Couple of Questions

Sherrie Oh · 02-16-2021, 10:22 AM

HI All,
I'm new here and so happy I found this site. I have a couple of questions regarding my 2006 (new to us) Crossroads Paradise Pointe 5th Wheel.

1: When plugged into shore power my refrigerator is working on and off. It works great when using propane, however. Also, we let our RV sit at a campsite for about a week, plugged into shore power, with all three slides in. We left due to snow. When we got back a week later, none of the slides would go out. All three of my porch lights had been left on so I turned them all off and about 20 minutes later my slides went out very slowly. Three days later we packed up our rig and after turning off anything that used electricity for a couple of hours, our slides came in very slowly. BTW, our battery was left on the entire time.

2. I'm looking to replace the existing couch that sits in one of our slide outs and i'm wondering about a maximum weight capacity for furniture that sits in the slideouts. I can't seem to find that anywhere. The couch I want to purchase is specifically for RV's but I don't want to just assume the weight is ok for the slideout.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Sherrie O

travelin texans · 02-16-2021, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherrie Oh

HI All,
I'm new here and so happy I found this site. I have a couple of questions regarding my 2006 (new to us) Crossroads Paradise Pointe 5th Wheel.

1: When plugged into shore power my refrigerator is working on and off. It works great when using propane, however. Also, we let our RV sit at a campsite for about a week, plugged into shore power, with all three slides in. We left due to snow. When we got back a week later, none of the slides would go out. All three of my porch lights had been left on so I turned them all off and about 20 minutes later my slides went out very slowly. Three days later we packed up our rig and after turning off anything that used electricity for a couple of hours, our slides came in very slowly. BTW, our battery was left on the entire time.

2. I'm looking to replace the existing couch that sits in one of our slide outs and i'm wondering about a maximum weight capacity for furniture that sits in the slideouts. I can't seem to find that anywhere. The couch I want to purchase is specifically for RV's but I don't want to just assume the weight is ok for the slideout.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Sherrie O

If plugged in & slides nor fridge work it sounds like your battery/ies are toast. The slides require a good strong 12 volts to operate, the converter alone doesn't have the burst of voltage without a good battery to move the slides.
The fridge when plugged in still requires 12 volts to operate the control board, as does the water heater.
If the factory battery disconnect, if equipped, is in the off position the batteries will not charge while plugged in.

**dagst1** · 02-16-2021, 01:40 PM

Hello and Welcome

I would start with the converter. Check to be sure that it is charging the battery. Even without the battery disconnected my converter will run the slides in and out with no problems. If after a week with the lights left on the battery should be still charged if the converter is working properly. If the electric went off then the lights would run down the battery.

You may have a combination of both a bad/weak converter and battery.

As to the second question; a couch designed for a camper should not be too heavy for the slide. Is the slide floor in good shape - solid no soft spots? What was in the space that you are wanting to put the new couch? I have had 3 campers with slides and have not seen a "weight limit" for any of them.

Sherrie Oh · 02-16-2021, 02:18 PM

Thanks so much. Very helpful.

Sherrie Oh · 02-16-2021, 02:21 PM

A sofa sleeper is there now. It doesn't seem like it's really solid though.

Wingerdinger · 02-16-2021, 04:20 PM

Hi Sherrie, and welcome to the forum.
You have some sort of power issue. It would be hard to guess without some basic troubleshooting.
You should get yourself a multimeter and learn how to use it read voltages.
We are interested in reading 12 volts DC in this case.
Once you get it home and plugged into shore power, read the voltage across the battery terminals. You should be reading over 13 volts. If it's any lower, you have a problem with the charger section of the converter.
If that is good, disconnect one battery terminal, and read across the disconnected battery. When fully charged, it should read over 12.5 volts. Any less, then your battery is no good.

Wingerdinger · 02-16-2021, 04:35 PM

If you find out that you need a battery, the question you asked on a different post is 'which one'?
The answer is, it depends on how you intend to use your camper. If it will be plugged in all the time, and you don't intend to use it 'dry camping', or in places without power, than a basic deep cycle battery will do. Keep in mind, they don't last very long at all if you are unplugged. The usual one that fits in the battery box that came with your camper is a 'Group 24'. Available anywhere, even Walmart.
If you intend to store your camper without power to it, you should at least disconnect your battery to keep from getting discharged, even for a few days. Most folks get a disconnect.

Sherrie Oh · 02-16-2021, 04:53 PM

This is really great info. Thanks so much.

Papa-T · 02-16-2021, 05:43 PM

Welcome to the forum. I agree with the battery. Also I would suggest an EMS/Surge protection (Electrical management system) such as progressive industries. They are guaranteed replacement. https://www.progressiveindustries.net/

TerryH · 02-21-2021, 02:09 PM

Recommend a couch designed for RV, able to bolt down w/ METAL frame, then weight no issue; alternate= reupholster is mechanism good?

TerryH · 02-21-2021, 02:10 PM

and Group 27 about 20% bigger capacity

TerryH · 02-21-2021, 02:22 PM

You need to be disconnected from charger for over 30-minutes to allow surface charge from charger to dissipate the higher voltage and give accurate reading?

Dallasrules · 02-21-2021, 04:08 PM

I had a 1998 Carri-lite 5th wheel and the slide and everything in it worked on shore power without even having a battery in it. Then I got a 2004 Forest River Cedar creek. It has 3 slides. The slides and Jack's run off the battery. Even plugged into shore power, they Don't work without a good strong battery. I could wear down the battery with unwitting and leveling and trying to get the sides out. I dropped two of my solar agm batteries in there and everything works great now,. So I agree that it sounds like your battery is weak.

I had the same question about slide weight limits. I wanted to take out the table and chairs and put a second sofa on the slide. I had a fold out bed and a jackknife sofa side by side. The consensus was that the slide is very strong when in or out. The weight would only be a concern when moving the slide. With a strong battery, I never had an issue, so I would say your ok with the Weight of the replacement sofa.

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