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Old 03-22-2017, 11:03 PM   #1
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Aladdin - Understanding it!!!

I'm having a problem getting/holding a good charge on my batteries. They are two months old and are four (4) AGM - LifeLines.

The only thing I have that really draws a lot of power is my Maytag residential refrigerator.

My problem is that I can charge them up to about 13.8 at 9 PM or 10 PM but by 7 AM the next morning they are down into the 11 range.

I just updated the MAGNUM remote to show "AGM 2" rather than "AGM" as it was before. And my charge is set to "100%."

Any thoughts?
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Old 03-23-2017, 07:11 AM   #2
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My coach has the Maytag residential fridge from the factory and that was an upgrade of four more AGM batteries, so I have a total of eight house AGM batteries. Sounds to me like you don't have enough battery bank to support the draw. Keep in mind there are so many other electrical draws, satellite boxes microwave clock, dvd's etc. not to mention all the 12 V draws as well. Also when you say you charge them up to 13.8 does your charger get to the float mode? The guys At Elite RV and restoration in Harrisburg Oregon set mine to AGM2 and 80%. They know these coaches inside and out so I didn't question why they set it that way and it has worked fine. JMO
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Old 03-23-2017, 09:10 AM   #3
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I also have the Maytag but with 8 GC2s. I can only ditto what Randy said. I would check to be sure the Batts are close to 100% SOC in the evening. Certainly with 4 AGMs you should not be that low overnight just running the Maytag and the control systems. Are you running any other hi amp draw items? I added a ME-BMK to the magnum system which monitors and tracks battery usage, perfect for dry camping.
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Old 03-24-2017, 07:34 AM   #4
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Lifelines come in many sizes, which do you have?
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Old 03-25-2017, 05:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Just For Fun View Post
I'm having a problem getting/holding a good charge on my batteries. They are two months old and are four (4) AGM - LifeLines.

The only thing I have that really draws a lot of power is my Maytag residential refrigerator.

My problem is that I can charge them up to about 13.8 at 9 PM or 10 PM but by 7 AM the next morning they are down into the 11 range.

I just updated the MAGNUM remote to show "AGM 2" rather than "AGM" as it was before. And my charge is set to "100%."

Any thoughts?
Did you change the panel that monitors battery and fluid levels to the new AGM's? It is probley still set for the old led cell batterys.
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Old 03-25-2017, 06:13 AM   #6
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Yea boy, that is a bummer.

I can only assume that you are either new to this coach and don't have a history with it. Replaced the batteries hoping to correct this issue or, had no issue before and the new batteries don't perform like the old ones?

I am no expert on this but recently traded my Norcold equipped Monaco for a residential equipped Monaco. Research showed very mixed user comments about how long you can go on battery power.

A couple of thoughts specific to your question:

If you only have a total of 4 house batteries, it would be a good idea to research adding more batteries if you plan to dry camp much. 4 is a bit lite for that.

Be sure your batteries are full before turning off the gen. 13.8 volts standing or after just hitting float mode is good, 13.8 volts while in bulk charge mode is nowhere close to topped off.

Find anything you can that is eating power and turn it off. Someone mentioned breaker strips for TV's and such to totally kill the power rather than having them in standby mode which does consume power.

If you have halogen lights in the coach, consider replacing them with LED, or at least the ones you use when not running shore power.

Consider turning the fridge off overnight and be sure to limit opening and shutting the door. Actually, they now make remote controlled and programmable voltage monitors that you can plug into the fridge AC plug and select or limit how much the fridge runs overnight. Maybe have it run 3 times for 15 minutes each over a 8 hour period? That would help.

Of course making sure your inverter and battery connections are all clean and tight is very important. If the battery can't properly charge, it can't properly discharge either.

I would take a volt meter and check the batteries against the Aladdin (at the battery posts) while the batteries are in various states of use, IE, under a load, while on charge, at float charge. The point of this is to see if the Aladdin is giving you accurate information. Many times between connections, long wire runs, relays and calibration issues your Aladdin may be indicating 11 but the batteries may actually be 11.5 or 12. I would also check this voltage at the rear run box connections and write all this down for proper analysis later. This will help direct you to a possible cable, connector, post, battery or whatever issue.

You may also want to make sure the compressor and cooling fins in the fridge are clean and not all full of dirt, hair which would cause the unit to run longer than it should which will consume more power. Also, the ice maker will eat some power, maybe turn that off overnight if you choose to leave the fridge on all the time.

I hope this all helps and I hope I can take my own advice LOL as I am not happy with how little I get out of 8 batteries.
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Old 03-25-2017, 10:58 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hardy1000 View Post
Did you change the panel that monitors battery and fluid levels to the new AGM's? It is probley still set for the old led cell batterys.
I updated the Magnum Remote was to "AGM 2" and it is at "100%."
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Old 03-25-2017, 11:09 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Windecker View Post
Yea boy, that is a bummer.

I can only assume that you are either new to this coach and don't have a history with it. Replaced the batteries hoping to correct this issue or, had no issue before and the new batteries don't perform like the old ones?

I am no expert on this but recently traded my Norcold equipped Monaco for a residential equipped Monaco. Research showed very mixed user comments about how long you can go on battery power.

A couple of thoughts specific to your question:

If you only have a total of 4 house batteries, it would be a good idea to research adding more batteries if you plan to dry camp much. 4 is a bit lite for that.

Be sure your batteries are full before turning off the gen. 13.8 volts standing or after just hitting float mode is good, 13.8 volts while in bulk charge mode is nowhere close to topped off.

Find anything you can that is eating power and turn it off. Someone mentioned breaker strips for TV's and such to totally kill the power rather than having them in standby mode which does consume power.

If you have halogen lights in the coach, consider replacing them with LED, or at least the ones you use when not running shore power.

Consider turning the fridge off overnight and be sure to limit opening and shutting the door. Actually, they now make remote controlled and programmable voltage monitors that you can plug into the fridge AC plug and select or limit how much the fridge runs overnight. Maybe have it run 3 times for 15 minutes each over a 8 hour period? That would help.

Of course making sure your inverter and battery connections are all clean and tight is very important. If the battery can't properly charge, it can't properly discharge either.

I would take a volt meter and check the batteries against the Aladdin (at the battery posts) while the batteries are in various states of use, IE, under a load, while on charge, at float charge. The point of this is to see if the Aladdin is giving you accurate information. Many times between connections, long wire runs, relays and calibration issues your Aladdin may be indicating 11 but the batteries may actually be 11.5 or 12. I would also check this voltage at the rear run box connections and write all this down for proper analysis later. This will help direct you to a possible cable, connector, post, battery or whatever issue.

You may also want to make sure the compressor and cooling fins in the fridge are clean and not all full of dirt, hair which would cause the unit to run longer than it should which will consume more power. Also, the ice maker will eat some power, maybe turn that off overnight if you choose to leave the fridge on all the time.

I hope this all helps and I hope I can take my own advice LOL as I am not happy with how little I get out of 8 batteries.
Windecker
WOW! That is a lot of really good info. I need to get to work on this list.

But I did find one problem: On the driver's consul to my left, there are several switches that were turned on. Like the "Aqua Hot Engine Preheat, the Block Heater and the Heated Mirrors" were all left on!!!!!! I finally realized that my large dog likes to sit in my seat when I'm away. Apparently he placed him big-fat-paws on these switched (and others) while protecting our couch from would-be strangers!!!!!
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Old 03-25-2017, 11:10 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hypoxia View Post
Lifelines come in many sizes, which do you have?
I don't know. I'll check in the morning.
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Old 03-26-2017, 04:07 AM   #10
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I replaced the norcold in our Imperial 6 or 7 yrs ago with a Samsung RF197 and have had no problems. We've boondocked at Quartzsite 3 times for a week and simply ran the generator for an hour each day to keep the batts up We have 4 6v Eveready golf cart flooded lead acid batts. They last about 5-6 yrs but are cheap and easy to replace from Sams Club. I converted the fluorescent liights in the coach to LEDs several years ago too and replaced the Sony tube type TV in the front to a 32" flat screen when off air TV went digital.
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Old 03-26-2017, 04:58 AM   #11
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Lanny, I had a friend with the same coach and a cat that liked to wonder around at night. He would wake up with the lights above the drivers and pass seats turned on and all the other switches on too. He would put clothes pins on the switches so they would not turn on. It worked great...

Good luck
Dave
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:17 PM   #12
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Lanny, I had a friend with the same coach and a cat that liked to wonder around at night. He would wake up with the lights above the drivers and pass seats turned on and all the other switches on too. He would put clothes pins on the switches so they would not turn on. It worked great...

Good luck
Dave
Thanks Dave.
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