Attention electrical sleuths
My 2013 Hawk has a very challenging electrical mystery that has so far, shown to be insolvable by several RV service departments including the FWC Woodland factory in California as well as reputable RV Centers in states Washingron, Montana and Oregon.
So far the only solutions from the "plug and play," pro community has been: (1) buy new batteries, (2) buy a new refrigerator, (3) buy bigger solar panels, (4) buy a generator. So I'm throwing this mystery out to DIY community attracted by 4WC in hopes that there are still some of our species that like to solve problems the old fashion way.
Our Hawk was purchased with the promise of stealth camping for more than a weekend (2-3 weeks at a whack actually). It was outfitted with factory installed Dometic 2-way model 110 fridge, 90 watt solar panel, 2- Exide Deep Cycle 12v AGM batteries, Morningstar SS- Controller, Iota 30 amp charger and LED lighting. We've since added Iota"s IQ-4 smart charge module and Bogart Engineering's Trimetic-2030 Battery Monitor.
Our routine for each outing starts 2 days before departure with A/C Shore power to insure the fridge and contents are brought to temperature and the battery array is completely charged. The Trimetric verifies A1 battery condition at the get-go.
Off-grid night 1, no problems, night 2, off-grid, even though battery stats indicate 12V and 98% full, a negative power surge begins. The fridge compressor runs on and off with 90 second rest intervals and the power fault light blinks red.
During a surge:
~V drop to 11.9V
~A jumps to 4.5A then quickly peak @ 7.5A
Then, just as quickly, the condenser stops and all readings fall back to a nominal 90 second rest state. (.2A > 4.5A >7.5A >0.2A and 90 seconds of peace)
Simultaneously, should there be any additional electrical devices in use, such as the water pump or LED lighting, they too are immediately affected with loss of power and ratchet down in performance to the point where the lights go out and the pump grinds to a halt. At this low point, as the surge cycle immediately resets itself, the fridge compressor goes to idle, lights come back to full brightness and the pump resumes normal operation usage drops to minimal amp and power reading. In precisely 90 seconds the surge cycle repeats itself until the fridge is taken off line.
Clues in the mystery:
-During daylight hours when solar is active, there is no detectable problem.
-The battery minder shows the batteries have at least 12V during a surge
-Storage Amps are generally 85-98% full
-All devices run fine if the refrigerator is off.
-The Atwood propane/carbon monoxide meter's Power Fault light blinks red until batteries are receiving a solar "trickle" the next day (I believe indicating insufficient
power to function properly)
- Trimetic data confirms that the 90watt panel is insufficient to keep the batteries full even after 6-7 hours of direct sun supplemented by the truck's alternators. Power loss is roughly 2% per day.
-If shore power is introduced at any point during the surge, all faults stop and the systems run perfectly.
-A block of ice in the fridge helps keep the cycling/fault from occurring.
Is it the battery? .....The fridge?...... The solar panel?..... All of the above, non of the above?
Please don't suggest we buy a generator.
My 2013 Hawk has a very challenging electrical mystery that has so far, shown to be insolvable by several RV service departments including the FWC Woodland factory in California as well as reputable RV Centers in states Washingron, Montana and Oregon.
So far the only solutions from the "plug and play," pro community has been: (1) buy new batteries, (2) buy a new refrigerator, (3) buy bigger solar panels, (4) buy a generator. So I'm throwing this mystery out to DIY community attracted by 4WC in hopes that there are still some of our species that like to solve problems the old fashion way.
Our Hawk was purchased with the promise of stealth camping for more than a weekend (2-3 weeks at a whack actually). It was outfitted with factory installed Dometic 2-way model 110 fridge, 90 watt solar panel, 2- Exide Deep Cycle 12v AGM batteries, Morningstar SS- Controller, Iota 30 amp charger and LED lighting. We've since added Iota"s IQ-4 smart charge module and Bogart Engineering's Trimetic-2030 Battery Monitor.
Our routine for each outing starts 2 days before departure with A/C Shore power to insure the fridge and contents are brought to temperature and the battery array is completely charged. The Trimetric verifies A1 battery condition at the get-go.
Off-grid night 1, no problems, night 2, off-grid, even though battery stats indicate 12V and 98% full, a negative power surge begins. The fridge compressor runs on and off with 90 second rest intervals and the power fault light blinks red.
During a surge:
~V drop to 11.9V
~A jumps to 4.5A then quickly peak @ 7.5A
Then, just as quickly, the condenser stops and all readings fall back to a nominal 90 second rest state. (.2A > 4.5A >7.5A >0.2A and 90 seconds of peace)
Simultaneously, should there be any additional electrical devices in use, such as the water pump or LED lighting, they too are immediately affected with loss of power and ratchet down in performance to the point where the lights go out and the pump grinds to a halt. At this low point, as the surge cycle immediately resets itself, the fridge compressor goes to idle, lights come back to full brightness and the pump resumes normal operation usage drops to minimal amp and power reading. In precisely 90 seconds the surge cycle repeats itself until the fridge is taken off line.
Clues in the mystery:
-During daylight hours when solar is active, there is no detectable problem.
-The battery minder shows the batteries have at least 12V during a surge
-Storage Amps are generally 85-98% full
-All devices run fine if the refrigerator is off.
-The Atwood propane/carbon monoxide meter's Power Fault light blinks red until batteries are receiving a solar "trickle" the next day (I believe indicating insufficient
power to function properly)
- Trimetic data confirms that the 90watt panel is insufficient to keep the batteries full even after 6-7 hours of direct sun supplemented by the truck's alternators. Power loss is roughly 2% per day.
-If shore power is introduced at any point during the surge, all faults stop and the systems run perfectly.
-A block of ice in the fridge helps keep the cycling/fault from occurring.
Is it the battery? .....The fridge?...... The solar panel?..... All of the above, non of the above?
Please don't suggest we buy a generator.
