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Old 05-02-2013, 09:08 PM   #21
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Hi Vicky

Here are some answers to your questions

If the Centurion fans are running constantly, does that mean it is constantly trying to charge the battery, also...or is it just cooling the normal activity of the converter?

The fans running does not necessarily means it is charging the battery. The fans run to cool the converter how ever the need for 12 volts is created. That said, in the case of some of the older units, the fans run at the slightest use of 12 volts and appear to run most all the time.

Also many of the older converters did not have a true float mode. Meaning that when the battery was fully changed they did not kick down in a very low power maintenance mode. So leaving them hooked up to the battery charging for days/weeks on end can damage a battery by literally over charging it to death. Boils out the electrolyte and then the battery does from that.

To know if yours does this over charging action you need a buddy who has a good volt meter and current meter and can measure the voltage and current. Or if someone here on SOC happens to have the same model as you and knows if it ever drops into float mode. If you have one of these old ones, well, it may be best to shut off the converter and unhook the battery while you are away.

Am I right to assume the fans running constantly is also using more electricity than a newer converter would use?

The fans do use electricity but the type of transformer/charging system the converter has may be more of the energy hog.


If the converter goes out, does the fridge go out at the same time?

If you are using a RV fridge, it needs 12 DC volts (battery) and 120 vac (shore Power) if you are running it on AC. So, yes the fridge will go out. I'm assuming you also shut the LP off so if it tried to kick into LP mode it would go out too. I myself would not leave the LP on for days/weeks I'm not there.

We have a small freezer in the camper but it operates on 110 so I assume I wouldn't have to worry about anything in there if the converter went bad.

Correct. I'm assuming this is a standard small apartment etc compressor type freezer. It will shut down when the power goes out and restart when it come back on just like at home.

Is there anything else I should worry about if the converter goes out while we're away from the camper for a week or two?


The fridge is the biggest issue if you have anything perishable in it that I can think of. If there are no perishables in it then lack of power is just like shutting it off. The inside may get moldy being off for a few weeks and not open to air out.

However like I stated above leaving the converter on non stop for weeks/months on end can hurt the battery if it is the type that does not drop down into float made.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 05-02-2013, 10:51 PM   #22
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John,

Thanks again for helping me understand more about the converter/battery system. I'm going to get the Powermax Boondocker 60 amp converter recommended by Randy at Best Converter and a new battery.

It's also nice to know there are others (Jared and Patty) who have the same "differences" with the 2001 Solaris model. That helps explain why some haven't initially understood some of my questions in the past. I was talking about my unit and they were trying to explain their units when there were definite differences between them in the production.

BTW...in a previous discussion you cautioned me to make sure I didn't have any screws through the sealing material on the bottom of the slide like you and others who had leaks in that area. I'm thrilled to report our 2001 260 SR does not show one screw or staple through that material and my slide floor is solid as a rock, inside and out. After seeing what you and others have gone through, I sweat bullets until we got to the trailer a couple of weeks ago to check it out. We've made dumb mistakes with our trailer, especially early on, and it's always been outside; however, our Sunline has been really forgiving and is as sound as it was when we bought it in 2001. I recently thought I wanted a bigger unit for more room for the longer stays but months of looking at bigger and supposedly better units in our price range sent us right back to our Sunline.

Thanks again....

Vicky
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Old 05-03-2013, 11:04 AM   #23
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Vicky,

Really glad to head about your slide floor. GREAT!!!

Now you have my curiosity up big time. If you could do us a favor, the next time you are at the camper can you take some pics of the bottom area of the slide and share with us?

Little by little we keep piecing the history and evolution of Sunline back together. I for one are real curious in what and how they made the prior generation slide floors. Slides have evolved in the RV industry from the early days, and the evolution every now and then make a wrong turn…. To later get corrected after that have learned it is a problem.

Good deal on your new converter. Best of luck to you.

John
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Old 05-03-2013, 06:20 PM   #24
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We're going to the lake/camper (Truman Lake, Missouri) Sunday if we don't have anymore snow and if the campground isn't flooded. I'll throw the good camera in the truck and try to remember to take pics of our slide. Considering the condition of so many units we looked at the past six months, I'm thrilled our Sunline is without leaks and wood rot. Now if I could just do something about that jack-knife sofa!!!!

Thanks for all you do,
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Old 05-03-2013, 08:41 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vicky View Post
Now if I could just do something about that jack-knife sofa!!!!
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Old 06-12-2014, 11:03 AM   #26
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We had a repairman come out last year to take a look. He took the motor off and checked it out. Nothing wrong with the motor.
There was a fuse box under the bed, that we didn't know was there and the fuse was blown. He also hooked up a fully charged battery and wahla! The slide worked fine. In and out - In and out.

So off we go on vacation - get there and guess what - yep - wouldn't work. Hubby checked the fuse, it was ok.

The slide will go out on it's own, but will not come back in with the motor. Also, our Sunline does not have the access on the front slide to manually open and close the slider. Everything is done from the back.
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Old 09-20-2018, 03:44 PM   #27
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Good info... Dewald... Learn something new! (thanks for the link John)
Mine needs a little assistance when bringing it in from extended, once in motion it's OK.
I was giving it a push from outside while someone else held the switch but fear of deforming the siding had me crawling underneath and giving shaft a spin to get it started past few times.
Like the OP I removed the motor but it appeared fine (not professionally tested)
My next step was the under bed box, I think there were three breakers on mine and one was suspect.
Will update when I get around to it, just wanted to post so its easier for me to find
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Old 09-22-2018, 06:47 AM   #28
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The slide motor probably takes a good bit of current and most likely is on the max end of the converter output so most likely a good battery is necessary to make it work properly. Converters are in the 30-40 amp range where even group 22 battery is more like 80 amps.
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Old 09-22-2018, 07:03 AM   #29
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I put a volt meter on the battery previously while the slide was operated and didn't think it dropped alot. However I don't recall the readings or know how much drop is really considered too much. Easy enough to do again, but at this point camper may be parked till spring and slide side is inches from a structure.
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Old 09-24-2018, 12:15 PM   #30
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This may help someone in the future. The RV guy pulled our motor off and went through it. Said it looked fine. We then found out that there is a fuse in a little box in the front storage compartment that needed to be replaced. We added a new battery. It came in fine two times and then we still needed to give it a nudge lol. The last time it took two to basically lift and push to get it in. This model didn't come with the manual crank for the slide like the other Sunline we had.
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