to turn this off when parked and covered at our house. We leave it plugged into 30amp at our house to keep the battery charged (problem with question 1 at the moment) is the best thing to do... turn the inverter breaker off or do most people turn off all power to the TT. I have read removing the ground from the battery and unplug shore power to kill it all. Not sure what the benefits are to keep power to the TT but dont want to keep pulling the big fridge out to unplug it everytime.

[dodge_guy]

Without knowing anything else, from your description, it sounds as if the disconnect switch is labeled backwards!

[Thermoguy]

You should also get a meter and check your batteries or battery. This is helpful when troubleshooting battery issues. You can also take them to be tested, if you overcharged them, or depleted them, then you could have a bad cell and they need to be replaced. There is lots of good info on this site and the web on living on 12v power. You should take the time to look into that. It seems lots of people don't understand the battery is not a continuous source of power and using it until it stops working is bad for the unit and can take a battery that could last 5 years to one that lasts less than a year. A battery that is very corrosive, could be a sign of improper use or charging.

[Gdetrailer]

qttire1 wrote:
The inverter is a xantrex freedom x 1200.

KD4UPL - when I was plugged into shore power and the battery was not in the disconnect position (meaning off) I was unable to pull the slides in, but when I put the battery in the disconnect position (meaning on) I was able to pull the slides in. When you dont have shore power and you do the battery disconnect... it turns everything off. this is to keep the battery from going completely dead.

I will have to look into the refridge on/off switch on the inside. When I purchased the TT the battery was staying charged. Before my last trip, I disconnected the shore power for 24 hrs and it did kill the battery. I assumed after I hooked back up it would charge the battery but I think I need to put the battery on a charger to see if it will charge back up. Its seems the truck or the TT cant charge a dead battery.

When I look up the manual for your xantrex freedom x 1200 the manual makes no mention of any charging function. It is an inverter only with built in ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) which switches the "load" (IE your fridge) between shore power or the inverter (which uses your battery to make 120V AC).

So, what this means is your RV must have a separate "converter" which does the battery charging.

Typically the converter will be found in a hidden lower section of your 120V breaker and 12V fuse panel.

Locate your main breaker/fuse panel, there should be a manufacturer brand name and a model number.. Then post back that information..

Also make sure there is no breakers tripped in that panel, you may even have a breaker labeled as "conv" and that breaker must be on in order for the converter to work.

Check the fuses in the breaker/fuse panel, there should be fuse(s) labeled converter or batt.. make sure those fuses are not blown.

[CA_Traveler]

From what I found your inverter does not also include a charger. As such it has nothing to do with charging the battery but it can certainly discharge your batteries especially when connected to the res refer. For example a 2A 120VAC refer will cause the inverter to draw 22A from the battery. Battery discharged overnight? Certainly possible. Perhaps your battery is to small to support the refer overnight. What is your battery size, type and how many?

Find your charger and check fuses, CBs etc. 120VAC on the input? Should be 14VDC+ on the output. What is the make/model of the charger. Have the battery tested.

[nickthehunter]

The converter (not inverter) in the TT should be able to charge a dead battery. The truck will charge the battery if you drive around for about 2 years (in other words - not going to happen). You need to check your converter to see if it is working properly. Secondly, you can’t charge the battery from the inverter. That is a losing proposition - your trying to recharge the battery from battery power. The only way to recharge the battery as while being plugged in.

Being unplugged and operating off the inverter will kill the battery in about 1 day.

[Grit_dog]

Maybe it's just your terminology and description, but for sure some of the responses in this thread are also incorrect or misleading.

[qttire1]

The inverter is a xantrex freedom x 1200.

KD4UPL - when I was plugged into shore power and the battery was not in the disconnect position (meaning off) I was unable to pull the slides in, but when I put the battery in the disconnect position (meaning on) I was able to pull the slides in. When you dont have shore power and you do the battery disconnect... it turns everything off. this is to keep the battery from going completely dead.

I will have to look into the refridge on/off switch on the inside. When I purchased the TT the battery was staying charged. Before my last trip, I disconnected the shore power for 24 hrs and it did kill the battery. I assumed after I hooked back up it would charge the battery but I think I need to put the battery on a charger to see if it will charge back up. Its seems the truck or the TT cant charge a dead battery.

[nickthehunter]

BB_TX wrote:
...And no reason to ever disconnect the battery via the disconnect switch. It doesn’t disconnect everything...

opnspaces wrote:
... As stated if your disconnect is not a knife switch that you lift to disconnect then it is not a true disconnect...

So y'all seem pretty confident that every trailer manufacturer wires their disconnect switches (the red one) the same way - every time, every vehicle, no exceptions.
That however is an over generalization. Mine turns off everything; absolutely nothing remains on. It is simply a battery, the switch, the one and only wire between them, and downstream breaker blocks; and it came wired from the factory that way. I highly doubt mine is an anomaly.

The last trailer I had worked generally the same way, except it had a fuse in the line at the battery which you pulled out to cut all power (it had no disconnect switch).

[opnspaces]

There's no reason to leave the trailer plugged in when you're not using it if you can disconnect the batteries. As stated if your disconnect is not a knife switch that you lift to disconnect then it is not a true disconnect.

If your disconnect is not a total disconnect, then I would flip the refrigerator breaker over pulling it out of the cabinet to unplug.

[Grit_dog]

Good news is sounds like the rv is operating fine once you learn how it all works.

[CA_Traveler]

Doesn't your res refer have a inside on/off switch? Turn all disconnect switches to the on position and leave them there since you are apparently a pedestal to pedestal traveler. Battery corrosion on a 2022 battery suggests it's bad or has been over charged. How do you know it's not being charged? You could have blown fuse or tripped CB. Have the batteries load tested to determine if good or not. A digital voltmeter is your friend.

Post make and model of your "inverter". I would hope a res refer would be powered by the pedestal when plugged in and inverter otherwise, but maybe not. Get the RV working then the truck.

[enblethen]

Could have an inverter charger!
Need to use a voltmeter to check voltage to the battery from either converter or inverter/charger.
What is make and model of inverter or the device?

[BB_TX]

Battery is charged by the converter, not an inverter.

And no reason to ever disconnect the battery via the disconnect switch. It doesn’t disconnect everything. If you really need to disconnect the battery for some reason then lift the negative cable.

Forget the ON and OFF labels on the battery disconnect switch. Those have long been a point of confusion. If you can pull the red handle out, the battery is disconnected. If you can’t pull the red handle out, then the battery is connected.

[KD4UPL]

You couldn't run the slides until you turned the battery on? Of course not. You should have had the battery on anyway. Slides take a lot of power and usually need the battery to help out. Further, the battery probably won't charge with the disconnect off.