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Old 10-21-2017, 06:04 AM   #1
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Battery meter/isolation

Recently I was boondocking at Seven Feathers and we woke to morning battery meter readings of only 10 volts. Seems the satellite dish, tv and furnace were too much for the house batteries. I didn't have enough charge to start the generator in the morning.I was surprised that the battery meter was showing the same low voltage for both the chassis and house batteries.
I turned the key and the engine fired up, lots of charge in the chassis battery although the electrical meter was showing both chassis and house being low...this is confusing me as the chassis battery was fully charged.

I took the toad to the local Napa store and picked up 2 new house batteries. When I installed them I hear a loud click high up in the engine compartment and then when I checked the battery gauge all batteries were up in the high 12's.

So I am hoping someone can explain why the battery meter was showing the chassis battery low when it wasn't, also when the house batteries were removed none of the batteries were indicated on the meter.

Somewhere there is obviously a battery isolation device (the load click when I installed new coach batteries confirms this) but that doesn't explain the indications on the meter showing a low chassis battery.

Thanks for any explanation...I don't have any info on this in my collection of Newmar manuals, I will send a request to Newmar and ask for any electrical information related to battery isolation and monitoring.
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Old 10-21-2017, 06:52 AM   #2
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I would think that the chassis battery meter is, incorrectly, wired to the house battery.

Your generator starts from the house battery. That's why it didn't start. Once you started the engine, the isolation solenoid connected the chassis battery to the house bank, given it the energy to start the generator.
You could have also hit and held the boost switch to use the chassis battery to assist in starting the generator, without starting the main engine.

If your isolation solenoid was active all the time, your chassis batteries would have been low also.

The clunk you heard could have been the house disconnect solenoid. Was it in the on position when you connected the batteries ?
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Old 10-21-2017, 07:16 AM   #3
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Twinboat...I was not able to start the generator. The boost switch did not provide power from the chassis battery to start the generator, I had hope this would work. I started the engine but after an hour the batteries still did not charge, all batteries continued to read only 10.2 volts. Any lights we turned on flickered dimly like turn signals, the fridge would not run.
My house battery switch is a red handle, it was on, always is when we are using the coach.

After replacing the 2 house batteries everything is looking normal. But I don't understand why the chassis battery was not reading correctly or why the boost switch didn't help...perhaps one of the house batteries was shorted? When I removed them they both read 10.2 on my voltmeter and the chassis battery read 12.6 on my voltmeter.

When I reconnected the new house batteries there was a loud click telling me that the isolation device gets it's power from the house batteries (the chassis battery I did not disconnect). The battery wiring was not changed by me, i took pictures of the cable connections before I disconnected the batteries.

The system on the Baystar Sport seems simple, manual red handle battery disconnect switch, 2 house batteries and a chassis battery. I don't have any info on the wiring of the batteries, isolator or electrical monitor so I am confused as to how they are inter operating, or in fact not inter-operating.

I appreciate your input. I sent a request to Newmar and if I get an answer that explains how my system operates I will post it here.
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Old 10-21-2017, 07:17 AM   #4
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Hi Polyian,
In older and simpler coaches the battery meter, no matter which way you push the switch, always measured the coach batteries. From inside the coach, there is no way to measure the chassis battery(s). If the guilty batteries are shorted and/or truly dead, the boost switch will not work.
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Old 10-21-2017, 08:01 AM   #5
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I would say that your isolation/boost solenoid is not working. They fail often.

While the engine is running, the house batteries should be getting a charge. The isolation system handles that.

With engine running, you can hold the boost switch and hear the solenoid clunk. Then you should read an increase in the voltage in the house battety. If not, the solenoid is bad.
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Old 10-21-2017, 11:38 AM   #6
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GaryKD...you are describing my situation exactly. Newmar confused me with readings labelled Chassis and House on the monitor gauge

Twinboat....all batteries are indeed charged when the engine is running. It seems on these older systems that the solenoid is powered from the House batteries so when they were dead the boost button was not operational.

I'm learning. Thanks for all the explanations
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