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Old 05-13-2018, 10:52 AM   #1
HGC
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Chassis battery drain

My RV buddy has a 2011 34ft Southwind with a Ford chassis and for some reason, if let sitting for 2 weeks or so, loses it's charge and will not turn over. We have not been able to find the drain that is consistent with the voltage drop. Was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem with the Southwind or Bounder and what they did to avoid this situation. Thanks for your help.
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Old 05-13-2018, 11:10 AM   #2
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My RV buddy has a 2011 34ft Southwind with a Ford chassis and for some reason, if let sitting for 2 weeks or so, loses it's charge and will not turn over. We have not been able to find the drain that is consistent with the voltage drop. Was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem with the Southwind or Bounder and what they did to avoid this situation. Thanks for your help.

There was a recent thread here where someone with a Ford chassis had a constant 2amp drain from their steps. Don't know the coach. His issue was a failure to charge his chassis battery from the alternator if the battery was below 10.5 volts, but the drain from the steps was mentioned.


Maybe some can link that thread to this but in the meantime, I'll try to find it.


Other than that, there will usually be a parasitic drain on the chassis battery anyway. Condition of the battery and degree of drain will play a part on the two-week period that "kills" your battery.


Here's the link: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/anot...ue-391079.html
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Old 05-13-2018, 11:13 AM   #3
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How old are the batteries? Do the house/auxiliary batteries drain down to?
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Old 05-13-2018, 07:31 PM   #4
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Chassis battery drain

Thanks for the responses!
I think his chassis battery is only a year old and I think his house batteries are holding charge. But batteries can be bad, right?
Was wondering what would be the main drain on the chassis battery when not in operation and how to follow the amp drain?
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Old 05-13-2018, 07:41 PM   #5
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But batteries can be bad, right?

Correct

Was wondering what would be the main drain on the chassis battery when not in operation and how to follow the amp drain?
Engine and trans , ECMs ( Electronic Control Modules ) radio memory , dash memory .

While working at a Chrysler dealership, new car batteries would run down in three weeks.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:11 AM   #6
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Jump in with a question

My chassie battery seems to loose power also even while plugged in. I recall in a previous post reading that your house batteries need to reach a certain level and then the charge will move on to the chassie battery. I dont remember what that number was. Have cleaned terminals, checked water on house, front is sealed. Just for info sake if the front battery goes below a certain level your refrigerator will stop working which is what has happened to me twice now. I have a 50 amp service but while at home am connected too 30.
Thanks
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:14 AM   #7
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Thanks for the responses!
I think his chassis battery is only a year old and I think his house batteries are holding charge. But batteries can be bad, right?
Was wondering what would be the main drain on the chassis battery when not in operation and how to follow the amp drain?
Batteries can go bad if left discharged or frozen.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:20 AM   #8
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My chassie battery seems to loose power also even while plugged in. I recall in a previous post reading that your house batteries need to reach a certain level and then the charge will move on to the chassie battery. I dont remember what that number was. Have cleaned terminals, checked water on house, front is sealed. Just for info sake if the front battery goes below a certain level your refrigerator will stop working which is what has happened to me twice now. I have a 50 amp service but while at home am connected too 30.
Thanks
Your house batteries need to reach a charging voltage of 13.4 volts before a voltage sensing device, if you have one, will connect the house batteries to the chassis batteries and maintain them.

If your " front battery " is the starting battery, the fridge shouldn't be connected to it. The fridge power should come from the main house fuse box, which is powered by the house battery.

Connected to 30 or 50 amps, with the proper adaptor, will not effect the operations of the MH, except you can't run to much at once.
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Old 06-05-2018, 08:36 AM   #9
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Twinboat

Sorry when I said front battery I did mean Starting battery, brain lapse at the time. Recently the chassie , starting battery went down to the low 12"s and the ref. kicked out, red light black box I charged the battery, cleaned the terminals, reset the box with a magnate and all was good. This time the ref shut down so got out meter and checked the starting battery and it was in the low 12's again. Sorry dont remember exact number seems like 12.2 give or take a point, this was over several weeks. The motor home has been plugged in all winter and I have started it a few times to be sure and to lubricate the engine.
I think I got the House battery level to go to the starting battery from Fleetwood. You say voltage sensing devise. Where would that be located? I will be checking the batteries again today as I was not able to reset fridg. with magnate last night oh and my preferred battery charger quit working.
Oh and you are correct, my ref is wired through the breaker panel. Not sure where I got the connection to chassie battery but I did read that.

While I have you do you know is it safe to run the engine (alternator charging starting battery + house I think while plugged into shore power?
Thanks for the input
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Old 06-05-2018, 10:14 AM   #10
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Your fridge is probably overheating the burner and shutting down. Look for heat damage around that black box.

The box that needs the magnet to reset has nothing to do with the battery volts, its a safety switch to prevent a fire.

If your parked on an unlevel surface, get it level. If your level, you may have a fire hazard.

Its fine to have 2 charging sources. Having the shore cord plugged in sends the same power as the generator running.

Lots of MHs run down the road with the generator running. They also have solar charging the batteries. That adds a third charging source. They are all controlled based on voltage. Once the volts reach a point, the chargers all cut back.
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