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Old 09-19-2020, 07:19 PM   #1
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House Batteries are dead

Hi there,
We have a 2018 class a Winnebago with dead house batteries while being hooked up to 50 amp service in the park we are staying at present. What could cause this? This is not the 1st time this has happened. The power panel in the coach shows the red fault light and flashs dead battery. Help please. Rufus
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Old 09-19-2020, 07:25 PM   #2
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do you have an inverter? is it on?
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Old 09-20-2020, 04:04 AM   #3
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Rufus-

Your profile says you have a Winnebago Vista LX 35-footer. Winnebago has two 2018 models at that length- the 35B and the 35 F. The wiring diagrams for both are available by this set of links:

Winnebago Manuals and Diagrams
Wiring Diagrams

I see that there are two diagram sets for the 2018 Vista XL 35F, based on serial number. Taking the first diagram set for the 2018 Vista LX 35F (link here) as an example, we drill down to the Battery Installation diagram, link here.

Looking at sheet 4 of that diagram, it says that the house batteries will not charge if:

1) The manual house battery disconnect switch is in the "off" position, or
2) The inverter is not supplying charge current (broken or not in correct state to supply charge), or
3) The inverter fuse has failed, or,
4) The house battery bank is in poor condition, or
5) The wiring has failed between the inverter and the house battery bank

Note: The manual house battery disconnect switch in 1), above is NOT the house battery disconnect switch located inside the coach. It is a manual, rotary switch located to the left of the house battery bank, per sheet 3, zone C-3 of the "Battery Installation" diagram.

By the way, you should add a "signature" to your profile. It contains whatever info you want; most people put info about their coach there, so they don't have to type it into each message. Instructions for adding a signature are here.
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Old 09-20-2020, 05:19 AM   #4
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got to love winnebago, they post great info on site, good for them,, even my old 96 has detailed info,, helps so much
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:27 AM   #5
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rufus, is the inverter poweed ON?
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:36 AM   #6
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If you have an inverter/charger and it was off, it will not start charging once turned back on, if the batteries are completely discharged.

They don't start charging unless they sense some battery voltage, between 8 and 12 volts.

Starting the main engine will get the interconnecting, isolation solenoid to close. That will give the discharged batteries a boost and get the voltage up enough to get the inverter/charger going.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:43 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
If you have an inverter/charger and it was off, it will not start charging once turned back on, if the batteries are completely discharged.

Let me state that a little differently: The charge function is not related to inverter switch being turned on or off. The charge function is automatic anytime the inverter/charger receives an external source of 120 VAC (generator or shore power).


As twinboat said, if batteries too deeply discharged, the inverter/charger will NOT attempt to charge them. So, some other source of charging is needed to get the charging process started. That could be a "stupid" stand alone charger or alternator on main engine.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:48 PM   #8
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Dead batteries

Hey guys thanks for the feedback on this situation. I do have an inverter but it will not come on because the fault meter reflects that the batteries are dead. This has happened once before and I was able to get the coach charger to kick in by hooking up my external battery charger. As one of the posts has pointed out the system has to sense a certain degree of voltage before starting to recharge. I’m thinking that the batteries need to be replaced. However I’m puzzled over how they can become discharged when we are hooked up to shore power. Any more ideas? Rufus
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Old 09-24-2020, 11:32 AM   #9
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Do the batteries have removeable caps - can you read the specific gravity of each cell? You might have had a catastrophic failure in one battery, dragging the other(s) down.
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Old 09-26-2020, 05:18 PM   #10
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Dead Batteries

No, they no mtn types. NAPA rv deep cycle
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Old 09-27-2020, 07:38 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rufusfruge View Post
No, they no mtn types. NAPA rv deep cycle
I'd give them a good charge, by whatever works, disconnect them from the coach and each other and monitor each for however long it takes to see if one battery is discharging faster than the other(s).
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Old 09-30-2020, 07:56 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1 View Post
Rufus-

Your profile says you have a Winnebago Vista LX 35-footer. Winnebago has two 2018 models at that length- the 35B and the 35 F. The wiring diagrams for both are available by this set of links:

Winnebago Manuals and Diagrams
Wiring Diagrams

I see that there are two diagram sets for the 2018 Vista XL 35F, based on serial number. Taking the first diagram set for the 2018 Vista LX 35F (link here) as an example, we drill down to the Battery Installation diagram, link here.

Looking at sheet 4 of that diagram, it says that the house batteries will not charge if:

1) The manual house battery disconnect switch is in the "off" position, or
2) The inverter is not supplying charge current (broken or not in correct state to supply charge), or
3) The inverter fuse has failed, or,
4) The house battery bank is in poor condition, or
5) The wiring has failed between the inverter and the house battery bank

Note: The manual house battery disconnect switch in 1), above is NOT the house battery disconnect switch located inside the coach. It is a manual, rotary switch located to the left of the house battery bank, per sheet 3, zone C-3 of the "Battery Installation" diagram.

By the way, you should add a "signature" to your profile. It contains whatever info you want; most people put info about their coach there, so they don't have to type it into each message. Instructions for adding a signature are here.
This particular situation doesn’t apply to me (yet) but I wanted to compliment you on such a thorough, detailed response.

-RT
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