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Old 07-03-2019, 06:44 PM   #1
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House battery issues

My coach was parked for 2 months, not plugged in. Plugged it in for a day, then went to get it. Chassis batterywas ok but house batteries (1 yr old Optima AGMs) were dead. I've run the generator for about 4 hours, had a charger on them for 10 hours and still they're dead. I replaced the echo charger in April. Any ideas??
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Old 07-03-2019, 07:07 PM   #2
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Some chargers will not charge a fully dead or nearly dead battery. They require a minimum voltage at the battery to send a charge.



If your AGM house batteries are still good (have them tested), then perhaps bridging them with another charged 12v battery for a short time to get the charging started will help.
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Old 07-03-2019, 07:19 PM   #3
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When you say the house batteries are dead, did you measure the voltage at the batteries without them being on a charger? If they are too low, some chargers will not charge them.

Did you check the voltage on those same batteries with the charger connected to them and did you get above 13 volts?

How large of a charger did you use for the 10 hour charge?

On my 2000 Magna, there is a 200 amp circuit breaker between the house batteries and the house battery disconnect solenoid. And, that same breaker is in the Echo charger circuit so if it is tripped the Echo charger won't charge the chassis batteries. If that 200 amp breaker has tripped, my generator won't start.

There is also a 300 amp fuse ( think large cylindrical ) between the inverter and the house batteries. If that fuse is blown then the charger part of the inverter will not charge the house batteries and also not charge the chassis batteries through the Echo charger. Also if that fuse is blown the inverter will not provide 110 volts. But, of course, you would need charged house batteries for the inverter to provide 110 volts.
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Old 07-03-2019, 07:49 PM   #4
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some other issue....

So we checked the voltage in the batteries, they're FULLY charged! But 3 times now, I've left the refrig on and came back to: Refrig message about low DC power; alarms chirping due to low power and the lights don't work. Can't even start generator, but if I start the coach the generator starts fine and everything works in the coach.

Any ideas why it there would be no or low power into the coach when the batteries are fine??
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Old 07-03-2019, 07:57 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by TriCitySam View Post
So we checked the voltage in the batteries, they're FULLY charged! But 3 times now, I've left the refrig on and came back to: Refrig message about low DC power; alarms chirping due to low power and the lights don't work. Can't even start generator, but if I start the coach the generator starts fine and everything works in the coach.

Any ideas why it there would be no or low power into the coach when the batteries are fine??
As stated earlier, check the 300A fuse(s) between the Inverter and the House Batteries. Your CC Manual electrical diagrams will id the fuse.

Mine are in the House Battery compartment and near the inverter in the House fuse area.

If one of those fuses are blown, you will get the symptoms described.

Mine look like this one: https://www.invertersupply.com/index...EaArWZEALw_wcB
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Old 07-03-2019, 07:58 PM   #6
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I think I would start with the basics and clean all of the connections.

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Old 07-03-2019, 08:00 PM   #7
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My first guess is that you're looking at the wrong batteries. But, if that's not the case, then you need to check at the back of the fridge and see what the battery voltage is there. Then back-track until you find where you get full voltage again.

I also notice you say the batteries are fully charged but don't give a number. Fully charged 12v batteries show 12.6 volts or so, discharged batteries are 11.8 to 11.6 depending on how far you want to draw them down. (the further you discharge them, the shorter the battery life) Many electronic devices will warn you or shut themselves down when they get to a preset voltage. For example many inverters will automatically shut off when they reach a user set point. A good multimeter is essential in the RV world. Tenths of a volt are important when looking for problems. Many times it's not the "+" side that is the problem, but it's the "-" (ground) side that isn't up to snuff.

And lastly sorry to say but batteries which have gone totally flat, totally discharged often do not recover and must be replaced. It may be that you're seeing a surface charge, thinking they're fully charged and they just don't have the capacity to work for more than an hour or two. A good parts house can load test your batteries or a load tester can be purchased for a reasonable cost. Actually loading the batteries and seeing what their residual voltage is will tell you if you need new ones.
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Old 07-03-2019, 08:16 PM   #8
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Is the battery disconnect turned on? Are all the cable connections clean & tight? Ground to chassis is solid?
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Old 07-03-2019, 09:39 PM   #9
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I have tried chasing issues like these and sometimes have been successful finding the culprit; but for a number of years now I start at the battery and just go through everything. Clean all connections including to the disconnect switch. "Exercise" the disconnect switch and ALL breakers. If it is a manual switch work it. If it is electronic do a hard reset. The upside is even if you find the problem towards the tail end of the service work you still get a feeling of accomplishment that you have performed much needed preventive maintenance. Best of luck.
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Old 07-03-2019, 10:35 PM   #10
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My first guess is that you're looking at the wrong batteries.
They're the right batteries, tested at 12.3 volts. After I started the generator, everything worked great. Shut it off and went out about an hour later to check the frig, it said "DC lo". When I turned on the lights, they came on, but were dim.....not sure what the issue is. There are some ideas above to try. I'm heading out tomorrow, so.....we'll see.
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:16 PM   #11
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More info please!

Are these Yellow Top deep cycles. Or Dual Purpose (Like Marine) Blue Tops?

Both Yellow and Blue Top's - Should measure ~13 - 13.2V when charged.

For those batteries, 12.3V is low.

Suggest you take a reading at the battery terminals, while the coach is plugged in and in 'charge mode' - to see what voltage is coming form you Inveter/Charger...

You could just have old fashion dead batteries, due to a charging issue?

The more info? Well, what is the qty, and model of the batteries involved... It will help people help you!

Best,
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:19 PM   #12
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12.3 is half discharged. If you only ran the genny a bit you helped the batteries just slightly. There are several ways to work this problem when you get home and this is just my opinion. I would take good pics of the batteries, unhook them and clean them and other connections. I would charge each seperately with a charger, not the coach. After each is charged grab a cheap loadtester and see what you got. Others will say the fancy load testers are better and they are correct but a harbor freight or similar will get the job done for just a few bucks. Best of luck
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Old 07-04-2019, 08:04 AM   #13
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Batteries

If 12.3 is half discharged, wouldn't that be enough to run the frig and/or lights for more than 30 minutes or so? After that get the low DC warning on frig and the alarms start chirping.

I tried plugging into my 110 at home with a regular extension cord at home, but the breakers in back kept flipping on and off.
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Old 07-04-2019, 08:27 AM   #14
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Check the battery voltage at the same time your fridge is showing low and your lights are dim. That will show if you have a low battery or a connection problem. Low/weak batteries will read close to normal after a boost but checking under load will reveal the actual state of charge.

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