Battery not charging on shore power

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ASmith
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Last seen: 7 months 1 week ago
Joined: 02/07/2022 - 18:43
Battery not charging on shore power

I have a 2022 Scamp 16'. We just got back from a month away and I have plugged it into my outlet at home to charge. The battery read 12.5v when we got back. After several hours it's still reading as 12.5v when I disconnect the shore power. Further, I have my watchdog indicating the trailer is only drawing 0.8 amps or so with the power kill switch on, or 0.2 amps with the power kill switch off.

 

I checked my converter and it's plugged in, though I don't see any LED indicating it has power or is working. Should there be one? I also checked all the circuit breakers and none are tripped.

Any suggestions on what to check next?

Mr.T
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Last seen: 1 day 19 hours ago
Joined: 07/21/2020 - 12:22
quick battery-convertor checks to try

With the trailer plugged in to AC power, the breakers and battery disconnect on, turn on a couple DC lamps.  Presuming they are lit, turn OFF the battery disconnect switch.  If the lights are still on the convertor is putting out power, note the voltage. 

Now turn ON the disconnect switch, note the voltage -- If the voltage changes, that's indication that the convertor and battery are actually connected when the disconnect switch is turned on.  The convertor has an automatic voltage algorithm for charging, so the voltage may go up or down, but after a day or so should be above 13 volts.

There's a fuse in the battery box, but a bad connections can happen to anything with wiring.  Post what you get with the above testing and I'll try and check back later.

Also, what exactly is the "watchdog"?  I've got a Victron battery monitor in mine, maybe it's a similar device that measures battery current and voltage?  If it is, what direction is current flowing (usually positive numbers mean charging)?  It should read zero current with the disconnect open if the current sensing is in the wire going directly to the battery -- but zeros are not always calibrated perfectly.