Chassis batteries not charging

[Jim demaria]

I have a 2007 monaco knight.While parked the chassis batteries are not being charged.I am plugged into a 50 amp service.Is this normal?

[2 Stroker]

Originally Posted by Jim demaria

I have a 2007 monaco knight.While parked the chassis batteries are not being charged.I am plugged into a 50 amp service.Is this normal?

On some coaches,yes. Mine came with the Xantrex Echo Charger Xantrex Echo Charge but it went out so I installed the Magnum Combiner Magnum Me SBC Smart Battery Combiner | eBay better unit
some have installed something like this to keep the chassis batteries charged when plugged in. AMP-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer - Overview Page
My chassis batteries when plugged in run 13.8v all the time.
2 stroker

[al2ride]

Your batteries should be charging while the engine is running, while your generator is on, or while on shore power. You should read 13.8 volts or more across the battery terminals.

I have one of these to monitor the batteries.

12V 24V LED Car Auto Vehicle Cigarette Lighter Smoking Voltage Gauge Volt Meter | eBay

[vapor3000]

Originally Posted by Jim demaria

I have a 2007 monaco knight.While parked the chassis batteries are not being charged.I am plugged into a 50 amp service.Is this normal?

Check the 120vac breaker for your converter to see if it is tripped. If not check the 12vdc voltage on the outlet side of your converter which should be around 13.8 volts. If no voltage, check the 12vdc fuses. If they are blown, replace. If they blow again, its time for a new converter. Be sure your 12 volt isolation switch for your house batteries is on!!

[lanerd]

Originally Posted by al2ride

Your batteries should be charging while the engine is running, while your generator is on, or while on "SHORE" power. You should read 13.8 volts or more across the battery terminals.

I have one of these to monitor the batteries.

12V 24V LED Car Auto Vehicle Cigarette Lighter Smoking Voltage Gauge Volt Meter | eBay

This is not necessarily correct. As mentioned previously, some coaches have that capability and some don't.

My previous coach (2008 Safari Simba RD) was a very close cousin of your Knight (maybe even a half-sister) and even though the owner's manual stipulated that my chassis batteries would be charged from shore power......it did not. I had to call Monaco Tech to find out for sure.

So, I purchased a Battery Minder and while that worked just fine, I got tired of having to run an extension cord from the engine heat 120v outlet on the driver's side to the battery compartment on the passenger side. At the advice of others here, I purchased and installed an Trik-L-Start. Three small wires and no 120vac required. No more dead chassis batteries and no further input from me everytime we stopped for the night.

So yes, your situation is normal. Get a Trik-l-start and it will solve your problem.

Good Luck

Ron

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Jim demaria

I have a 2007 monaco knight.While parked the chassis batteries are not being charged.I am plugged into a 50 amp service.Is this normal?

Jim demaria
Many, (most?), coaches did not originally charge the chassis. (aka: starting), battery when on shore or generator power, (only via the alternator while the engine is running).
BTW, that is the way it's is done on ALL automobiles.

Some owners have added a Trik-L-Charger: Ultra TRIK-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer... or an Echo Charger: Battery Chargers | Auxiliary Battery Charger | Xantrex, to solve what is, IMO, an imaginary problem.

I simply eliminated all phantom draws from my chassis batteries.

Mel
'96 Safari, 132k miles

[DanandBetty]

Jim; I have the same coach and just went through the same questions. You can search on this topic and find plenty but here's the short of it.

Our coach (as far as I know the Knights are all the same for 2007) do not have a factory installed system to charge our chassis battery while we're parked and on shore power. You either have to run the engine periodically or install an aftermarket charger of your choosing to keep them charged while parked for extended periods of time.

I bought a Trik-L-Charger (the cheapest I could find online for about $45) and installed it just a few weeks ago. It works very well. It just taps some of the power from your Magnum house battery charger and trickles it into the chassis batteries. They're simple to install and work well. Lots of choices in these products.

I mounted a volt meter in the battery bay so I can check the chassis battery charge level and confirm that the trickle charger is working correctly. Good luck with it....dan