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csneed · 04-30-2025, 07:26 AM

2011 Newmar Essex house batteries. Won’t charge. I was told that it was a relay or solenoid problem. And I guess the guy never ordered a part nor have I heard from him again. I’m capable of changing things on my own, but I don’t know which part number or component it really is. I know it’s in the compartment behind a cardboard partition or the rest of the circuit breakers, and where the power cord I would say compartment. Can anybody relate to this problem that I’m having? My bus is only 1500 miles away so I cannot take pictures at this time.
My bus has a total of (8) 6 volt house batteries. Is there any upgrades where you can reduce the amount of batteries?
Would appreciate any type of help or why schematically be wonders.
My email is Cws.gypsy@gmail.com

johnbro27 · 04-30-2025, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csneed

2011 Newmar Essex house batteries. Won’t charge. I was told that it was a relay or solenoid problem. And I guess the guy never ordered a part nor have I heard from him again. I’m capable of changing things on my own, but I don’t know which part number or component it really is. I know it’s in the compartment behind a cardboard partition or the rest of the circuit breakers, and where the power cord I would say compartment. Can anybody relate to this problem that I’m having? My bus is only 1500 miles away so I cannot take pictures at this time.
My bus has a total of (8) 6 volt house batteries. Is there any upgrades where you can reduce the amount of batteries?
Would appreciate any type of help or why schematically be wonders.
My email is Cws.gypsy@gmail.com

Hi there! Sounds like a real thorn in the side. You might first want to see if you can find someone reliable and competent to fix your motorhome where it is, since you're a long way away. I could be the transfer switch where the shore power cord comes in, or it could be something entirely different. Only by chasing the voltage from a source to the batteries can you know for sure.

WRT your 8 battery question: 8 6V batteries is the same as 4 12V batteries; you can replace them with one or 2 or more Lithium batteries of higher capacity. Unless you are going to boondock a lot you might find that is an expensive change that won't improve your RV experiences much. HTH

SafariBen · 04-30-2025, 10:44 AM

What do you WANT the batteries to do? If you just want the lights and water pump to work overnight occasionally, one 12v marine cranking, or Li will do that easily. If you want to run a compressor fridge for a week and NEVER worry about running out of power, you need a little more. Generator use is another factor, if you're fine with running the generator whenever needed, you could run one 300A Li and a charging system that would put 150A into it from the generator, and that would work.

Rev. Roy · 05-01-2025, 11:36 AM

The first step was to eliminate the batteries being bad. If just one is bad it can't mess things up. This is something that can't be done remotely. If they're completely drained, they cannot be charged by plugging it in or running the generator, If it has an inverter, check to see if the breaker on it needs reset. Usually a button on the side of it. Push the switch on the dash that ties the house and chassis batteries together and listen for a click. That will tell you if the BIRD or transfer is working. I agree with finding a mobile tech in the area because all this is hands-on stuff.