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Str8edg · 09-03-2019, 08:42 AM

I’ve been having an issue with the house batteries staying charged. I always shut off the disconnect at the step on my way out. I have been exercising the generator every 3-4 weeks and every time when I open the door the steps don’t even come (this has been occurring the past 2 months). So, I have to start the chassis and after a few minutes I open the entry door the steps drop down, I can turn on the lights, and start the generator.... any ideas? Checked the battery fluids and they are fine, not sure what the issue can be???

I have to cool the fridge down before a trip and I’m going to have trouble if those batteries don’t wanna work.

Solo_RV_Guy · 09-03-2019, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Str8edg

I’ve been having an issue with the house batteries staying charged. I always shut off the disconnect at the step on my way out. I have been exercising the generator every 3-4 weeks and every time when I open the door the steps don’t even come (this has been occurring the past 2 months). So, I have to start the chassis and after a few minutes I open the entry door the steps drop down, I can turn on the lights, and start the generator.... any ideas? Checked the battery fluids and they are fine, not sure what the issue can be???

I have to cool the fridge down before a trip and I’m going to have trouble if those batteries don’t wanna work.

A couple of thoughts - how long do you run your generator? My guess is that it's not long enough to fully charge the battery bank. Also many coaches have "parasitic draw" from devices that are not affected by the battery disconnect switch. The combination of these 2 things are *probably* what is causing your issue.

Parasitic loads include smoke/CO/propane detectors, inverter (even without a load, inverters use power), cab entertainment system (radio & navigation stuff), etc. The only way to stop these (without modifications to your RV) is to physically disconnect the positive wire at the battery.

I suggest you take your FR3 for a nice hour long drive, run the generator. Park and come back in a couple weeks and see what condition your batteries are in. You may find it useful to install a battery monitoring system so you can tell by voltage what is going on with your batteries.

Persistent · 09-03-2019, 09:29 AM

Good post Solo RV Guy.

It takes 14 to 18 hours to fully charge lead acid batteries. It may take 2 weeks to discharge the batteries more than is healthy due to parasitic load even when the disconnect switch near the door is turned off.

Your batteries are in need of a full 18 hour charge and possibly conditioning if they are flooded cell batteries. Be sure to check water levels before and after. The longer they are in a discharged state, the more capacity they will loose permanently.

Reacher · 09-03-2019, 12:18 PM

I had this same problem on a MH I kept in storage away from my house. There was no shore power. I purchased 2 solar trickle chargers ($20US ea) which came with gator clips and cigarette lighter adapters. I plugged one into the cigarette lighter that was directly wired to the chassis battery and placed the charger against the windshield. The other I connected to the house batteries and attached to bay door with suction cups. I used the disconnects and ran the rig and generator monthly..no problems.