Yes, plug into shore power with the battery disconnected. Depending on the make/model of the converter there could be an internal fuse that is blown. Replacing the converter would be a wise thing to do over an external charger. A trickle charger will do the job only if you have long periods available for charging. They work best for keeping a charged battery charged.

Hilltool, I will connect to shore power, disconnect positive batt lead and see if house light come on..My mistake

Battery charge question
 

No such thing as a mistake!! Just learning experiences. It is a good idea to keep spare fuses for your converter. We have had ours blow a few times. We now have a new converter.

Slowly learning about inverter
 

Sam, Thanks. I'm learning and am always in too much of a hurry.

Are fuses easy to find?

How much will a new inverter/charger cost me?

Converter working?
 

Last night I disconnected pos lead to batt with unit plugged into 30 amp shore power

Inside lights DID come on

So, does this really mean I have a working converter, guys?


Latest glitch is that upward movement in raising top is VERY slow. Might this be caused by converter problems (loose wire or something disconnected)? Batt is brand new.

BTW I removed 1.5 amp trickle charger completely.

What should I try next?

Leave shore power plugged in and see if battery charges., at least 24 hours. Battery may be low. Yes your converter is working. You need to have somebody test with a multi meter to see if battery charger part is working.

Fuses for converter
 

Don't remember exactly what they are. We always try Walmart and then go to Auto Zone if necessary. Pull your fuse out of your converter and you will be able to match it.

Charging?
 

Hilltool, My inverter is warm to touch, so may just be charging new batt.

I'll do as you suggest and let her sit on 30 amp shore and see if batt gets fully charged

Also, I'll check fuses of inverter.

Borrowed a tool to check batt load level also

Maybe I was too quick to raise top when batt wasn't fully charged.

Here is another time where a multimeter comes in handy. Check what the voltage is at the battery when plugged in and when not. There is a noticeable rise in voltage when plugged in. That will tell you if the charger part of your "converter" is running. Read the earlier posts in this thread. An inverter is what you use to convert 12 volts to 120 volts.

Do not allow your battery to go below 12 volts because it will significantly shorten the battery's life.

Rich, charger part of inverter is working.....so now, only prob is that top rises VERY slowly.

Why?

Batt is brand new. She's been plugged in to 30 amp shore power for 3 days/nights straight.

Miranda, Crawl underneath and see if there is fluid in the plastic hose. It is attached at the piston end of the hydraulic cylinder. There should be NO fluid in that line. It returns to the reservoir, If there is a lot of red fluid in that line, you have an internal leak. This will cause the top to rise slowly without evidence of a leak on the ground, and ultimately not rise at all. Most inconvenient. Hope it's a low Batt and not an internal leak!
Tree

Tree, thanks. I will crawl under and check that plastic line for fluid tomorrow. Being brand new (last weekend), my $100 batt should not be low.....or Advance Auto will have to exchange for another new batt.

Jerry

Now is the time to put the multimeter to work. Unplug for a few hours. If the battery is reading 12.7 volts+/- it is charged up. If not, either the charger/converter is not charging or your new battery is no good. Did you leave it go dead? That can ruin a new battery.

Does the pump motor sound healthy or does it sound on the sickly side?

Pump motor sounds healthy.

New batt installed last weekend and she's been plugged into 30 amp shore ever since, so, no I didn't let her go dead......but I just might have gotten a defective batt. I will check voltage as you suggest and also load test. $100 batt is guaranteed, thankfully.

This am, we intend to move trlr to more level ground as she's leaning to one side a bit. Do you think this might be affecting speed of top going up?

You should have the trailer reasonably well leveled, it doesn't have to be perfectly level. That's also important for the fridge operation. An inch difference left to right or front to back is good.

Miranda-

Not to state the obvious- but you did re-connect the positive terminal after you checked the converter, right?? That would be the type of thing I might space out.

Also- someone mentioned this, but what we have are CONVERTER/Chargers. Not INVERTERS. Inverters do the opposite of what CONVERTERS do. I think we know what you mean but others may not if you go somewhere and try to explain your issue to somebody else.

Rick

Clear line to hyd cylindar is empty, thankfully. No red stuff in there at all. We leveled unit up slightly this am, and I think top raises better. Also load tested batt. All green. So, just maybe, thanks to all you guys, I'm good to go.

THANKS a million

Jerry

Hilltool, thanks for setting me straight re converter/charger and yes, I did reconnect pos lead wire to batt after checking whether house lights come on.

It's easy (at our ages) to make silly mistakes, isn't it.

Jerry

That's what this forum is for.
I'm glad your problems were minor.

Big thanks
 

Gotta admit, I was starting to lose confidence, having never owned a Hi-Lo before and getting worried over whether new batt plugged into 30 amp was going to lift top.

Am much relieved

Thanks forum guys

My top goes up slowly but gets there........so I'm happy

Jerry