Reflection 315RLTS, check your battery box

[BC315RLTS]

I just got done replacing the electrical converter and battery on my 8 month old Reflection 315RLTS.

Going back a little over a month, I arrived to our seasonal site to find the battery dead and the converter tripped. Turned the breaker back on and everything seemed to be working ok.

Checked a couple days later and the battery meter would only show 3 lights so I went out to check the battery and found the battery box the dealer installed completely full of water up to the battery terminals. I dumped the battery box out and drilled some holes in the bottom so that wouldn't happen again and hooked everything back up.

A week later was still only showing 3 lights on the battery meter but all seemed well.

This week the battery was down to one light so I did some additional trouble shooting. Apparently when the converter breaker tripped the first time it was because the battery box was full of water, it also shorted out the converter so not only was the cooling fan not working (the converter was very hot to the touch), the battery had gone bad as well.

I installed a new converter and battery yesterday and all is back to normal.

The moral of my story is to check your battery box and make sure it has drain holes in the bottom so the water running off the nose of the trailer does not fill it up and short your system out!

[Country Campers]

Great reminder.
I too learned this almost the same way , I did not lose my converter though. You may want to get a digital volt meter for checking your battery once and a while to compare to the lights on the meter. I may try this on mine to see how the meter lights at the convenience panel compare to actual readings from the battery.

Brian

[TucsonJim]

I had the exact same thing happen on my 297RSTS travel trailer. The battery was positioned right below the front cap and any rain water would run right off the cap and right into the vent on top of the battery box. My converter survived though.

Since then, I've installed three lithium batteries and I've changed the original battery box for one that does not have a vent hole on top. In addition, I drilled out the bottom of the box to prevent any water from accumulating in the box.

As a side note, I did change out the converter for one that is dedicated to lithium battery charging.

[howson]

I just got done replacing the electrical converter and battery on my 8 month old Reflection 315RLTS.

Going back a little over a month, I arrived to our seasonal site to find the battery dead and the converter tripped. Turned the breaker back on and everything seemed to be working ok.

Checked a couple days later and the battery meter would only show 3 lights so I went out to check the battery and found the battery box the dealer installed completely full of water up to the battery terminals. I dumped the battery box out and drilled some holes in the bottom so that wouldn't happen again and hooked everything back up.

A week later was still only showing 3 lights on the battery meter but all seemed well.

This week the battery was down to one light so I did some additional trouble shooting. Apparently when the converter breaker tripped the first time it was because the battery box was full of water, it also shorted out the converter so not only was the cooling fan not working (the converter was very hot to the touch), the battery had gone bad as well.

I installed a new converter and battery yesterday and all is back to normal.

The moral of my story is to check your battery box and make sure it has drain holes in the bottom so the water running off the nose of the trailer does not fill it up and short your system out!

When my 315RLTS battery/converter was still stock I had the same exact issue--and fixed it the same way you did (drilled holes in the bottom of the battery box). I was fortunate that my battery didn't short out before I caught the problem.

[G&M 327RST]

Same problem different result

wife & I we’re preparing to leave, noticed the battery power at 1 & thought we killed the battery somehow. Long story short, bought a new battery & off we went.
2nd day at the RV resort power died middle of the night, checked battery power, it was back at 1.
pulled the battery put it on the trickle charger, after 1 hour read fully charge, back into the 5th wheel it went & back to full charge only for it to read 1 about a day later.
Pulled the inner wall out (what a pain) got to the converter & checked the amps...All the 35amps were blown, not sure how this would happen except that the unit was in for repairs at the dealership & something they did must have overloaded the converter.
Hope this helps for anyone experiencing this issue, had to call home to a buddy who owned a 5th wheel & I found this place.
Word of caution, dealerships (ours anyways) were awful to deal with, offered no real help or advice.
Places like this are a god send.

[Calbar]

Same problem but did not short out. Just got all wet when I was removing the batteries for the winter. Will be drilling some holes before the next camping trip.

Rob