Does converter charge chassis battery

[rrtom]

We are buying a GT5 31L5 motor home. When plugged into shore power, does the onboard inverter charge both the house and chassis batteries?

[kenandterry]

I’m going to say yes, as long as you have the Battery Disconnect switch in the “ON” position.

This discussion comes up a lot, but I believe the conditions I mention above still apply with the newer rigs.

[NXR]

I've been having a problem with my chassis battery going dead overnight while plugged in and have found some weirdities in the behaviors. Please see this recent post of mine:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post2219950

Short answer: It appears the answer is "sometimes but usually not" for me.

The takeaway of that post is that the house battery switch LED is lying to me. If I plug in while the house batteries are OFF, the house battery switch LED lights up and the touchscreen says the house batteries are fine. But the house batteries are not even connected or charging until I manually hit the top of the spring-loaded switch.

I do not know if they all work this way or if mine is just mis-wired, hopefully it's just mine.

Ray

[Dodge Guy]

No it does not. This is why you have the override switch by the drivers seat. If the chassis battery is dead then the switch turns in the relay that provides power from the house battery to the chassis battery. It’s separated for that reason. If it were connected to the house batteries and they all went dead you would t be able to start anything.

[NXR]

Based on my continuing problem may yet buy one of these: https://www.lslproducts.net/TLSPage.html

Since both my house battery and chassis battery connections are literally a few inches apart at the Battery Control Center in the hydraulics/house battery compartment, installing this thing in there would be about a fifteen minute job.

Ray

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by rrtom

We are buying a GT5 31L5 motor home. When plugged into shore power, does the onboard inverter charge both the house and chassis batteries?

No an inverter will not charge any 12v item because an inverter outputs AC volts. However; when connected to shore power or generator is running your converter will charge your coach and chassis batteries simultaneously. Additionally, when the engine is running the engine alternator will charge the chassis battery and also charge the coach batteries.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by NXR

I've been having a problem with my chassis battery going dead overnight while plugged in and have found some weirdities in the behaviors. Please see this recent post of mine:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post2219950

Short answer: It appears the answer is "sometimes but usually not" for me.

The takeaway of that post is that the house battery switch LED is lying to me. If I plug in while the house batteries are OFF, the house battery switch LED lights up and the touchscreen says the house batteries are fine. But the house batteries are not even connected or charging until I manually hit the top of the spring-loaded switch.

I do not know if they all work this way or if mine is just mis-wired, hopefully it's just mine.

Ray

Your disconnect switch will illuminate with shore power applied even if the batteries have been disconnected. Normal operation for a georgetown. That's why it is prudent to actuate the top half of the disconnect switch to verify the coach batteries are not disconnected.

[AbdRahim]

I found my converter won't charge the chassis battery until the house batteries are charged and converter voltage reaches 13.2 v

[NXR]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Your disconnect switch will illuminate with shore power applied even if the batteries have been disconnected. Normal operation for a georgetown. That's why it is prudent to actuate the top half of the disconnect switch to verify the coach batteries are not disconnected.

Thanks, I must have missed that in the super-generic "owner's manual".

I hope I can get my wiring diagrams 'cause that's going to change if possible. More importantly I'm hoping the Precision Plex system has a a separate sensing wire for the battery monitor, but somehow I doubt it...

Obviously I am too used to high-reliability systems, like the jet avionics systems I used to work on or the medical equipment I used to work with. I guess I need to change my mindset...

Ray

[NXR]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

I found my converter won't charge the chassis battery until the house batteries are charged and converter voltage reaches 13.2 v

What Georgetown model and year do you have? Mine has a Progressive Dynamics PD9270 converter and its lowest voltage output in "Storage" mode is 13.2 VDC.

Ray

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

I found my converter won't charge the chassis battery until the house batteries are charged and converter voltage reaches 13.2 v

Don't remember what the figures are but also the coach batteries charging from the engine alternator is determined by the chassis battery condition similarly.

[bubbles]

I think these are the scenarios for the GT SDC-107 battery control center.

Interconnect Relay
Control electronics on the circuit board parallels the coach and chassis batteries with the interconnect relay. In addition, the batteries can be paralleled with a momentary pushbutton switch on the driver's console that applies +12vdc to P3-1.
For the purpose of charging the coach and chassis batteries, power for the control electronics is obtained from the ignition switch and coach battery through diodes D1and D2. Underway, when the charging source is the engine generator, +l3.2vdc on the ignition line triggers the electronics. After a lSsec. delay, the interconnect relay closes, paralleling the batteries. Should the battery voltage go below 12.7vdc, the interconnect relay will open after around a 15sec. delay. When the vehicle is parked and on shore power, when the converter brings the coach battery up to +13.2vdc, the interconnect relay will close after the 15sec delay, charging the chassis battery as well. As before, the relay will open when the battery voltage goes below 12.7vdc

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by Dodge Guy

No it does not. This is why you have the override switch by the drivers seat. If the chassis battery is dead then the switch turns in the relay that provides power from the house battery to the chassis battery. It’s separated for that reason. If it were connected to the house batteries and they all went dead you would t be able to start anything.

My Converter charges my Chassis Battery to 13.5V then disconnects when the Motorhome is plugged into shore power.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by mlmay12

My Converter charges my Chassis Battery to 13.5V then disconnects when the Motorhome is plugged into shore power.

Did you mean "My Converter charges my Chassis Battery to 13.5V then disconnects the chassis battery from being charged when the Motorhome is plugged int shore power"? I think so.

That would make sense in one way. The friend of mine said he checked his chassis battery for charging with the engine off but the generator running (not plugged in).

What does not make sense about that is that the battery control center and/or converter would have to know the 120 VAC is coming from the generator and not from the shore power cord.

Ray

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by NXR

Did you mean "My Converter charges my Chassis Battery to 13.5V then disconnects the chassis battery from being charged when the Motorhome is plugged int shore power"? I think so.

That would make sense in one way. The friend of mine said he checked his chassis battery for charging with the engine off but the generator running (not plugged in).

What does not make sense about that is that the battery control center and/or converter would have to know the 120 VAC is coming from the generator and not from the shore power cord.

Ray

The Battery Control Center only cares about the amount of 12VDC current coming from the Power Control Center's Converter Section and does not care about the AC source, whether it is the Generator or Shore Power. When my Chassis Battery reaches 13.5V, I hear a loud clunk from the Battery Control Center (BCC) made by the Battery Isolation Relay directed by the Battery Isolation Manager (BIM) that disconnects the Chassis Battery.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by NXR

Did you mean "My Converter charges my Chassis Battery to 13.5V then disconnects the chassis battery from being charged when the Motorhome is plugged int shore power"? I think so.

That would make sense in one way. The friend of mine said he checked his chassis battery for charging with the engine off but the generator running (not plugged in).

What does not make sense about that is that the battery control center and/or converter would have to know the 120 VAC is coming from the generator and not from the shore power cord.

Ray

The AC power to the coach is from either shore power or the generator; not both. The auto transfer switch (ATS) when de-energized allows shore power to power the coach. The generator has priority over shore power so the ATS will energize (after a short delay) and switch to the generator output. There is only one output from the ATS and the AC voltage items (converter etc.) do not care where it comes from. This is the way your coach operates. There is no 120v associated with the battery control center.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by mlmay12

The Battery Control Center only cares about the amount of 12VDC current coming from the Power Control Center's Converter Section and does not care about the AC source, whether it is the Generator or Shore Power. When my Chassis Battery reaches 13.5V, I hear a loud clunk from the Battery Control Center (BCC) made by the Battery Isolation Relay directed by the Battery Isolation Manager (BIM) that disconnects the Chassis Battery.

Interesting. I occasionally hear a loud clunk from that compartment but I never knew what it was because nothing seemed to change. I know the Dynamax units also use the Precision Plex system. Do you have a Precision Circuits battery control center?

Ray

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by NXR

Interesting. I occasionally hear a loud clunk from that compartment but I never knew what it was because nothing seemed to change. I know the Dynamax units also use the Precision Plex system. Do you have a Precision Circuits battery control center?

Ray

No, mines a Progressive Dynamics being a 2016.

[NXR]

I have a Progressive Dynamics PD9270 Converter and a Precision Circuits Battery Control Center. Precision Circuits also makes the Precision Plex touchscreen system.

My chassis battery was 12.56 VDC this morning. A few hours ago I reset the converter by removing shore power for thirty seconds. I just measured the chassis battery and it's up to 12.74 VDC.

After it gets light tomorrow I'll measure the chassis battery voltage, reset the converter again and immediately re-measure the chassis battery and report back.

Ray

[turbocc]

Just can't get over the number of "owners" that don't know the difference between a CONVERTER and an INVERTER. You guys scare me.