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Old 09-10-2017, 12:33 PM   #1
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Chassis batteries drawing down fast

'06 Monaco Cayman. Dry docking for 5-7 days at a time (for our job). Last week after 5 days of dry docking, the onan 5500 geni shut itself off. Our chassis batteries were dead. We thought it was the heat. Bought two new batteries (originals were +/- 4 years old). Installed them, geni cranked right up, no more issues. This morning, exactly 7 days later, the geni turned itself off again. Brand new batteries dead. We're looking for guidance on what to troubleshoot, where to start. Getting new batteries again as I type this. Know they will die if we don't identify root cause.

Other note: we just had the geni fully service and hertz adjusted, so the geni should not be the issue.

Thanks in advance for suggestions/troubleshooting recommendations.
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Old 09-10-2017, 12:39 PM   #2
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You have something on that is drawing current with the switch off. Get a voltmeter and open your panel where the D.C. Fuses are and see what is powered up. My radio in my old Dynasty was the culprit even though it wasn't on. Clock and date were always on. Put an inline switch to turn it off/on and never had a dead battery again.
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Old 09-10-2017, 12:52 PM   #3
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You have something on that is drawing current with the switch off. Get a voltmeter and open your panel where the D.C. Fuses are and see what is powered up. My radio in my old Dynasty was the culprit even though it wasn't on. Clock and date were always on. Put an inline switch to turn it off/on and never had a dead battery again.
Yes, but with the geni running 24/7, shouldn't the geni be keeping the chassis batteries charged?
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Old 09-10-2017, 01:39 PM   #4
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If you have a voltmeter, check the two battery banks while the genny is running. If the genny is charging the batteries, the voltage should be 13+ to 14 volts. See if the house batteries are getting charged. If one set is charging, at least you know your converter is working. This might help to narrow down the problem. As stated you have something drawing down the batteries As you said, if they arent charging, thats the main problem.
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Old 09-10-2017, 02:21 PM   #5
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On your generation of coach the Inverter/converter only charges the house batteries.

To keep the chassis batteries up you will need a trickle charger hooked to them and AC current.
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Old 09-10-2017, 02:34 PM   #6
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On your generation of coach the Inverter/converter only charges the house batteries.

To keep the chassis batteries up you will need a trickle charger hooked to them and AC current.
Yes! That is the conclusion we have just come to after much reading. Thank you! We never could find a clear answer in our manual buy visual inspection shows NO connection from inverter/converter to chassis batteries.

Can we connect our solar to "trickle charge" the chassis batteries?
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Old 09-10-2017, 02:43 PM   #7
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Yes! That is the conclusion we have just come to after much reading. Thank you! We never could find a clear answer in our manual buy visual inspection shows NO connection from inverter/converter to chassis batteries.

Can we connect our solar to "trickle charge" the chassis batteries?
I doubt your trickle charge solar will be enough to keep up with 2 chassis batteries. On my 07 Neptune (sister to your Cayman, but a holiday rambler) I had the same problem after 2 to 3 weeks of being plugged up but not started. I added the trik-l-start to keep the chassis batteries charged. What it does is after the house batteries are charged it takes voltage from them at about 5 amps and sends to the chassis batteries to keep them up. Ive had it on for 5 years now and chassis batteries haven't once been weak or dead (knock on wood). HTH

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Old 09-10-2017, 02:53 PM   #8
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Awesome. We are headed out to get a trickle charger now. Thanks, all!
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Old 09-10-2017, 03:20 PM   #9
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Your generator should be running from the house batteries. That way the house battery supplies power to the generator ignition and safety systems, to keep it running.

The house charging system then keeps the house battery charged and all is well. The generator has no charging system.

If it was built to start and run from the chassis battery, which I doubt, it would have a bi-directional battery isolator, so the chassis battery wasn't drawn down, powering the generator engine systems.

If it has a BIRD, it's not working.

I convertered mine to start from the chassis battery ( moving one cable ), but I also installed a bi-directional charge relay ( isolation solenoid or BIRD )

The Trik- L - Start thing is a work around, but so would a small charger plugged into the generator, connected to the chassis battery.

I would be getting a 6 to 10 amp charger to cover the generator draw. A small 1 to 2 amp trickle charger may not be enough.
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Old 09-10-2017, 03:52 PM   #10
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Old 09-10-2017, 04:29 PM   #11
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Will this product work for us? Remember, we boondock almost 100 percent of the time because of our work locations. So we need some way to keep our chassis batteries from dying while run our geni to live 24/7, sometimes for a week or more.
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Old 09-10-2017, 04:32 PM   #12
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Will this product work for us? Remember, we boondock almost 100 percent of the time because of our work locations. So we need some way to keep our chassis batteries from dying while run our geni to live 24/7, sometimes for a week or more.


Yes. If your converter is charging your house batteries when your generator is running, this device uses some of this power to charge the chassis batteries.
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Old 09-10-2017, 04:34 PM   #13
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Yes. If your converter is charging your house batteries when your generator is running, this device uses some of this power to charge the chassis batteries.
Yes, the converter is charging our house batteries through the geni. And soon through a crap-load of solar so we won't have to run the geni all the time. We will look into this product. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. 👍
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Old 09-10-2017, 04:34 PM   #14
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Yes, the converter is charging our house batteries through the geni. And soon through a crap-load of solar so we won't have to run the geni all the time. We will look into this product. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. 👍
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