User manual

After stopping for a time with the refrigerator on DC, the vehicle battery has run

down.

The refrigerator when running on DC requires a lot of current. This mode of operation is

really only intended when you are traveling and can’t run it on propane. With a single

battery, the refrigerator can run the RV battery down in an hour or less.

The isolator or separator should protect the vehicle battery from discharge if the

refrigerator is left on. If this happens, the system is not operating correctly. Someone

may have bypassed the device isolator effectively connecting both the RV battery and the

vehicle battery together. This was probably a forgotten temporary repair. Isolators do fail

and more often than not fail in the open condition, which prevents one or both batteries

from charging.

My machine is possessed, the RV lights will be on and suddenly go out only to

come back on again.

The devices in your machine can demand a lot of current. The wires connecting these

devices to the battery have to carry the current. If you have corrosion on the battery

terminals this can create a “fuse” or a poor connection which will open under high current

turning off the lights. This broken connection will often “heal” and then the process may

repeat erratically. If the battery is low and the vehicle is connected to shore power or the

generator, it may behave also behave erratically when this happens. A bad battery can

have intermittent internal connections, but this is less common. A poor connection can

happen anywhere, but will most likely occur at the battery due to the corrosive conditions

at the battery. The circuit breaker between the converter charger and the battery can fail

or become intermittent and create the flickering light symptom.

The lights vary from dim to very bright while running on AC power.

The converter/charger may not operate properly unless connected to a battery. The

Tripp-Lite units will not operate properly unless connected to a battery. If you have the

bypass configuration, the converter is always connected to the RV battery and by

extension of the separator to the vehicle battery. Combinations of problems with poor

connections and intermittent separators can be very daunting. The “no battery connected

condition” can occur due to any number of problems and make converter unstable. The

older converters can shut down due to over current if you plug in first and then switch on

the battery in directly connected configurations. This usually happens if the RV battery is

very low and demands a lot of current when you make the connection. If the battery is

charged, it does not demand much current and you won’t notice a problem.

The Tripp-Lites are complex devices and you should read the manual carefully. If set for

high charge rate they can deliver as much as 50 amps. Some of the older rigs have 30

amp circuit breakers between the Trip-Lite and the battery, under this condition the circuit

breaker can open creating the “no battery” conditions and the dreaded flickering lights.

You should always turn on the battery switch before connecting to shore power or starting

the generator. If the 12-volt lights don’t work when you do this you have a problem which

needs to be corrected.