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Old 08-01-2018, 05:21 PM   #1
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Question 1993 Monaco Dynasty house batteries in parallel?

I am stumped as to why the 2 - 6 volt house batteries are wired in parallel, something I noticed recently while doing the monthly battery check.
Is this a "normal" situation?
From everything I have been able to see thru searching this forum and others is that two 6 volt deep cycle batteries are usually wired in series, generating 12 volts total.
I re-wired the batteries in series, for a brief period, and heard a faint sizzling sound coming from one of the batteries. So, I put things back the way they were.
Am i being overly cautious/paranoid?
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Old 08-01-2018, 05:29 PM   #2
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Send pictures.
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Old 08-02-2018, 05:39 PM   #3
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+1 on the pictures

The two 6 volt batteries must be in series for 12volts. If they're now in parallel, what voltage do you read with a meter? Test at an interior light, or from one of the 12volt circuits at the fuse box.
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Old 08-04-2018, 06:51 PM   #4
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Usually 4 6 volt batteries, 2 are series, the other 2 are series, & the pairs are parallel.
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Old 08-05-2018, 11:41 AM   #5
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Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

If there's only two 6 VDC batteries they should be in series. If there's four, then what DJDave said!


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Old 08-05-2018, 06:34 PM   #6
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Thanks for the input (no pun intended) and advice from those who replied. I definitely have 2-6 volt batteries wired in parallel. They are the NAPA GC-2 type and the previous owner had them installed a few months before I bought in August of 2017.
I measured the voltage at a 12 volt light socket, with the shore power disconnected and I get 11.33 volts.
Do you know if a step up transformer is in the line? Or is the converter providing the additional amount needed? The converter is original equipment, Series 900 from Magnetek - would that have any role in this?

Here's a shot of the wiring as it exists:
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Old 08-05-2018, 06:45 PM   #7
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Any chance there is another 6-volt battery (or two of them in parallel) in another location in the MH, wired in series with this pair? Maybe close to a generator?
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Old 08-05-2018, 07:11 PM   #8
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Your picture shows they could be wired in parallel , but if they were there would have to be a connection to the positive terminal . The way they are currently wired , there is no power coming from the batteries.

The small red jumper cable should go from the positive of the battery with the black cable connected to the negative terminal of the other battery. The large red cable should be moved from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the same battery. That will give you 12 volts between the large black cable and the large red cable.
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Old 08-05-2018, 10:38 PM   #9
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The 11.33V is coming from the engine start battery.
It looks like its wired wrong. Why is the large red cable on the right of the picture going to a negative terminal? Red generally means positive.

Move the battery jumper wire from the + on the right battery to the - on the right battery and move the large red cable on the right from the - to the +.
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Old 08-06-2018, 01:00 AM   #10
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They are not in parallel, but are wired wrong in series.

If they have been getting charged that way, they are probably bad now. One has been getting charged backwards.

As mentioned, you need to re-wire the jumper cable, so it goes from a positive of one battery, to a negetave of the other.
The 2 remaining terminals will be your positive and negetive supplying 12 volts to your RV.
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Old 08-06-2018, 07:51 AM   #11
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What Vito said.
You are not getting power from the setup in the pic, you must be testing a circuit powered by the chassis battery.
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Old 08-06-2018, 09:00 AM   #12
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He may be reading the improperly wired batteries voltage.

A battery can be charged backwards, if run down dead. All you need to do is charge it the wrong way, like in the OPs setup.

Voltage and capacity will not be as expected, but that's what he is experiencing.
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Old 08-06-2018, 09:13 AM   #13
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One of the reasons not to buy a used rig.
Might be able to save the batteries but I wouldn't bet on it.
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Old 08-07-2018, 01:46 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_D View Post
One of the reasons not to buy a used rig.
Ah, yes! OP: this is the definitive solution. Stop screwing around with these secondhand batteries and just go buy yourself a brand new motorcoach. Problem solved!

Seriously, I hope you get it sorted out. I was completely unprepared for the level of complexity I found when I got a big motorhome. It's been a steep learning curve.
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