Inverter/Charging issues

[dfuelman]

I have an '01 Intrigue with the following issues:

Chassis battery never seems to charge when hooked to shore power. I have been getting by with a battery charger whenever we have taken the unit out camping but it is only a crutch until the real issue is resolved.

Second, whenever we run on the generator, it seems to want to overcharge the house batteries. Today when I arrived back home (about a one hour trip) I had a fault light on my read out panel and once before the charge level was showing over 15 amps. Everything appears to work as it should when on shore power (except the chassis battery issue) but it does not want to act right on generator power.

I have a Freedom 468 inverter and all batteries are fresh, house and chassis.

Thanks for any assistance with this. Electrical is not my strong suit.

[deandec]

Your rig, like most, is not set up to charge the chassis battery from shore power when manufactured.

Most owners install a Trik-L-Start device or similar device to transfer voltage from the House Battery to the Chassis Battery.

https://amsolar.com/rv-battery-accessories/98-trikl

These are simple to install, about $50, and very effective.

You may want to review your inverter/charger settings to match them with your currently installed house battery pack.

I found my inverter manual online.

Electrical will be a strong suit for you after a short period of owning an MH.

Generator Power, Shore Power, House Batteries, Chassis Battery, Solar Power and maybe a Generator Battery will pose learning curves from your various power sources in the rig.

Basic 12v power knowledge is very necessary on the fly. 110v power knowledge is very helpful also.

Have fun.

[RV-LEDs]

Sounds like your echo charger quit working.

[dfuelman]

Originally Posted by deandec

Your rig, like most, is not set up to charge the chassis battery from shore power when manufactured.

Most owners install a Trik-L-Start device or similar device to transfer voltage from the House Battery to the Chassis Battery.

These are simple to install, about $50, and very effective.

You may want to review your inverter/charger settings to match them with your currently installed house battery pack.

I found my inverter manual online.

Thanks Dean, I will look into that. I wondered about the inverter/charger settings myself. I will download the instructions and give that a try.

I did watch a video of a newer ('05) Country Coach and it did have a separate charger for the chassis battery installed from the factory. That would be easy enough to install. Thanks, now if I can just figure out the instructions for the set up. LOL

[dfuelman]

Originally Posted by RV-LEDs

Sounds like your echo charger quit working.

Do you know where that would even be located? All I have seen is the inverter.

[deandec]

I put mine in the Battery Compartment many years ago. It was a short run between the House and Chassis battery.

[phays]

To find the Echo charger, try looking near the battery boost solenoid. You can locate the area of the boost solenoid by having some one toggle the boost switch off and on a few times while you listen for the clicking sound it makes. Typically, CC wired the Echo charger to the chassis battery side of the boost solenoid. Once found, among other things, there are 2 inline fuses that you need to check.

[dfuelman]

Originally Posted by phays

To find the Echo charger, try looking near the battery boost solenoid. You can locate the area of the boost solenoid by having some one toggle the boost switch off and on a few times while you listen for the clicking sound it makes. Typically, CC wired the Echo charger to the chassis battery side of the boost solenoid. Once found, among other things, there are 2 inline fuses that you need to check.

Thanks, that helps a lot. I have down loaded the set up manual for the inverter and the inverter control panel and have a little better understanding of what they do and how they work now also.

I will check for the Echo charger and the condition of the fuses while I am at it. If there is any doubt, I will replace the Echo charger. I have seen a couple of small wires in the battery compartment that look out of place, maybe they are attached to the Echo charger??? I will post what I find if I have time to look at it tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone's help.

[RV-LEDs]

Mine is located in the bay with the transfer switch.there is two 20 amp fuses in that bay and Ill bet that one of them is blown. They take a 20 amp SLO-BLO FUSE not just a regular 20amp fuse . Mine is a 06 Country Coach. Take a look. These Echo Chargers are a real pain in the you know what. When I’m parked more than a day or two I just turn off the chassis batteries in the back bay, problem solved.

[tcharsch]

Your Echo Charger output leads may be reversed -- lead for chassis battery going to house batteries and vice versa. Mine were. I was able to swap the leads at the inline fuse holders. Problem solved!

[dfuelman]

Originally Posted by RV-LEDs

Mine is located in the bay with the transfer switch.there is two 20 amp fuses in that bay and Ill bet that one of them is blown. They take a 20 amp SLO-BLO FUSE not just a regular 20amp fuse . Mine is a 06 Country Coach. Take a look. These Echo Chargers are a real pain in the you know what. When I’m parked more than a day or two I just turn off the chassis batteries in the back bay, problem solved.

I will check these suggestions out. The prior owner had an issue with the battery compartment dropping out due to rust. He made repairs of sorts but was not the best mechanic so he may have missed the blown fuse or could have not reinstalled the wiring correctly.

I don't think I can turn off the chassis battery because so much runs off of the chassis for every day use (I don't like it, but that's how it was in '01 best I can tell) I will be working on this more in the future to correct this issue.

[dfuelman]

Originally Posted by tcharsch

Your Echo Charger output leads may be reversed -- lead for chassis battery going to house batteries and vice versa. Mine were. I was able to swap the leads at the inline fuse holders. Problem solved!

I will look into this as well. I really believe it is something simple causing my issue. As I stated above, the prior owner had the battery compartment rust out causing the batteries to drop down. He made repairs but could have crossed the wires during re-install or may not have hooked them up at all for all I know.

You guys have given me enough to go on to get me going in the right direction. Soon as I can get an hour or two, I am going to jump on this and get it figured out. I think I all ready know the cause of the fault light also from reading the manual on the inverter. Pretty sure I have that handled.

Thanks again to everyone. I will post up what I find during repair work.

[dfuelman]

I finally had time to take a look at the coach this morning. Found the echo charger located in the compartment with the inverter above the batteries.

Sure enough, there was a blown fuse coming from the house battery. I have some on order (won't get them till next Friday) but I am betting this is all of my issue. Chassis batteries were originally run down by accident and were placed on an external battery charger. It is my understanding now that this is a no-no unless you turn off the onboard charger first. (my understanding) I have been making it worse by using my portable charger also.

Pretty certain this will fix my issues once the fuse is replaced.

Thanks to everyone for there help. A man just can't make it without friends, especially if he owns and RV!

[dons2346]

Originally Posted by dfuelman

Do you know where that would even be located? All I have seen is the inverter.

If your inverter is behind the panel that says "No Storage" above the batteries, the Echo Charger should be in that same compartment just to the left of the inverter.


Late post, late to the party