# No Power To Trailer



## monteolsen1 (Apr 29, 2007)

I'm stumped. I know I am missing something somewhere and probably flipped a switch where I shouldn't have. For some reason, our 26RLS has absolutely no power. It worked great over Spring break at Champoeg, but when it ame time to drop it off at the storage place, there was absolutely no power. I checked and reset all of the circuit breakers under the refrigerator, but that has made no difference. I did a random check of the fuses, and that showed no fuses blown, either.

Now, I'm thinking that I flipped a switch somewhere else that disabled power throughout the trailer, even to the electric hitch. Does anyone have any ideas about where to look or should I take er in to Camping World?

Thanks for your help.

Monte Olsen


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The only switch that will do that is a battery disconnect. Is your battery got a charge in it??


----------



## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Are you plugged in? If not are the batteries dead?


----------



## Dan Borer (Feb 6, 2009)

monteolsen1 said:


> I'm stumped. I know I am missing something somewhere and probably flipped a switch where I shouldn't have.


While I don't have my Outback here to look at it, I had a similar situation on my old trailer and found that there was a circuit breaker where the battery cable made the first connection to the trailer. It was a small black box only about 1/2"x 1" with a couple of lugs on it. There is a very small button on top of the breaker.

Here is a link to an image I uploaded.

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...i&img=11546


----------



## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

California Jim said:


> Are you plugged in? If not are the batteries dead?


 I would agree with Jim. If you are not plugged in to shore power, there can be only a few things wrong. The first and easiest is a dead battery. Also:

Corroded battery terminal(s)
a short that will not allow the breaker to reset at the breaker panel
Open Connection(s) at the terminal block near the battery
Corroded or disconnected ground (negative lead) at the chassis from the battery

The most unlikely but possible problem could be a defective breaker at the panel which feels like it clicks closed but the internal conacts never make up.

I think this is one of those easy fixes. Have a look around, I think you'll find the problem.

Eric


----------



## monteolsen1 (Apr 29, 2007)

Hi Andy, Jim, Dan, and Eric,

Thanks for the fast responses. This problem popped up after parking the trailer in front of our house for two days. I left only the GPS and an external satellite radio on in the truck, but I didn't connect our house current to the trailer, which I generally do.

The trailer was still plugged into the truck. When I started the truck, you could tell that the battery was down as the truck turned over slowly to start. When I was running the engine with the trailer hooked up to the truck and preparing to run the electric jack in front, I still couldn't get any power to the trailer or the jack. (This was after we got it to the trailer storage area.) I then went inside and checked all the breakers at the panel, and they were all set. I tried pushing the GFI in the bathroom, but it didn't click the way it normally does when you test it.

I will try to find the battery disconnect. We have two batteries at the front of the trailer and I will try to trace back from there to locate it. That sounds like what Dan took the photo of.

I'm a newbie at this electrical stuff. I've fixed some leaks in the trailer, but this is our first electrical problem, so I apologize if the questions are fairly dumb.

Monte



CamperAndy said:


> The only switch that will do that is a battery disconnect. Is your battery got a charge in it??


----------



## monteolsen1 (Apr 29, 2007)

Eric,

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check these. It is possible that I may have disconnected something when I was putting the cover over the propane tanks and batteries before we left the campground. That cover isn't always easy to get on, and I am wondering if I did something there. I did notice that our trailer brake controller is connecting to the trailer brake OK, but that is probably a completely different circuit?

Thanks again,

Monte



Dan Borer said:


> I'm stumped. I know I am missing something somewhere and probably flipped a switch where I shouldn't have.


While I don't have my Outback here to look at it, I had a similar situation on my old trailer and found that there was a circuit breaker where the battery cable made the first connection to the trailer. It was a small black box only about 1/2"x 1" with a couple of lugs on it. There is a very small button on top of the breaker.

Here is a link to an image I uploaded.

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...i&img=11546
[/quote]


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

No need to chase the 120 vac outlets or breakers as the issue is in the 12vdc system which uses fuses.

Outbacks do not come standard with battery disconnect switches but there are a couple of fuses that could blow and cause the issues you see. Do you have a voltmeter? If you do check the voltage of the battery. Short of having a volt meter, how do your interior lights look? Turn several on and see if they dim significantly. At this point and with your additional information it does sound as if you have either dead batteries and or blown fuses.


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Normally the electric jacks have a fuse up on the tounge (They normally have a dedicated 12V line off the trailer to the jack and then ground back to the frame). Therefore, the only requirements would be: Grounded batteries, Connected 12v line, and working fuse in the line. Now the trailer has auto resetting circuit breakers on the front frame and then fuses inside.

My fear after hearing the symptoms is that you have bad batteries which helped to drain the truck battery and also are not enough to work the jack. Check the water level in the batteries, and you might need to test them to see if they are still good.


----------



## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

I ALWAYS disconnect the batteries when I park it.







and then







Okay,okay, I try to always REMEMBER to disconnect the batteries, but once I did what it sounds like you did and found no power. Two days would be enough for the smoke detectors/co2 detectors to run down your battery. Happened to me.

Last time I brought it home I refilled batteries water supply and hooked up the battery charger to trickle charge the batteries. Seems to be fine now, but I will really know how well when I pick it up next Thursday for our Easter camping trip









Good luck.


----------



## monteolsen1 (Apr 29, 2007)

Howdy Andy,

I should say that I did check the fuse at the battery and it was OK. I didn't check the battery themselves, but the lights in the trailer wouldn't even come on, dim or not. There was just no juice to them. I'll check the batteries with a voltmeter and see if that is the problem.

Monte



monteolsen1 said:


> I'm stumped. I know I am missing something somewhere and probably flipped a switch where I shouldn't have.


While I don't have my Outback here to look at it, I had a similar situation on my old trailer and found that there was a circuit breaker where the battery cable made the first connection to the trailer. It was a small black box only about 1/2"x 1" with a couple of lugs on it. There is a very small button on top of the breaker.

Here is a link to an image I uploaded.

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...i&img=11546
[/quote]
[/quote]


----------



## monteolsen1 (Apr 29, 2007)

Thanks for the advice about unhooking the batteries. I don't know why I didn't think of that or think of checking the water levels in the batteries.

<G>

Monte



Nathan said:


> Normally the electric jacks have a fuse up on the tounge (They normally have a dedicated 12V line off the trailer to the jack and then ground back to the frame). Therefore, the only requirements would be: Grounded batteries, Connected 12v line, and working fuse in the line. Now the trailer has auto resetting circuit breakers on the front frame and then fuses inside.
> 
> My fear after hearing the symptoms is that you have bad batteries which helped to drain the truck battery and also are not enough to work the jack. Check the water level in the batteries, and you might need to test them to see if they are still good.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

monteolsen1 said:


> Thanks for the advice about unhooking the batteries. I don't know why I didn't think of that or think of checking the water levels in the batteries.


A simple battery disconnect switch is easy to install and make disconnecting the battery very easy.


----------



## russk42 (Sep 10, 2007)

monteolsen1 said:


> or should I take er in to Camping World?


don't take er to camping world....take er camping!
seriously---go camping, plug into shore power, and troubleshoot electrical from there.

I'm puzzled that you didn't hear the gas alarm. Makes me think you don't have a dead battery: they don't die suddenly, they die painfully, with the gas alarm beeping as your voltage goes down.


----------



## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Ahhh, check the emergency brake cable and make sure that that switch wasn't pulled. You'll have a braided wire that goes back to the trailer emergency brake switch which is mounted near your hitch. The E-Brake is powered by your batteries. If that cord was pulled and the plunger is out then the brakes have been engaged and have been draining your batteries.

It may have pulled them down fast enough that the CO/Gas alarm didn't sound for long if at all.

I am sure that if this happened it would be in between times that you have towed. With charged batteries and the brakes engaged you surely would have known it had you tried to tow. But if the cord had been pulled and the camper sat for a day or so the brakes would have pulled down the batteries, and with your truck connected it would be pulling off your truck battery too.

Just a thought.

Eric


----------

