Battery questions

[MDWine]

Originally Posted by Skip426

. . . black and white wires; carefully follow the white wire , I'm sure you'll find it goes to the frame of the RV.
Be sure, which wire is pos/neg, before you install a new battery . . . . [/url]

Thanks so much for that, something I 'use to know' but haven't needed in years! That is going to be the case, I think... but I will follow those wires before I hook up anything! (Man I'm glad you posted this!)

[Mark_K5LXP]

Battery post polarities are clearly molded next to the posts on the battery case, so that's the final word there. An inexpensive voltmeter is your next acquisition, it will help reveal why the charger is complaining. It would seem surprising the battery was hooked up backwards as that generally results in one or more things relieving their internal smoke but it's not impossible. One thing at a time, measure test and verify.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[bixler2]

If there was any concern that the battery might have been connected in reverse, you might have blown a fuse on the converter which is provided to protect for that very reason. Normally a 30 amp fuse mounted on the back side of the converter. If you connect any newer battery to the unit and none of the 12V lights work, then that might be a place to start. No power would act like a dead battery.

[MDWine]

I'm pretty happy with my "education" over this, although there is a lot I need to learn even still.

So, I'll try to be brief...

I checked to make sure that the white wire was ground, had to open a junction box underneath, but confirmed!

hooked up the new battery, checked inside... nothing!

checked switches (there are none yet! ;O) )

checked the fuses on the panel, all are good

sat and stared at the battery for a few minutes, checked the connections, the wires... what is this? an IN-LINE fuse? and it is blown! Could this be it?

After a 10 mile round trip for fuses (4 of every variety they had), plugged in the 20 (yellow) and LIGHTS INSIDE!! YAY!

So, checked the tank lights, OK! checked the battery level, full up! turned on the water pump... you guessed it... nothin!

So, opened up the panels on the cabinet to reveal the pump and wires... loose connection to the pump... plugged it in, WATER! (actually ... ANTI-FREEZE!!)

So, I now have all the pipes protected, and the hatches battened down for the winter months ahead.

it was quite an education, what should have been a 1 hour maintenance operation took me several hours (hey, I'm old and slow and sore)

Now, THANKS TO EVERYONES COMMENTS, I've learned a little more about my rig. I'm still pretty exicted for spring and my maiden voyage. Your comments and suggestions definitely made a difference , and I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!

OK, I wasn't too brief! sorry ; We can put this one to bed now!
Now, "hey google" ... "what the heck is an inverter" ??? lol

[Mark_K5LXP]

The $64K question is why that battery fuse blew. Is it one you can see the innards of? Observing if it was fatigued or cracked, just "melted" or burned to oblivion would be a clue about what happened. It might have been a fluke but I would keep a few spares around, you may be repeating this exercise if indeed there is a fault somewhere. In a properly designed system there is plenty of load overhead for fuse ratings so for one to blow requires an overload and then some, so it's something to watch.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Persistent]

Good to hear you got everything working!

I am the persistently annoying lead acid battery guy. I am compelled to provide more info than you want. Here it is.

All those dazzling lights are usually run by RV'ers who are connected to shore power. The "dark" units may be using their battery power. Certainly one 60 amp hour battery will be severely limiting. (Deep cycle batteries are rated in amp hours. Automobile start batteries are rated in cold cranking amps.)

It takes 14 to 18 hours to charge a lead acid battery. Always store lead acid batteries fully charged. The deeper the discharge and the longer the storage time, the quicker sulfation will kill the battery. It is a chemistry thing.

Fully charged and disconnected, a flooded cell battery in good condition can can be stored for about 6 months. Monitor the terminal voltage periodically until you know how long. Keep the voltage above 12.4 volts. Recharge for 14 hours as necessary. An AGM battery can last up to 12 months.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

Choosing An RV Battery https://www.irv2.com/forums/download...do=file&id=231
Note: The part about "marine" batteries does not apply to large marine AGM batteries. They work very well in TT applications as well as house boats.

Battery University https://batteryuniversity.com/

How does the Lead Acid Battery Work? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...ased_batteries

Charging lead acid batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...d_acid_battery

AGM https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._glass_mat_agm

How to Charge and When to Charge? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...o_charge_table

How to Store Batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...tore_batteries

Summary of Do’s and Don’ts https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._battery_table

[MDWine]

@MARK:
As far as why the fuse blew out (or even when)... hard to say.

The previous owner said they hadn't used the battery since last winerization.
The folks that rented this rig evidently didn't use it either since the pump was still in 'siphon' mode and the electrical plug was not connected...

I'm convinced that the fuse was blown out a long time ago.
I did buy 4 of every kind of fuse the shop had, so I am well stocked and will keep an eye on stuff going forward.


@PAUL:
Geez! It's going to take a while for me to wade through all of that, but I will!
My current search (pardon the pun) is to find a good quality charger.
Suggestions?

[Arch Hoagland]

Originally Posted by Persistent

Good to hear you got everything working!

I am the persistently annoying lead acid battery guy. I am compelled to provide more info than you want. Here it is.

All those dazzling lights are usually run by RV'ers who are connected to shore power. The "dark" units may be using their battery power. Certainly one 60 amp hour battery will be severely limiting. (Deep cycle batteries are rated in amp hours. Automobile start batteries are rated in cold cranking amps.)

It takes 14 to 18 hours to charge a lead acid battery. Always store lead acid batteries fully charged. The deeper the discharge and the longer the storage time, the quicker sulfation will kill the battery. It is a chemistry thing.

Fully charged and disconnected, a flooded cell battery in good condition can can be stored for about 6 months. Monitor the terminal voltage periodically until you know how long. Keep the voltage above 12.4 volts. Recharge for 14 hours as necessary. An AGM battery can last up to 12 months.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

Choosing An RV Battery https://www.irv2.com/forums/download...do=file&id=231
Note: The part about "marine" batteries does not apply to large marine AGM batteries. They work very well in TT applications as well as house boats.

Battery University https://batteryuniversity.com/

How does the Lead Acid Battery Work? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...ased_batteries

Charging lead acid batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...d_acid_battery

AGM https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._glass_mat_agm

How to Charge and When to Charge? https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...o_charge_table

How to Store Batteries https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...tore_batteries

Summary of Do’s and Don’ts https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._battery_table

Wow, a lot of good links there. Thanks for posting them

[Persistent]

You probably already have an excellent battery charger. Likely the one in your TT is an excellent charger. Find the make and model and from any labels on the unit and post them here. You will get extensive comments on how some much more complected units would be better for one reason or another. But it probably is simple to operate and will do everything you want without an extensive technical education.

You can get excellent lead acid battery chargers may places. Often the cheapest ones available at retail outlets are not all that robust. They are available to catch those who want the cheapest everything. On the other hand they don't need to be expensive to do a good job.

My 21' Kodiak Cub has a WFCO 30 amp charger. It is 3 years old. Within it's 30 amp limitations it charges fast and with great precision. It is simple to operate. It will charge both AGM and flooded cell batteries well. It is great for a 70 amp hour AGM or flooded cell battery.

My previous 15 year old TT had an "oldie but goody". It also was simple to operate. It charged a similar battery bank extremely well but took 20 minutes longer to do the recharge. That is not much in the required 14 to 18 hours needed to fully charge all lead acid batteries.

The one you have will probably serve you well.

[MDWine]

Originally Posted by Persistent

You probably already have an excellent battery charger. . .

I don't know what is in the camper. I'm not even sure where to look for it. Does it charge when being towed? Does it charge when hooked to 'shore power'? I don't know any of these.

I brought the battery home for the winter, as there are no hookups where it is presently. I need a charger to use in the house to keep this new battery in shape.

I don't trust the $30 charger I got from Walmart, and I want something of higher quality. Cost is not much of an issue, within reason. My mottos is you get what you pay for.

The 'user manuals' are extremely generic, and it is difficult to know what I have since it is 70 miles away. Hopefully I can move it closer after I get tags.

The saga continues...

[Piros1]

Get yourself a battery Tender such as this, they work well for continued battery maintenance when not in use.
https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...QgBEJQB&adurl=

Your RV battery if properly wired should charge when connected to your vehicle while towing assuming the vehicle is properly wired at the trailer connector.

You may want to purchase a solar battery charger such as sold on this website for when you are not using your trailer during camping season or when boondocking.
https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=...attery+Charger
There are many types and sizes of chargers available.
Hopefully some of this helps you out.

[Mark_K5LXP]

I was at Costco this weekend and noted that they have the 4 amp battery tenders for $39. Not a bad price for that unit, and I think a good fit for small house battery banks. I almost bought one but I think I have 3 or 4 of them already, when you can't remember where they all are then it's probably time to stop buying them.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[ga traveler]

Originally Posted by MDWine

I don't know what is in the camper. I'm not even sure where to look for it. Does it charge when being towed? Does it charge when hooked to 'shore power'? I don't know any of these.

I brought the battery home for the winter, as there are no hookups where it is presently. I need a charger to use in the house to keep this new battery in shape.

I don't trust the $30 charger I got from Walmart, and I want something of higher quality. Cost is not much of an issue, within reason. My mottos is you get what you pay for.

The 'user manuals' are extremely generic, and it is difficult to know what I have since it is 70 miles away. Hopefully I can move it closer after I get tags.

The saga continues...

The other posters are correct. You do not want a battery charger, you want a battery minder, battery tender or battery maintainer. A charger will boil your battery dry if you aren’t careful. A battery maintainer will not.

[MDWine]

So, I did order that battery tender, hopefully it will be here in the next few days.

I am in the process too, of looking for a classy way to add a on/off switch for the battery, as well as a buss to add things to the system such as lights for the outside.

My rig does have a port for a solar panel, and I'm looking into those possibilites as well.

I need to learn more about the amps/amp hours/watts and the mix just to charge my battery when boondocking.

I'm lovin' iRV2 and everyone, the information is tremendously helpful.

Michael