Trailer battery not charging. A camper trailer’s battery is an essential tool if you plan to go outside for a camping trip, so always keep it with yourself if you have a program for a night-stay trip. However, seeing the trailer battery isn’t charging is very irritating.
Mainly the battery failed due to not taking proper care of it besides technical problems in the batteries. There are various causes for the battery not charging,
If you are having issues with the trailer battery not charging, first of all, inspect the corrosion in the battery, then inspect the battery charge terminals and converter problems.
It is also possible that the wall outlet in which you are trying to charge the battery is faulty due to blown fuses or tripping breakers, so always take proper care of the battery and maintain it properly to avoid charging issues with your trailer battery.
So, before you call a professional to inspect the battery read this article to troubleshoot this issue by yourself. Keep reading this research to learn about normal battery charge issues and how you can troubleshoot them.
Trailer battery not charging
If your trailer battery is not charging, you don’t need to stop it and purchase a new battery because you can easily fix the possible reasons for this trouble.
If your camper trailer battery is having issues and not charging, then, first of all, check for a blown a fuse and circuit breaker. Clean the rusted battery terminals. You will have to replace the battery if the battery is bad.
Let’s read out all the potential reasons for this issue in detail, read on.
Circuit breaker is tripped away
If you are charging the trailer battery for one hour and it is not charging, check the circuit breaker of the wall outlet in which you have plugged in the battery charger to charge.
I am explaining this point because once, it happened to me that I plugged the trailer battery into charging, but after one hour, when I inspected the battery, the battery was not charged.
When I opened the main circuit box to check its circuit breaker, then I was surprised to see it was tripped, due to which the battery was not charging.
I changed the circuit breaker position from OFF to On and then again plugged the battery into charging properly. Now, the trailer was charged in accurate time.
So, a tripped breaker in the circuit box stops the electrical current from flowing in a wall outlet, which can be why the battery is not charging. Inspect the circuit breaker position whenever you check any electrical device not charging.
Check blown fuse
Just like tripped circuit breaker blowing a fuse in the main circuit box is also one of the reasons for the battery not charging.
If the fuse is blown away due to overload in the circuit, then it stops the current from flowing in the circuit; as a result, the wall outlet does not charge the battery.
Replace the blown a fuse in the circuit box so that the current starts to flow in the wall socket to charge the battery.
Check the Converter
If the trailer battery is not charging, then the converter might not work properly.
First, check the voltage readings on the converter and if your power converter is actually generating 13+ dc volts or less than this. You can simply calculate the battery voltage while plugged into a wall socket.
You should see around 13.5 volts in the battery using your voltage meter. Unplug your trailer from the wall socket and calculate the battery again to check the voltage drop.
If it is not drop-down, then the battery will not charge due to a cooling fan issue in the converter, a faulty thermal sensor, or it may be a bad circuit board problem, etc.
I suggest you do not open the converter until you are professional because it can increase the damage. Take your trailer to a skillful professional to repair the culprit.
Rusted battery terminals
Rusted battery terminals are also one of the leading causes of battery not charging.
When you do not maintain the trailer battery properly, its terminals get rusted as the battery is charged many times a month.
If your trailer battery is not charging, then check the corrosion buildups on every side of the trailer battery.
These rusted terminals stop a tight connection and stop it from charging.
Usually, the battery is corroded due to overcharged battery, and the battery is stored in a discharged state, so always ensure not to overcharge the battery and do not store it in an uncharged condition.
If your battery terminals are rusted from corrosion, then follow these steps to remove corrosion.
- First, wear safety gloves on your hands, and then pull the trailer battery separately by disconnecting the cables from the battery terminals. Then, start to separate the negative terminal first and then the positive terminal.
- Ensure not to touch both terminals simultaneously because you may face an electric shock.
- Now, take a small amount of baking soda and put it on the battery terminals because it will neutralize the acid before you start cleaning.
- After pouring the baking soda now, take a soft wet brush and rub it into the baking soda rings for one to two minutes.
- Now, take a toothbrush and carefully rub the baking soda and water into the rusted battery terminals.
- The mixture will take some minutes to sit before cleaning the battery terminals with a clean cloth.
- Save your hands and other eyes from the mixture while cleaning the terminals.
- After removing the corrosion, tighten the battery terminals properly and put the battery back in the trailer to charge.
Battery is bad
The battery also prevents charging if it becomes bad. You can tell if your RV battery is bad in a few various ways. The best way to check whether the battery is bad or not is to use a voltmeter to test the battery voltage.
Unfortunately, the battery is bad if the voltmeter gives a voltage reading under 12.6 volts. You can also check the battery condition by inspecting the specific gravity of the battery cells.
Usually, the batteries become bad when you do not use them for a long time. If you do not use the battery in the winter season, the acid present in the battery freeze and damage the battery, so pull out the battery from the trailer. Batteries become bad if you keep them in the trailer in the winter season without any usage.
So it is suggested to if you want to use the battery for a long time, then separate it from the trailer in the winter season and store it in a safe and dry place.
Check the Wiring
Wiring and fuses issues are also responsible for the trailer battery not charging, so make sure your trailer is disconnected from the 120v power source before ongoing.
Check all the wires coming out of the device in your trailer. The wires are damaged if they become loose, melted, broken, or change color.
