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Old 05-10-2017, 02:15 PM   #1
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Electrical Problems

I put a new battery in and it blew up immediately, so i took it back to Sam's and they exchanged it, less than an hour later. BUT, the converter charger had blown the DC blade fuses, which I replaced, and it is fine. it also fried the thermostat, I bought another and put it on, but nothing comes on but the gal heat! I nee to troubleshoot now, but don't know where to start. It is a 2002 Winnebago Adventurer with basement air [2 units]], gas and electric heat. Everything worked until I put the bad battery on. I need suggestions!
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Old 05-10-2017, 03:04 PM   #2
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I don't have enough facts yet to understand exactly what you did.

What was the original problem you had, that caused you to think you needed to replace the battery. Is it the house battery you are talking about, or the chassis battery?

Is the battery a 6 volt battery (3 caps) or a 12 volt battery (6 caps)? Did you replace the battery with the correct voltage battery?

When you replaced the battery, did you cable the red positive to the red cable, or by some chance mis-cabled it which caused it to blow?

When you say you put a bad battery on, are you saying that you believe the first battery you got at Sams was bad? Did you check the voltage before cabling in? If it were bad (shorted cell, low voltage), then that wouldn't have hurt any 12v devices that are consumers of that voltage. It would however, appear as a high current situation for the converter. Is that what you are saying happened?

Do you have a digital voltmeter, so that you can check voltages?
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Old 05-10-2017, 03:57 PM   #3
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I have a 2003 Adventurer and maybe could help but also a little confused. You said 'gal heat' I'll assume you meant gas heat. Ours has 2 12 volt batteries. You replaced a single battery so I assume it must be 12v unless you have a 2nd battery and it was still good. If the gas heat works you have 12v power. Now you need to see where/why you don't have 12v at other locations. Our MH has a DC breaker panel in a compartment just inside the entry door. Have you checked all the breakers? Maybe you mean nothing works on the thermostat except gas heat. You need to provide more info as to what works and what doesn't.
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Old 05-10-2017, 06:26 PM   #4
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How did the acid feel on your skin after the battery blew up? Did any get in your eyes? Batteries don't blow up very often so you better troubleshoot the cause before you try and install another battery.
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Old 05-11-2017, 10:13 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Kiawah View Post
I don't have enough facts yet to understand exactly what you did.

What was the original problem you had, that caused you to think you needed to replace the battery. Is it the house battery you are talking about, or the chassis battery?

Is the battery a 6 volt battery (3 caps) or a 12 volt battery (6 caps)? Did you replace the battery with the correct voltage battery?

When you replaced the battery, did you cable the red positive to the red cable, or by some chance mis-cabled it which caused it to blow?

When you say you put a bad battery on, are you saying that you believe the first battery you got at Sams was bad? Did you check the voltage before cabling in? If it were bad (shorted cell, low voltage), then that wouldn't have hurt any 12v devices that are consumers of that voltage. It would however, appear as a high current situation for the converter. Is that what you are saying happened?

Do you have a digital voltmeter, so that you can check voltages?
Yes, I have a voltmeter, and I will try it next week,but we are leaving town today. So sorry for my incomplete post. I only have one coach battery, 12 volt. Went to that years ago on the advice of a mechanic. The battery I replaced I bought in 2012, and it would no longer hold a charge, so I took it to Sam's, where I bought it, and bought another exactly like it. I took it home, and hooked it up, and it immediately began to smoke, so I hit the battery disconnect switch, and took the negative post loose. the positive post was melting down, and too hot to handle. I took it off when it cooled, went to Sam's, and returned it. So yes, I believe it was a bad battery. I have never seen anything like that happen! The automotive people there agreed it was really strange. I am positive I hooked it up correctly. So I came home, hooked up the new battery with no incident. But the battery had fried my thermostat, and blew the two thirty amp blade fuses on the converter charger. I bought a new thermostat and installed it, and replaced the fuses. Converter works, but the thermostat doesn't turn on anything except the gas heat. Basement air doesn't come on at all. I need to troubleshoot the heat pump and air conditioning, but do not know how. Any suggestions? Thanks for bearing with me!
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Old 05-11-2017, 10:19 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Vicr View Post
How did the acid feel on your skin after the battery blew up? Did any get in your eyes? Batteries don't blow up very often so you better troubleshoot the cause before you try and install another battery.
It did not blow up, it melted down the [positive post! I disconnected it ASAP and took it back to Sam's and got another. Hooked it up with no difficulty, but the thermostat did ot work, so I ordered another and put it on. Charger/converter did not work, so i replaced the fuses and it works now. Thermostat only turns on the gas heat, nothing else. Need to troubleshoot basement air and heat pump, but do not know how!
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Old 05-11-2017, 10:25 AM   #7
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It sounds to me like the battery was hooked up backwards! If you are positive it was not, then maybe by some weird twist of fate, it was marked wrong.
Check your 150 amp fuses. They are the first line of defence for a problem like this.
Good Luck.
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Old 05-11-2017, 11:30 AM   #8
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For the air conditioning problem check the EMS Control (aka load shedder). The EMS doesn't disable AC power to the unit but works thru the thermostat with a 12VDC signal to disable instead. The initial battery problem could have also caused a problem with the EMS.
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Old 05-12-2017, 08:25 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Unplanned View Post
It sounds to me like the battery was hooked up backwards! If you are positive it was not, then maybe by some weird twist of fate, it was marked wrong.
Check your 150 amp fuses. They are the first line of defence for a problem like this.
Good Luck.
The big fuses under the hood? Thanks I will try it! I am positive I hooked the positive to the positive. That is when the meltdown started!
Thanks, John
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Old 05-12-2017, 08:28 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
For the air conditioning problem check the EMS Control (aka load shedder). The EMS doesn't disable AC power to the unit but works thru the thermostat with a 12VDC signal to disable instead. The initial battery problem could have also caused a problem with the EMS.
Where is this EMS located? THANKS FOR THE TIP!
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Old 05-13-2017, 07:17 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by John Tunnell View Post
Where is this EMS located? THANKS FOR THE TIP!
First place to start is here - https://winnebagoind.com/product-res...ct-information. Select your year and model then sit back with a beverage and start clicking. For specific HVAC wiring - http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/...ire_138913.pdf.

All the diagrams are in PDF format and Winnebago also provides guides to help understand what your looking at if you're new to CAD drawings. The EMS is under the kitchen sink back in the left side corner closest to the coach door. There is also a display/controller on the coach control panel (where the thermostat is).

The EMS isn't a Winnebago product and was provided by Intellitec. You can download a PDF of the system here - https://janeandjohn.org/docs/EMSmanual.pdf. Take care working around the system since you will have both 12VDC AND 120VAC present unless the coach is unplugged and the batteries disconnected. There is a 3 amp fuse on the control board but use the PDF troubleshooting steps before digging into it first. If the EMS is the problem and you need a bit more help do a search on IRV2 using the search phrase "Powerline EMS". I didn't go thru all the threads but search returned 193 hits.
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Old 05-13-2017, 08:33 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
First place to start is here - https://winnebagoind.com/product-res...ct-information. Select your year and model then sit back with a beverage and start clicking. For specific HVAC wiring - http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/...ire_138913.pdf.

All the diagrams are in PDF format and Winnebago also provides guides to help understand what your looking at if you're new to CAD drawings. The EMS is under the kitchen sink back in the left side corner closest to the coach door. There is also a display/controller on the coach control panel (where the thermostat is).

The EMS isn't a Winnebago product and was provided by Intellitec. You can download a PDF of the system here - https://janeandjohn.org/docs/EMSmanual.pdf. Take care working around the system since you will have both 12VDC AND 120VAC present unless the coach is unplugged and the batteries disconnected. There is a 3 amp fuse on the control board but use the PDF troubleshooting steps before digging into it first. If the EMS is the problem and you need a bit more help do a search on IRV2 using the search phrase "Powerline EMS". I didn't go thru all the threads but search returned 193 hits.
Yhanks. I will work on it. Very helpful.
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Old 05-13-2017, 09:39 AM   #13
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Stupid question . . . We're the posts standard automotive round ones or bolt on lugs...Assuming standard automotive.

Did the cables slide on easy and did it only take a small amount to tighten them?

We're are we going?

There are often 2 types of batteries same but reversed posts.

A group 27 and group 27F are examples as ford had reversed posts.

If posts in center it does not matter.

The posts are different sizes so if both cables slipped right on and only needed a small amount of turns okay but if one was real tight and other took many then it was backwards.

Backwards should have sparked a bunch and blew a fuse or 3.

A bad bonding between the inside of the battery and the post will certainly cause the post to melt.
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Old 05-16-2017, 04:28 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
For the air conditioning problem check the EMS Control (aka load shedder). The EMS doesn't disable AC power to the unit but works thru the thermostat with a 12VDC signal to disable instead. The initial battery problem could have also caused a problem with the EMS.
I checked the ems in all three delivery modes [50amp, 30amp, and generator]. Everything seems to switch from one to another, but Nothing in the basement air will engage. I tried to find the ems, but cannot locate it. I think the whole problem is dc fuses. Does the ems have dc fuses? I assume the Coleman-Mach does, but I do not know where they are located
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Old 05-17-2017, 12:11 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
The EMS isn't a Winnebago product and was provided by Intellitec. You can download a PDF of the system here - https://janeandjohn.org/docs/EMSmanual.pdf. Take care working around the system since you will have both 12VDC AND 120VAC present unless the coach is unplugged and the batteries disconnected. There is a 3 amp fuse on the control board but use the PDF troubleshooting steps before digging into it first. If the EMS is the problem and you need a bit more help do a search on IRV2 using the search phrase "Powerline EMS". I didn't go thru all the threads but search returned 193 hits.
Yes there is a fuse but first down load the manual.


When you replaced the thermostat is the new one identical to the original or something that was recommended that should work?
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Old 05-17-2017, 02:52 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by 70ChevelleSS View Post
I have a 2003 Adventurer and maybe could help but also a little confused. You said 'gal heat' I'll assume you meant gas heat. Ours has 2 12 volt batteries. You replaced a single battery so I assume it must be 12v unless you have a 2nd battery and it was still good. If the gas heat works you have 12v power. Now you need to see where/why you don't have 12v at other locations. Our MH has a DC breaker panel in a compartment just inside the entry door. Have you checked all the breakers? Maybe you mean nothing works on the thermostat except gas heat. You need to provide more info as to what works and what doesn't.
Thanks for your answer. Nothing works on the thermostat except gas heat. I chose to go with one 12v battery in 2012, because they uncannily went out at the same time all the time, and a mechanic said that single coach battery was just as good. I put a new thermostat on because nothing worked after the battery blew. I replaced the two 30 amp fuses on the converter charger because they blew with the thermostat. Converter charger works perfectly now. DC breaker panel is "all in", so good. AC coach breakers are good. AC still doesn't come on. I took the basement air panel loose and accessed the electrical , and as far as I can tell, nothing is wrong-- but I do not see any thing that looks like a fuse. I can tell what is dc and what is ac by the thickness on the schematic, but I have no idea how to test or what to test for! I am stumped, but I feel my problem is something simple, because everything else works. Any suggestions?
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Old 05-18-2017, 12:21 AM   #17
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Start with the basics

As Sweetbrair said the thermostat must be identical and make sure it was installed correctly. I haven't replaced mine but in reading posts there is an extra wire that needed to be dealt with correctly.

Does the fan only switch turn the fan on?

Is there 120V at the terminals at the air cond? Are the lugs tight on the ckt breakers for the 120V?

There are red/green led's on the air cond ckt board. They mean different things depending on the color. If board shows no life it may or may not getting 12V from thermostat. It could be a bad board. You would need to check that out. Any black/burnt areas on board?

The manuals on the air cond should be with the MH. The same manuals and additional manuals can be found on the Coleman Mach web site.
Coleman Mach - Document Library | Airxcel

You have some trouble shooting to do.
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Old 05-18-2017, 12:44 AM   #18
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Yes, I have a voltmeter, and I will try it next week,but we are leaving town today. So sorry for my incomplete post. I only have one coach battery, 12 volt. Went to that years ago on the advice of a mechanic. The battery I replaced I bought in 2012, and it would no longer hold a charge, so I took it to Sam's, where I bought it, and bought another exactly like it. I took it home, and hooked it up, and it immediately began to smoke, so I hit the battery disconnect switch, and took the negative post loose. the positive post was melting down, and too hot to handle. I took it off when it cooled, went to Sam's, and returned it. So yes, I believe it was a bad battery. I have never seen anything like that happen! The automotive people there agreed it was really strange. I am positive I hooked it up correctly. So I came home, hooked up the new battery with no incident. But the battery had fried my thermostat, and blew the two thirty amp blade fuses on the converter charger. I bought a new thermostat and installed it, and replaced the fuses. Converter works, but the thermostat doesn't turn on anything except the gas heat. Basement air doesn't come on at all. I need to troubleshoot the heat pump and air conditioning, but do not know how. Any suggestions? Thanks for bearing with me!
Those two 30A fuses on converter are the 'Reverse Polarity' fuses and only blow WHEN battery is hooked up backwards.

They are protection for converter electronics otherwise you would need a new converter
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Old 05-19-2017, 10:14 AM   #19
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Where is this EMS located? THANKS FOR THE TIP!
I located the EMS, it is to the left of the coach breakers. Everything looks good, the dc fuse is good. I was going to test voltage to the unit this morning, but we are in a storm area, lots of lightning, just like it was last evening. But I tried the EMS connections, because I have a 30 amp, and a 50 amp plug in my back yard. I even unplugged and fired up the generator. The EMS display correctly identifies each mode, but no AC on any mode. I think the new thermostat is not working. I know that is jumping to conclusions, but I can't check the Basement Air in this rain. I lifted the access panel Wednesday, looked at the electric grid, and could not see any burnt places. But just because it looks okay means nothing. Oh, and I downloaded the EMS Manual. It gives a vague idea how to troubleshoot it, but with my limited electrical knowledge... who knows. Thought I might spend this time staring at the EMS Manual and the pic I made of the electric grid on the Basement Air. THANKS AGAIN!
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Old 05-19-2017, 10:26 AM   #20
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Those two 30A fuses on converter are the 'Reverse Polarity' fuses and only blow WHEN battery is hooked up backwards.

They are protection for converter electronics otherwise you would need a new converter
I replayed the situation in my head numerous times. I know that I hooked it up exactly like the old battery I took out, which was exactly like it. I am only 72, but in all my years dealing with batteries, I never saw anything like this. Thanks for your response, and I will always double check polarity BEFORE I hook up a new battery in the future. At this point, I just need some suggestions to get my unit roadworthy again. Thank you again for answering.
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