Over Charging?

[Jburklo]

All

I am not an electrician and have a battery charging question. I have a 2012 Aspire DEQ. It is in storage, hooked up to a 110V outlet keeping my batteries charged. When I went to the coach yesterday, I checked the water in the batteries and all together they were about a gallon low (4 house batteries) after one month. When I went inside the coach I noticed my float charging at 14.6. Normally it is around 13.6. Is it over charging? If so, how do I control the charging levels?

As usual, thank you very much for the help! This forum has been very valuable to my success at owning such a great piece of quality equipment!!

Sincerely appreciate any help or response. We are getting ready to leave San Antonio, Tx and head to Cooperstown for the HOF induction.

Sincerely
Jeff & Terri Burklo
2012 Aspire DEQ
2011 Jeep Liberty

[Gdawgs]

Sounds like you are over-charging. I'd check the batteries and make sure they're not bulging, changing shape or cracked. I've got 8 AGM batteries for the house totaling 800 AMPS. My control panel and documentation let's me set the type of battery and the charge rate for the total amps I have. In my case I have the charger running at 80% capacity for a correct charge for 800 AMPS. Your system documentation should help you determine the correct rate and give you instructions on how to make the adjustment. Most systems come from the factory set at 100% which will over charge the batteries.

[Jburklo]

Grants.

Thank you for the quick response. I looked at the batteries yesterday and a couple do have a slight budge. Nothing really abnormal but a slight buldge. I'm not plugged into a charger just to a 110V outlet. Can I control the charge via the controls inside the coach?

Jeff

[Gdawgs]

Originally Posted by Jburklo

Grants.

Thank you for the quick response. I looked at the batteries yesterday and a couple do have a slight budge. Nothing really abnormal but a slight buldge. I'm not plugged into a charger just to a 110V outlet. Can I control the charge via the controls inside the coach?

Jeff

Yes...I'm sure your coach has a built in charging system so even at 110V your internal charger should be working. If you have the Magnum Inverter/charger you can make the adjustments at the control panel.

[Jburklo]

Thanks again Gdawgs (apologies on the auto correct to Grants above). I pulled out my Magnum Energy book and have now thoroughly read thru it. I believe I need to shore max settings, as well as search watts setting since it is connected to 110 and nothing is running (ref ridge turned off as well). I also need to confirm my battery type (I think flooded) and my amphrs to ensure my charge rate is correct.

Thanks again
Jeff

[johnnyreno]

look for 757 driver. He can dial you in. on the forum.

[brobox]

Jeff,
If the charging setup does not work, and you have a couple of bulging batteries that are 4 years old, you might be looking at battery replacement. With the heat in FL, I averaged 3 years on a set of wet cells and why I wanted AGM's this time around. Heat cooks wet cell batteries.

Also might try equalizing the batteries if you have not done so. Follow the manual on that one.

[carl.swoyer]

Jeff
You can call Magnum tech support. there telephone is 425-353-8833. When I put my ms2812 in Glenn walked me through the process and answered all my questions. You should call them. I personally went with four group 31agm batteries. They charge alot faster than wet cells. You also need a battery temperature sensor so the Magnum can charge at a safe rate

[carl.swoyer]

Jeff forgot to mention you can set the Magnum to the respective incoming amps. Meaning if you plugged into a 20 or 30 and or a 50 amp power. This allows the Magnum to charge based on the correct input

[757driver]

Jeff,

Shore power settings and search watts will not affect your battery charging. If your Magnum ME-RC remote panel says it was float charging at 14.6v then you have some incorrect settings.

If you send me a PM with your email and your exact battery make and model or a picture of the top of a battery I can walk you through checking the settings.

[carl.swoyer]

You are correct it won't affect the charging, however if he leaves it on say 50 amp shore. Then plugs into a lesser shore power. That feed line from the shore may not be capable of carrying those amps. also the settings for battery type is also important as each type of batteries charge at a different rate.

[3xbear]

Originally Posted by 757driver

Jeff,



Shore power settings and search watts will not affect your battery charging. If your Magnum ME-RC remote panel says it was float charging at 14.6v then you have some incorrect settings.



If you send me a PM with your email and your exact battery make and model or a picture of the top of a battery I can walk you through checking the settings.

Hate to ask, and probably a silly question, but, I also have my coach in storage, plugged to 110, when not in use. Do I have to worry about overcharging with a 2016 CS?
Anything particular I should be doing with the inverters?

[757driver]

Originally Posted by carl.swoyer

You are correct it won't affect the charging, however if he leaves it on say 50 amp shore. Then plugs into a lesser shore power. That feed line from the shore may not be capable of carrying those amps. also the settings for battery type is also important as each type of batteries charge at a different rate.

That is true, but that inverters charger is only capable of drawing a maximum of 12.5 AC amps so something else being powered in the coach such as a fridge would be required to exceed a 15 amp breaker. Battery type is important to get the right setting for the batteries being used but quite often the pre-programmed settings are not 100% correct either. Either way no pre-programmed setting in the Magnum inverter has a float setting of 14.6v.

[johnnyreno]

Originally Posted by 757driver

That is true, but that inverters charger is only capable of drawing a maximum of 12.5 AC amps so something else being powered in the coach such as a fridge would be required to exceed a 15 amp breaker. Battery type is important to get the right setting for the batteries being used but quite often the pre-programmed settings are not 100% correct either. Either way no pre-programmed setting in the Magnum inverter has a float setting of 14.6v.

What don said is very true as several of my settings were off. Don was kind enough to send me a chart that works excellent now.