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Old 10-21-2011, 12:06 PM   #1
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Charging Coach batteries?

Hello all. I have a 2011 Georgetown 341 with an automatic transfer switch and have a question about charging the coach batteries. Should the batteries be charging if the coach is hooked up to shore power? As of right now they are not chargng when hooked to shore power or when the generator is running.They are only charging when the chassis engine is running. Is this normal? Thank you in advance for the great advice I know all of you are good for.
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Old 10-21-2011, 12:40 PM   #2
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sounds like your transfer switch is not working !
I just installed one in my bosses coach about 2 months ago .
batterys would only charge with gennie and not shore power .
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Old 10-21-2011, 01:21 PM   #3
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Yes definitley they should be charging...You have a transfer swithch problem or relay problem.
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Old 10-21-2011, 02:17 PM   #4
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Before you start replacing anything check the fuses at your Converter/Charger. There should be two fuses on the Converter. I'm not sure where yours may be located by mine is in the same compartment where the power cord enters the coach. The Converter in my case just plugs in to a single receptacle in the compartment. Check that receptacle for 120 Volts as well.
The batteries will charge off the alternator with the engine running but the Converter/Charger takes care of the charging responsibilities on shore power & generator power.
One other thing is to check the Disconnect Switch to be sure it wasn't accidently switched to off. The switch light remains lit even when it's disconnected so you can find it in the dark.

Battery Control Center Information -1.pdf

Battery Control Center Information -2.pdf

Georgetown-Battery Connect Center.pdf

Hope the attachments may help you as well to locate other fuses etc.
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Old 10-21-2011, 03:00 PM   #5
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cfsoistman, your the man! all of this time I thought the switch was on when the light was on. When plugged into shore power or the generator is running I always hear a loud clicking sound and see the light on, I thought when power was being supplied, the switch turned to the on position by itself, duh. Thank you guys so much for reading and replying.
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Old 10-23-2011, 12:22 AM   #6
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How about after being plugged into shore power for extended time like two weeks, there is not enough charge in the batteries to bring the slides in without running the engine for half hour? Is that normal?
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Old 10-23-2011, 06:49 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Ggantilla View Post
How about after being plugged into shore power for extended time like two weeks, there is not enough charge in the batteries to bring the slides in without running the engine for half hour? Is that normal?
Sounds like your batteries are not getting charged (see my post #4 above) and also check the batteries. Is the fluid level correct? Check that switch at the door for the Coach Battery Disconnect. Push the top and listen for the contact sound. That switch is always lit whether it's On or Off. It's lit to help find it in the dark. Hope it's that simple for you.
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:00 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom341 View Post
cfsoistman, your the man! all of this time I thought the switch was on when the light was on. When plugged into shore power or the generator is running I always hear a loud clicking sound and see the light on, I thought when power was being supplied, the switch turned to the on position by itself, duh. Thank you guys so much for reading and replying.
Glad to hear it was just the switch. I knew it wasn't a transfer switch. The transfer switch only connects power to the coach from either shore power or the generator depending on which is being used as the source. Easy way to test a transfer switch. Start out with the coach plugged in, everything should be working, start generator, unplug coach from shore power. Everything should still be working. There may be a delay before it switches over but not real long. I'd keep AC Units off when doing this to avoid the big amp draw needed until the generator has been running for a few minutes. As long as you still have power, the transfer switch is functioning properly.
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Old 10-23-2011, 08:31 AM   #9
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Great information. Goes to show you that FR does things differently so often. I have a 2011 360. My master switch light does not stay lit when it is turned off. I had the problem of my coach batts going dead in three weeks while it was parked in storage. I made sure everything was off including the smoke and co detectors. Narrowed it down to the fact that there were still 2 things hot when everything was off...the steps and the control panel for the jacks...I put a switch in the line for the steps. The jack controller is wired direct to the coach batts somewhere other than at the batts so I installed a manual disconnect on the negative side of the coach batts to disconnect the jack controller..now my batts are holding a nice charge. Who would have thought. Thanks FR for again reinventing a new wiring procedure.
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Old 10-23-2011, 01:49 PM   #10
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Interesting. I have a 2005 GT and when the DC shutoff switch is off, the light goes out. When I plug it into shore power with the switch off, the light comes on and if I have left a light on inside, it will light up when shore power is applied. I have always assumed the batts were charging regardless of switch position. Now I will have to watch more closely...

Bill
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Old 10-28-2011, 07:53 PM   #11
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polkatronron, I have a 2011 350 with the exact same problem. I tried pulling out two fuses on the lines that were direct connected to the battery, but still had power to the gas/co2 detector. Can you post a picture of what you did and where you put the switches? I guess they'd need to be somewhere where you can get to them with the screen door closed so the stairs are retracted? Thanks.
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