Shore and Battery Power and what they Control

[JFSadorski]

2019 Micro Minnie 2108 FBS

1) Can the awning and slide function without the batteries being connected/installed? I know that both function with only the battery and no shore connection, but can the reverse be true as well? Can the awning and slide function on just the shore power without any battery connectivity? Rather should they function on shore power exclusively?

2) Can the fans and AC work just off of the battery alone, or perhaps just one of those two? Or must there be a combination of shore and battery power to get them to work. Nothing happens when I am on just battery power when I try to activate the AC and/or the fans. I am very new to RVing so I am not sure if this is typical or not?

I am trying to chase a very nasty electrical issue in my MM right now, but I I am not well educated on the basic functionality of everything. Out of nowhere the electrical line that gives power to the awning is causing the cables to spark when reconnected to the batteries. We have left off the red power cable line that leads to the awning, so right now I have no power to the awning, but everything else is working. This all stemmed from a breaker switch that constantly was tripping. Any help or suggestions would be welcomed.

[creativepart]

The battery is an integral part of the system and generally nothing 12v will work without a battery in place even if on shore power. Not as it's wired stock from the factory.

Your fridge on Propane and even your A/C system use 12v to operate even when plugged in to shore power - the A/C's a 110v device but the thermostat operates on 12v DC.

The A/C (air conditioning) can only operate on 110v shore power or generator power. Most fans (except the A/C fan) operate off of the battery.

When a circuit breaker routinely trips you have some kind of electrical short. Same with "sparks". Though reconnecting battery cables will generally cause a small spark when applying the cable to the terminal and is not an indication of any problem.

[imnprsd]

Sounds like you are chasing a short and your CB is protecting that circuit.

A short is when a "+" source touches "-" (ground) when there is nothing in-between.

You need to watch some YouTube videos on how to find a short? And here are a few other suggestions:

* Stop disconnecting your battery.

* Disconnect your awning connector and see if your CB pops after you reset it. Then you know if your problem is "upstream" or "downstream."

* You also need to be sure your house battery is fully charged or at least more then 50% charged. This State Of Charge (SOC) can be approximated by using the picture below. Note: A short in your battery will not trip your CB, but it also may not produce enough power to run your slide motor.

* You may have a couple problems going on at the same time. So I would suggest you eliminate the "unknowns" first. I.e., start by make double sure your batteries are solid.

* Your converter is probably producing 12V power from your 120Vac shore power connection. I.e., the Converter converts 120Vac to 12Vdc and then powers your 12Vdc power panel.

* Where is your awning CB? Is it in your 12V power panel or somewhere else? If it's not in your power panel, your awning is probably grabbing power from your Front Step... that can get power from a variety of sources... I'm not that familiar with.

Maybe someone else can explain how the Front Step, BDS, Ignition Switch, Door Switch, and awning power are all related?