Electric switch on 1987 Saturn T-1550 ?

rivertrails · 08-17-2014, 04:11 PM

Last year I bought a 1987 Saturn T-1550 . The electric worked fine . Even the refrigerated. He said when you plug in the electric it automatically recharges the battery also. I used it for 5 weeks last fall and then put it in my barn. I just pulled it out and plugged in to the electrical out let to recharge the battery for a little fan and light use for a upcoming trip. AS soon as it is plugged in I assumed the electric would work. No electric works. Not lights, not fan. I don't remember there being any electric switch I turned off in the camper somewhere that needs to be turned back on. But I was really hoping there was one that I forgot about.It makes no sense to me sense it was working fine when I put it away last winter. Any thoughts?

jim44646 · 08-17-2014, 05:00 PM

First make sure your getting power from outlet you plugged into. Check all circuit barkers and fuses in converter.

Poppy & Nana · 08-17-2014, 05:16 PM

I do believe you need a fully charged battery for the 12 volt items to work - but stand by and someone will chime in!

mainah · 08-17-2014, 06:15 PM

The older converters should make 12 volts even with out a battery. Try a table lamp or some thing in you camper outlets and see if it works.

krazedave · 08-17-2014, 06:17 PM

I agree with what JIM said. Check and make sure you have power at source. Then make sure all breakers are on. Then check fuses. You do not need battery if you are plugged into 110. The converter should supply the 12 volt systems without battery. Check to see if you have 110 to microwave and outlets. If you have it then check 12 volt fuses starting with the 30 or 40 amp fuses.

Gene · 08-17-2014, 07:23 PM

My Centurion CS4500 (vintage 2002) will not charge if the battery is real low. I don't know if the 1987 vintage was like that.

rivertrails · 08-17-2014, 07:44 PM

Well there is a circuit breaker I found that I had forgotten about. I switched it and its working fine. My lousy memory once again caused me problems.

rivertrails · 08-17-2014, 08:02 PM

As far as I know there's only one circuit breaker in the whole camper. Glad I found it. Its what turned all the electric on. Fuses? Oh my. I would have no idea where they are.

**JohnB** · 08-17-2014, 08:30 PM

While not related to your direct question, something you may not know being new to the camper.

I'm making an assumption your camper has a propane sensing alarm in it. And it may even have a TV attenna booster that often gets left on.

If your camper has the LP detector ( I thought even the old ones had one) they are wired direct and no, on/off switch. It you leave the battery connected when not camping and not plugged into 120 VAC, the LP detector will drain your battery after a week or 2. On campers that do not have a battery dosconnect, you need to unhook the (-) neg ground wire at the battery between trips. Yes I know a pain. Many add a battery disconnect switch to not be so painfull.

Also, if you have an old converter and storing the camper, leaving it plugged in to shore power to keep the battery charged can cook the battery dry. The old ones have no float mode to back off the charge and after weeks it boils out the battery

bunjin · 08-18-2014, 11:53 AM

This is a 1987 trailer! No sensors and no microwave unless a mod. by someone.

My 1996 doesn't have any sensors either. May have been an option by that time, although I think maybe about 1997 or so was when some of these items became more available.

By sensors, I'm talking about sensor central. The stuff on the wall that monitors tank full and battery status, etc. On my unit the smoke detector may or may not have been supplied from Sunline. It is a simple ceiling mount First alert which I just replaced. As for CO2 and LP none. I will have to supply...as I did all three on my 1983 T-1550.

rivertrails · 08-19-2014, 01:20 AM

To John B , I don't think it has a LP detector.( hope not) If it does Is there a way to disconnect it so it doesn't drain the battery? Where would it be.? Last year I was in a campground at Lake Michigan for a week with electric hook up. That's the only place I ever camp with electric. I was on the road with it for 4 more weeks and I still had battery power that I would use the lights inside for a real short time just looking fast for some thing or another. And I used the little fan (which I Love) for just about 10 minutes about 5 times . I still had battery so the LP didn't drain it.But it does have fast easy clamp on one side of the battery to disconnect it fast. (probably negative. So that seems like maybe that's why it was on there so Im not sure.Heck. maybe I disconnected it I can't remember. I didn't remember about the circuit breaker in tell I looked around and found it.If I had the clamp off the negative on the battery am I correct in thinking that then the lights and fan would not have ran from battery power. I really need to find a owners manual. [/QUOTE] " Also, if you have an old converter and storing the camper, leaving it plugged in to shore power to keep the battery charged can cook the battery dry. The old ones have no float mode to back off the charge and after weeks it boils out the battery " Does that mean if I have it plugged into electric for a week at the campground I should disconnect the negative from the battery? Maybe just leave it connected the last day to charge up the battery ? It sounds like there is SO much I don't know about it. I appreciate the information.

mainah · 08-19-2014, 06:37 AM

The old style chargers would indeed boil the water out of the battery but it is not an over night thing leaving it plugged in for a month or more could cause you some problems. No need to disconnect the cable during your camping adventure just long term storage. The older chargers actually had two systems in them one charged the battery the other made power for all the 12 volt stuff there was a relay inside that disconnected the battery and charged it at a low current level the other half of the system provided a much higher level of current to run all of the DC stuff.

bunjin · 08-19-2014, 08:52 AM

rivertrails,

In the file section download the brochure for your year. It will give you some info. For possibly more check the appliance sections.

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/do...o=file&id=5491

rivertrails · 08-19-2014, 03:43 PM

QUOTE "If your camper has the LP detector ( I thought even the old ones had one) they are wired direct and no, on/off switch. It you leave the battery connected when not camping and not plugged into 120 VAC, the LP detector will drain your battery after a week or 2. On campers that do not have a battery dosconnect, you need to unhook the (-) neg ground wire at the battery between trips. Yes I know a pain. Many add a battery disconnect switch to not be so painfull."
My quick connect battery clamp is on the positive battery post. Not the negative. . I assume if I disconnect the positive instead of the negative it will still work to save battery power being drained in the day ( I dry camp, no electric) by theTo save battery power being drained in the day( I dry camp, no electric) by the LP detector. Maybe it does have a Lp detector I don't know. Does any one know how I can tell ? Id turn the fan on for a little while at night and then disconnect the positive cable from the battery. Quite un unnecessary bother if I don't even have a LIP detector that would be draining it. PS. bunjun, I got my canopy off! That was a big Relief. Thanks for the Brochure links.They seem useless to me. Mainly floor plans and such. No electric instruction. How to operate any thing. Heater. Water heater. Water pump ... I just carry water any way. Figure the water pump would drain my battery and I don't know how to drain well for winter. Ive tent camped before this and it doest really bother me.But I wish they had OWNER manuals that acually told you more stuff instead of just brochures.

Poppy & Nana · 08-19-2014, 07:24 PM

rivertrails, this website was originated by a group of Sunline owners AFTER Sunline went out of business.....the files above are all gathered from the members, so if someone had something to contribute, they did!

If you make a list of the make/model of the appliances you have in your Sunline, and google each one - you will come up with a much better manual than what was supplied to us when we purchased our units (either new or used).....

Actually, we no longer have our Sunline and when I saw what Dutchmen gave us for a manual that is exactly what I did. I now have a complete "manual" of everything in my toy hauler......

Someone just recently, Bunjin I think....scanned and posted a sheet that lists the different appliances i.e., refrigerator, water pump, furnace, air conditioner, heater, awning, etc.....that would be a good start for you to "make" your manual as complete as you can.

When Sunline went out of business - we became our own support/tech team!!! It seems to be working with the many knowledgeable people on this forum.

Feel free to pick our brains (or whatever is left of them) for any info and we may be able to help!

mainah · 08-20-2014, 06:12 AM

There are parasitic drains on most every battery these days clocks and memory in radios wired propane detectors TV amps left on even a battery with nothing attached will self discharge eventually. They don't draw a lot but over time they will flatten a battery. This is not some thing that would need to be done every night unless you are dry camping for more than a week or so. The best thing you can do is reduce the loads get rid of old lights replace them with led's the power saving are huge there are many tricks to get you by. Disconnecting the + cable will work fine but there is a reason it is better to disconnect the - cable. If tools are required you can cause a short to the body work or any thing else metal that can't happen if you disconnect the -.There are any number of sellers that have battery disconnect switches even WalMart you remove the cable attach the switch and put the cable on the switch done deal pretty cheap too.

bunjin · 08-20-2014, 08:21 AM

Thanks for the follow-up Kathy.

You summed things up rather well.

The brochures give more info than one may think. For example if you check your model and year then look at the same a year or two forward and backward you will see differences such as gross weights, options, etc.

Then if you find all the model numbers of your appliances, etc. you can look them up as Kathy said by either what is provided in the archives and/or Google online.

The "manual" by Sunline was just the brochure of your trailer in that year along with the appliances brochures of which the info in them were fairly general.

You aren't likely to find any wiring schematics, build data, etc. provided by Sunline. That info tends to come from people here who have torn into the trailer and/or appliances and post pictures of their experiences etc.