Nothing works worth battery

[charliem]

[font size="3"]First question is how do you know it's fully charged? Have you measured the voltage at the battery terminals? It should measure  ~12.6V under no load/no charge. Have you measured the battery voltage at the battery terminals under charge? It should measure 13.2V or greater when being charged from shore power. The converter has two high current fuses to protect the battery from reversed connection. One or both fuses will be blown if the battery was ever reversed, even for an instant. Check them and all the other 12V fuses.
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[david]

[p]Charlie:[/p][p]
[/p][p]I assume the two fuses you refer to are in the converter panel. I am a real believer in fusing a high current device like  a battery, very near the source. Fuses at the converter panel are a long way away and the wire goes along the trailer frame and could possibly short to it with no fuse protection. Also it seems there is no similar protection from the trailer battery foward up to the TV although there is a fuse in the TV's electrical panel, it too is like the converter fuse, it doesn't protect the wire going forward.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Wouldn't best practice be to put a fuse within six inches of the battery? Probably a 30 amp blade type. Or maybe bigger. Do you know how much the slide motors draw? That must be the biggest singe load.[/p][p]
[/p][p]David[/p]

[charliem]

[font size="3"]David,

The two fuses are in the converter panel. They are really intended to protect the converter and any 12 electronics in the camper from damage from battery reversal. The battery itself doesn't require protection. The wiring from the battery to the converter is vulnerable to abrasion and cutting as you point out and the best protection would be a fuse closer to the battery. I don't know the exact current for the slide motors, but I'd think probably in the 30A range. My tongue jack motor is fused at 30A. The converter is rated at 45A during max charge although the reversal fuses are only 25A. I would guess a 45 or 50A fuse near the battery would be safe and protect the wiring against a hard short.
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[dp]

Thanks Guys,
   My battery was dead. I camped for 4 days so I thought if it was a dead battery it would recharge at the camp ground but it did not. I charged it at home.
      Ron

[dp]

After all the worry and everything else It was a burned out fuse. Thank you all for the help.