Airstream Travel Trailer International 2023 Electrical User Manual

Electrical

Battery/12-Volt System Information

The major portion of electrical power in your Airstream is 12-volt. The 12-volt current powers all gas appliances for controls and/or ignition as well as lighting. An exception would be the range which has its own ignition source. All 12-volt current comes through the battery system in the front of the trailer. The batteries are accessible in the battery box on the A-frame of your trailer. Power from the batteries goes to a set of Type 2 thermal breakers. The breakers are tied together by a brass bus bar. One breaker (30 amp) protects the 12-volt tow vehicle charge line coming from the 7-way cord. Another breaker (20 amp) feeds the trailer brake breakaway switch located near the hitch coupler. A 50-amp breaker feeds the battery disconnect relay. The current leaves the relay and travels to the 12-volt distribution panel, located in the converter, and then to the rest of the trailer. Open the decorative door on the front of the converter to access the panel and its fuses. A 12-volt layout diagram is shown in Section 8 -Maintenance.

If you replace a blown fuse and it immediately blows again, do not replace the fuse again until a qualified service technician can correct the problem.
If the replacement fuse holds for a week or more and the gap in the fusible metal is barely melted apart, this usually indicates an overload condition. Reducing the number of lights or appliances used on that particular circuit at the same time could prevent any further fuse failure.
Refer to Section 8 – Maintenance for important battery maintenance information.

Battery Disconnect Switch

The battery disconnect switch is labeled “Battery Power,” and is used to separate the batteries from the 12-volt distribution panel.
The battery disconnect switch has a green backlight when the switch is turned ON, and the batteries’ voltage is within normal operating range. When the battery voltage drops to low, the green light will blink for 5 minutes, indicating the batteries must be charged. If the batteries do not begin to receive a charge, the disconnect switch will shut off to protect the batteries from damage.

When the trailer is plugged into an external AC power source the 12-volt distribution panel will receive power from the converter and the batteries will be charged through the converter charging system regardless of if the battery switch is in the ON/OFF position. If the trailer is NOT plugged into an external AC power source and the switch is turned to OFF the batteries are disconnected and the 12-volt fuse panel will not receive power from the converter. The converter will not charge the batteries with the switch in this position and no shoreline power is present. The OFF position is intended for storage of the trailer or when power conservation is desired.

The charge in the 12-volt batteries can be replenished, depending on the tow vehicle, from the tow vehicle alternator through the 7-way cord. This charge will flow to the batteries regardless of the battery disconnect switch position. Likewise, if ON or OFF, the solar panel will still charge the batteries.

NOTE
Even with the battery disconnect switch in the OFF position the LP detector will have a small parasitic draw.

Inverter

Your Airstream is equipped with a 1000W pure sine wave inverter that converts 12-volt electricity from your batteries into 120-volt power to power the TV’s, as well as, additional labeled 120-volt receptacles. The Inverter is designed with both under-voltage and overvoltage protection to protect the inverter and the battery bank. If the inverter senses too high of a voltage being used, it may shut down. Unplug items that might be using too much current and a manual reset is required. The remote display is located in the Galley area. Below are some of the features.

Display Features

Power Button: Press to turn on; hold to turn off

Select Button: Cycles between display states: Input Voltage, Output Voltage, Output Power, Sleep, Error Code (if applicable)

Power Indicator: Lights up green when the inverter is on • Fault Indicator: Flashes red when an error has occurred

Shore Indicator: Lights up yellow when AC input is detected

Low Bat Warning Indicator: Lights up red when the battery is nearing the end of its charge

Sleep: Lights automatically dim after 30 seconds

NOTE
An operation manual for the inverter has been provided with your owner’s packet. Their manual contains information and error codes that should be reviewed prior to operating.

Power Center

The power center is installed below the refrigerator, wardrobe, pantry, or bed, depending on the model. Open the decorative door for access to 12-volt fuses and 120- volt breakers. The power center’s converter transforms 120-volt AC into 12-volt DC. The converter/charging system is the interior low-voltage electrical system that enables you to use the interior lights, fans, pumps, and 12-volt appliances, whether operating on self-contained battery power or 120-volt city power. The 12-volt light bulbs give off the same light as regular household bulbs, so when operating on self-contained battery power, everything works normally except the 120-volt convenience outlets and 120-volt appliances. The converter system is designed to maintain constant output voltages regardless of the variances that occur in city power systems. The converter is energized only when the trailer is hooked up to external AC power.

To test the converter, observe the following:

• Confirm 120-volt power is going into the converter.
• Disconnect the 12+ wire from the master switch.
• Using a voltmeter, check the voltage output between heavy gauge positive and negative wires coming out of the converter.
• The voltage should be between 13.6 and 14.0 volts. (The meter of the tester should be calibrated periodically.)
• If the converter is not within these voltages, have it serviced by a qualified technician or replace it.

One of these wires is not spliced onto a wire of the same color. It is the backup wire that is yellow in the cable and black in the harness.
A label on the inside of the converter door lists the circuits and what each fuse powers.

Reference Links

View Full User Guide: Airstream Travel Trailer International 2023 User Manual

Download Manuals: https://www.airstream.com/owners/manuals/

Airstream 2023 Top Accessories

[amalinkspro_table id=”32452″ new-window=”on” nofollow=”on” addtocart=”off” /]