twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Battery: When we did the PDI, I knew to have the tech check the battery; we unplugged from shore power and he showed me that the battery was able to light up the inside lights (plus he said that it would run the furnace if we needed it). Now I think the battery is dead as I tried to turn on the lights and nothing happened. When I pushed the "battery" light on the panel, it flashed under the E and then the lights quickly flashed off. I did not leave anything on.. so I'm not sure what's going on. Thoughts?? Wax: The tech that walked the unit with us, explained that CW would try to sell us some sort of exterior package coating that would prevent us from having to wax the exterior for 5 years (I think it was). He seemed to be pretty honest when he said, "buy it or not but... I will tell you that we're having problems with Jayco's exterior fading fast and the decals peeling off so put some wax on it asap". Question: Any ideas on what product to use? I can buff on/buff off if necessary... but don't want to do extra work if a newer/better product is out there. Thoughts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Battery:?do you have a quick disconnect in the front storage compartment? Make sure it is not disconnected.Wax: we wax at least once a year, and am considering this product as another reccomendation and all reviews seem positive. Www.washwax.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 If the battery wasn't fully charged when you received the trailer it could run down faster. Unless you have a disconnect there are things in the trailer than are always on. Also if your fridge has a 12V option you need to make sure it is off whenever you aren't using it. In our little trailer the various little vampires require me to put the battery on the charger every couple of weeks if we aren't using it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Battery:?do you have a quick disconnect in the front storage compartment? Make sure it is not disconnected.Wax: we wax at least once a year, and am considering this product as another reccomendation and all reviews seem positive. Www.washwax.com Hmmm... I'm not sure what quick disconnect is/looks like, but I can look on google. Thanks for the suggestion on the wax. If the battery wasn't fully charged when you received the trailer it could run down faster. Unless you have a disconnect there are things in the trailer than are always on. Also if your fridge has a 12V option you need to make sure it is off whenever you aren't using it. In our little trailer the various little vampires require me to put the battery on the charger every couple of weeks if we aren't using it.I don't know if it was fully charged; I know that he said it was "new". Fridge.. I'll double check, but I think I looked at that earlier and it was set to "off". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 I would second a battery disconnect & for wax on my unit I use a paste marine wax but do it all by hand, no buffer. I also try not to wax over the decals as I have read that the wax effects the glue on the decals, not sure how true that is but mine is on the 6th season and still looks brand new. My wife calls me lana which is just anal backwards, I wax it twice a year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 If you have a switch he should have showed it to you during the walk through. Mine is a big red switch you turn inside of the cargo compartment next to the battery. As far as waxing...mine is a year old and I've never done it. I know people wax theirs once or twice a year but man, I can't imagine hand waxing that thing. I have washed it way more than I expected and always use a good auto turtle wax brand soap. The roof has driven me crazy though, I can't get that thing to look clean. Dawn dish soap worked pretty good but it took a lot of elbow grease and it still looked dirty in the end. I'm going to buy the rubber roof cleaner conditioner for the next time. I asked my grandpa, who has had campers for the last 50 years, how often he waxed his and conditioned his roof and he said he did once on his last one but has never done so on his current one and its 19 years old. I should note that we both keep our trailers under a roof so that helps. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Most disconnects are mini red "T" handles. They are made to stand out as most times when looking for one you are in a panic..,.usually very near the battery, assuming your battery is on front A frame hitch, the disconnect is probably in front compartment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parrothead7368 aka Norm 101 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 I'm going to guess that the battery was new, but has been on the trailer for a while. There are things in your camper that will run a battery down, for instance the radio light, propane detector, etc. You probably don't have a battery disconnect, but you may have an inline fuse that you can remove that won't let anything suck power from the battery when sitting. You can recharge your battery easy enough by just plugging into you house. The battery should recharge and you should be fine. Just remember to take the fuse out after you are done so it won't discharge again and remeber to put it back in when you go somewhere. Best Regards,Norm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Our battery kill switch on the TT was a lever that we turned. It was on the dinette, where your calves would touch when sitting on it. We wash our moho numerous times each year and pay to have it waxed once a year. It's not worth $300 to us to spend days waxing it. But it sits under cover when not in use, and that makes a big difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 I'm going to guess that the battery was new, but has been on the trailer for a while. There are things in your camper that will run a battery down, for instance the radio light, propane detector, etc. You probably don't have a battery disconnect, but you may have an inline fuse that you can remove that won't let anything suck power from the battery when sitting. You can recharge your battery easy enough by just plugging into you house. The battery should recharge and you should be fine. Just remember to take the fuse out after you are done so it won't discharge again and remeber to put it back in when you go somewhere. Best Regards,Norm You know what... the radio light. I remember now that the "light" for the dvd/stereo always seemed "on". It wasn't actually on (because it got brighter when I turned it on), but I do remember thinking that it looked lit up. Did not find a battery disconnect.. but did find a 30amp fuse (did I say that right?) on a cord to/from the battery... that must be the "inline fuse". Okay... so I plug the camper it to our house power, that will recharge the battery?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 You know what... the radio light. I remember now that the "light" for the dvd/stereo always seemed "on". It wasn't actually on (because it got brighter when I turned it on), but I do remember thinking that it looked lit up. Did not find a battery disconnect.. but did find a 30amp fuse (did I say that right?) on a cord to/from the battery... that must be the "inline fuse". Okay... so I plug the camper it to our house power, that will recharge the battery?? Yes when you plug in the battery will be charged. Just do it until your battery health meter says full. Yep vampires like the DVD display, the propane detector and even the power converter can all put a drain on the battery just sitting there. I plan to add a disconnect but until then I just go into my trailer occasionally and read the battery health meter and plug in when it starts getting low. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Thank you! I'm going to plug it in and report back if I have any problems :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parrothead7368 aka Norm 101 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Yes that fuse is the inline fuse I was talking about. Leave it in while it's plugged in and when the battery is charged just remove it and put it somewhere you won't forget. You can add a battery shutoff that will do the same thing as taking the fuse out. Best Regards,NormSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Jayco does not install "disconnects" in their travel trailers, but there are parasitic drains that will kill the battery, propane leak detector for one. If you cannot keep it plugged in I would recommend that you install disconnect, pull that fuse or disconnect the ground wire while storing the trailer. As to waxing any good auto wax will work. Since it is new I would use one of the spray on wipe off waxes. There is also a product called 303 that will protect and seal the unit. It is used on airplanes and has a very good reputation. Some RV stores sell it and it is available on line. Norm beat me, I was typing when he was posting about the fuse. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 303 products are great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PGHFiend 140 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Yep, just plug it in. As for wax, I've flipped 3 campers in 3 years and I have had the best results uusing Meguires 1 step RV compound to buff ( which you won't need yet) and their Flagship Premium wax. It's amazing stuff, and it's basically wipe on and wipe off. Let it haze just a touch before using a microfiber- you won't believe the difference it mmakes. I order it through amazon, it's cheaper and comes in an RV size bottle as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Thanks for the suggestions on wax Fiends! So... plugged the camper in yesterday afternoon around 4:30p, just checked it here at 8am and it is still dead. Thoughts?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I would check the connections on the battery. Do your lights work when your plugged in? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I agree, something not connected. I still vote there is disconnect switch somewhere in that TT. Nacole, would you mind to post exact model of your TT? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I agree, something not connected. I still vote there is disconnect switch somewhere in that TT. Nacole, would you mind to post exact model of your TT? 2015 Jayco Whitehawk 28dsbh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I would check the connections on the battery. Do your lights work when your plugged in? I'll go check... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I would check the connections on the battery. Do your lights work when your plugged in? Checked and yes... everything works when I plug into house power. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Checked and yes... everything works when I plug into house power. Ok you might need to check the connection at the inverter, I had the same issue last year thought the battery was just old, 5 years. so got a new one and found a loose connection at the inverter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I found the following statement in the whitehawk owners guide "make sure power inverter is turned off before disconnecting the battery". I did not know hou could turn off the inverter. Maybe their solution in place of a disconnect. Manual is vague in any further reference but does allude to circuit breaker should be off before disconnecting battery. Is there A breaker in your panel in the off position? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I'm not home right now... but will take a look later this evening and see what I can find. Appreciate all the help! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.