My new to me used trailer has things in the LQ that I have never had before.....there is an on/off switch labeled battery near the floor as I walk in the door. When do I use that and what is it for? There is also a 12V reset switch in a little cabinet and it has been tripping and I have to keep resetting it. I have only had the opportunity to use the trailer a few times since I got it in May and this switch was not tripping before. Several weeks ago I purchased a new battery as the one that came with it was 4 years old and wasn't holding a very good charge. I got a marine/RV battery exactly like the one that was in it. It seems that since we put the new battery in, this has started happening. When I unplug the trailer, the 12V trips, then when I reset it, my test display says the battery is fully charged and the 12V things work.
Posted 2014-08-25 5:14 PM (#160543 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Pictures would really help. I am guessing the on/off switch is basically a battery disconnect switch. Normally left on unless you are not going to use the trailer for a while. The reset switch sounds defective. It could be a circuit breaker type which limits the amount of current flowing through the system. Any markings on the switches if you can't post a picture?
Posted 2014-08-25 6:07 PM (#160546 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 146 Location: Cornfield in Iowa
It's not a breaker, it's just a very small silver box inside a cabinet with the black plastic flex hose attached to it which goes to the battery and not sure where the other end goes. There is a small black button on the top with a sign pointing to it that says 12V reset. It keeps popping up, not immediately, but the next time I check it, it's popped up and I'm sure the battery is no longer charging. I was wrong about the battery being fully charged, it is only on the F when I do the test on the monitor board. I originally thought that meant full but now I see it only means Fair. Pardon my ignorance, I did not have all this stuff on my other trailer. I can take a picture but I'm not sure I can figure out how to post one on here. I never could get one posted on barrelhorseworld. I could text it to you.
Posted 2014-08-25 6:22 PM (#160547 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 350 Location: Penrose, Colorado
inside the silver box will be a re settable circuit breaker, you will need to disconnect the power from the battery and shore power to be safe and take it all apart, then you will see what to re place.
Posted 2014-08-25 6:29 PM (#160548 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
It probably is a breaker, just not like the ones in your distribution panel.
Its purpose is to limit the amount of amperage flowing on the wires. If too many amps are flowing, the breaker trips and needs to be reset after reducing the loads. If the breaker is going bad, it will trip unnecessarily causing you to lose the 12v supply. If the trailer is basically stock, and no additional loads were added, the breaker should not trip. If you added a bunch of floodlights or things like that, you could overload the breaker and cause it to trip. You should be able to run most of the loads in the trailer without tripping the breaker. Again, probably a bad breaker. I think to post a picture,check the "attach a file to this thread after posting" at bottom of "reply" window.
Posted 2014-08-25 6:44 PM (#160549 - in reply to #160546) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 146 Location: Cornfield in Iowa
It is a Shortstop mini-breaker with a manual reset. 40 amp I found them online but they are automatic reset. Would that be okay to replace it with an automatic one? It popped up while I was looking at it after it started clicking.
Posted 2014-08-25 7:00 PM (#160550 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Definitely....swap it out with the auto reset. If you did add a bunch of lights causing too high of a draw, you could replace them with LED lights...lot less draw.
Change the breaker and see how it does.
Posted 2014-08-25 7:09 PM (#160551 - in reply to #160550) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 146 Location: Cornfield in Iowa
Originally written by beeoerdog on 2014-08-25 7:00 PM
Definitely....swap it out with the auto reset. If you did add a bunch of lights causing too high of a draw, you could replace them with LED lights...lot less draw.Change the breaker and see how it does.
We haven't added anything, we just got the trailer in May. So it's just worn out? If is is original equipment, it's 14 years old.
Posted 2014-08-26 8:55 AM (#160556 - in reply to #160542) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 259 Location: Topeka Ks
Originally written by diggerdoo on 2014-08-25 4:29 PM
Originally written by justgurn on 2014-08-25 2:57 PM
I would double check the polarity, it may be reversed.
Sorry...isn't that something I did wrong, or would it be a bad battery? I'm not very electrical.
Reversing polarity means the positive lead was connected to the negative terminal and the negative lead was placed on the positive terminal. Thinking more about your issue most the main panels have a polarity fuse that blows in the case. Since you haven't said you're replacing any of the fuses. I don't think it is a polarity issue.
Posted 2014-08-27 12:27 PM (#160567 - in reply to #160556) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 146 Location: Cornfield in Iowa
Originally written by justgurn on 2014-08-26 8:55 AM
Originally written by diggerdoo on 2014-08-25 4:29 PM
Originally written by justgurn on 2014-08-25 2:57 PM
I would double check the polarity, it may be reversed.
Sorry...isn't that something I did wrong, or would it be a bad battery? I'm not very electrical.
Reversing polarity means the positive lead was connected to the negative terminal and the negative lead was placed on the positive terminal. Thinking more about your issue most the main panels have a polarity fuse that blows in the case. Since you haven't said you're replacing any of the fuses. I don't think it is a polarity issue.
That's what I was thinking you meant. I put it in exactly the way the old one was in there. I talked to my mechanic and he says I could have a short somewhere so I guess I need to take it in and have someone try to find out what's wrong with it. I don't know why it would be an overload because it worked fine with the old battery and we have added nothing electrically on to the trailer since we bought it. Was hoping I could fix the situation myself. Too bad it doesn't involve accounting.....
Posted 2014-08-27 3:42 PM (#160570 - in reply to #160530) Subject: RE: 12V problems
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Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Install it and if it trips, then you know you have a short. It takes time to track down a short and if you don't have one, it will take forever. It only takes a couple of minutes to change the breaker.
Posted 2014-08-28 8:25 AM (#160579 - in reply to #160570) Subject: RE: 12V problems
Veteran
Posts: 146 Location: Cornfield in Iowa
Originally written by beeoerdog on 2014-08-27 3:42 PM
Install it and if it trips, then you know you have a short. It takes time to track down a short and if you don't have one, it will take forever. It only takes a couple of minutes to change the breaker.
I put the breaker in last night, plugged the trailer in, and this morning the battery was fully charged and everything was working! I'm assuming it if was tripping and resetting itself constantly, it wouldn't have had a chance to fully charge the battery. Hopefully this is it! Thank you all for sharing you knowledge, this is such a great website. And thanks to my horseshoer for helping me unhook the battery because I was so afraid I would get shocked. Piece of cake, I know how to do this now and I think I actually understand the whole thing!! Everyone have a spectactular day!
Posted 2014-08-28 9:06 AM (#160580 - in reply to #160579) Subject: RE: 12V problems
Veteran
Posts: 259 Location: Topeka Ks
Great news! See Accountants can wrench too.If the circuit breaker was constantly tripping you would hear it operating.
Originally written by diggerdoo on 2014-08-28 8:25 AM
Originally written by beeoerdog on 2014-08-27 3:42 PM
Install it and if it trips, then you know you have a short. It takes time to track down a short and if you don't have one, it will take forever. It only takes a couple of minutes to change the breaker.
I put the breaker in last night, plugged the trailer in, and this morning the battery was fully charged and everything was working! I'm assuming it if was tripping and resetting itself constantly, it wouldn't have had a chance to fully charge the battery. Hopefully this is it! Thank you all for sharing you knowledge, this is such a great website. And thanks to my horseshoer for helping me unhook the battery because I was so afraid I would get shocked. Piece of cake, I know how to do this now and I think I actually understand the whole thing!! Everyone have a spectactular day!
12V problems
