House Batteries Problem

[carobone]

Hello,

I installed 2 brand new batteries to my coach, and connect to shore power when the RV not in use, but everytime we use the RV, and after about 5 minutes of use, the AUX battery indicator show the condition being fair to low. The converter seems to work ok. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks

[carobone]

Hello,

I installed 2 brand new batteries to my coach, and connect to shore power when the RV not in use, but everytime we use the RV, and after about 5 minutes of use, the AUX battery indicator show the condition being fair to low. The converter seems to work ok. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks

[Loren]

Carobone,
We need a little more information, such as: what year is your rig [makes a difference as the controls changed over the years], what model [diesels have different systems than gas coaches], position of disconnect switches when stored [should be ON when on shore power].
Loren

[carobone]

My coach is a 95 Fleetwood Flair. Thanks

[Loren]

Do you have a volt meter? If not, digital VOM's can be bought fairly cheap at Radio Shack, Harbor Freight, and sometimes Wal-Mart. Check the output voltage at the converter, [with the coach on shore power] then at the batteries. Is it the same? If not, then check for corroded or loose connections. Check the battery cable connections, especially the ground cable at the frame.
If you still have the original converter it will probably put out 13 to 13.4 volts, this is not enough to fully charge a 12 volt system, it is just a 'float' charge to maintain the batteries. I would strongly advise installing a Progressive Dynamics 9160 converter with the Charge Wizard that converts it to a three stage battery charger if you keep your coach plugged in all the time, your batteries will last a lot longer. Camping World does have these on sale right now, but you may be able to buy a refurbished one direct from the factory, this is what I did a few years ago. I believe their new 9200 series converters have the charger built into them. If you keep the old converter, then only plug in the coach 2 or 3 days a week while in storage, this will keep your batteries up with out 'boiling' away the water in them.
Be sure to keep a close watch on the 'water' level in the batteries, and replenish with distilled water. Do not turn off the disconnect switches when plugged into shore power.
Let us know how all the checks come out.
Loren