Removing house batteries

[dennismhamm]

question? can i remove my house batteries and leave the coach connected to shore power? im replacing the house batteries and want to remove them today and will get the new batteries tomorrow.

[Daddy's truck]

I have a 2005 Winnebago, and take the house batteries out for the winter. I have had it plugged in to the shore line and never had an issue with no batteries.

[ga traveler]

The manufacturer of the converter says not to run the converter without batteries. They say the batteries act as a sink (shock absorber) for the converter. If you do decide to do this, make sure you have the positive cable clear of the frame or any ground source.

[gatorv]

I wound not leave it plugged in and turn all disconnects off. You can do a lot of damage if you accidentally short a cable out. Not to mention blow the battery up. Take a picture with a phone or camera just in case you need to go back and look. Be careful they are heavy and carry a lot of amps. I wear safety shield when working around them. Good luck.

[dennismhamm]

gatorv, i have pets in the motorhome and have a 40 mile drive to take the old batteries and pick up the new batteries thats why i was wondering if it would be ok to leave the motorhome plugged in for ac to run.

[BrianGlenn]

You may be able to disable all 12V - main 12V disconnect and unplug/flip breaker for converter/charger. Otherwise there is a risk of live 12V lead shorting out to frame, blowing fuses/or damaging converter. Still take care not to short out the 12V positive cables to ground or other metal surfaces.

This will leave the 120V systems functional and run the air conditioners.


Brian

[bcbowers]

Dennis,

I just recently replaced all of my batteries ...

I'm pretty sure the DuoTherm controls won't work without +12V DC and you definitely will be disrupting the +12V DC!? You need to make other arrangements to keep the pets safe & comfortable.

You definitely need to turn OFF the Inverter/Charger!!! It's very advisable that you pull the main (black) ground or negative connections off of the batteries before disconnecting any positive (red) connections.

You need to consider that the Inverter/Charger holds a significant amount of residual voltage due to the large capacitor(s) it employs. So, even if you turn off the Invert/Charger you're still at considerable risk of getting a significant spark if the leads are shorted (damage?). If possible (or reasonably convenient), I suggest disconnecting the "Ground" lead (should be black vs. red) at the Inverter/Charger even if that means unmounting it temporarily. This action should enable you to "play" with cables at will. If not, then you need a means of covering/protecting the main cables. I've seen covers for cable ends but not sure exactly where you can get them (electrical supply?).

Whatever you do .... PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

[Beagle RC Air]

Originally Posted by bcbowers

Dennis,

I just recently replaced all of my batteries ...

I'm pretty sure the DuoTherm controls won't work without +12V DC and you definitely will be disrupting the +12V DC!? You need to make other arrangements to keep the pets safe & comfortable.

You definitely need to turn OFF the Inverter/Charger!!! It's very advisable that you pull the main (black) ground or negative connections off of the batteries before disconnecting any positive (red) connections.

You need to consider that the Inverter/Charger holds a significant amount of residual voltage due to the large capacitor(s) it employs. So, even if you turn off the Invert/Charger you're still at considerable risk of getting a significant spark if the leads are shorted (damage?). If possible (or reasonably convenient), I suggest disconnecting the "Ground" lead (should be black vs. red) at the Inverter/Charger even if that means unmounting it temporarily. This action should enable you to "play" with cables at will. If not, then you need a means of covering/protecting the main cables. I've seen covers for cable ends but not sure exactly where you can get them (electrical supply?).

Whatever you do .... PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

Very good advice! I have seen what a shorted battery can do and it is not pretty. In addition to the above advice I always wrap the end of the wrench with several layers of duct tape so that just the box end is visible and the use two hands to avoid the wrench traveling to far when you tighten or loosen. I just replaced the house batteries and discovered that the 'military' style (2) connectors were a universal style as opposed to positive or negative connectors. I replaced both of them because they do not tighten down on the post very well. Not many parts stores have the connectors and will need to order them for you, about $8 each.

beagle

[Janet and Todd]

Oh, and throw a blanket over your solar panel or pull the fuse for it.

[Old Scout]

All good advice--pretty sure ACs wont run without 12v power. Inverters like the RS2000 have a hot charge function in the menu so unless disabled, the inverter will go to charge if 120v power is disrupted and restored. Inverter is also hot wired to bats so cut-off switch doesnt disable, need to shut off 30 amp breaker in gray box to kill 120v power to inverter.....Looks like two trips to get bats.....

[bcbowers]

Dennis,

You haven't mentioned the status of your current battery installation so here's a few issues from my recent experience:

1. Your battery shelf may be different than my '03 but the chassis bats sit on a higher shelf than the house bats. My house bats were originally spaced on the bottom with a custom piece of 3/4" plywood (previous dealer's work from battery fire!). The 2 - battery banks were at slightly different heights because the plywood was too thick. The hold down bars were flat metal strips that had allowed the bats to shift.

2. I used a new 5/8" OSB (sp?) board under the house bats to get the height of both banks equal (GC2 & Grp 31 bats). I also painted the board with 2 - coats of primer/sealer.

3. I replaced all threaded rods with 3/8" X 12" precut pieces from Lowe's. I used galvanized nuts and washers where possible.

4. I used plastic "U - Channel" from Grainger (thanks to Jim A!) that is 2" wide to replace those metal hold down strips. I used lock nuts and 3/8" galvanized fender washers to hold down the "U-channel". BTW, the "U-channel" is made of fire-resistant reinforced plastic.

5. All cables went back on the batteries as originally connected while oriented as necessary to maintain easy access to the battery caps. Note: I use wet cells with the Pro-Fill watering system.

Hope some of this is helpful ...

[ga traveler]

If your AC controls are directly on the AC, You can run the AC with no 12 volts. If your controls are by thermostat, the thermostat is 12 volts and you must have 12 volts to run the ac.