Battery charge question

[drakethib]

I have a 2014 Sunseeker and my batteries are pretty much shot according to a RV tech that checked them out. He was being honest with me as he did not sell batteries. I think cheap 12 volts are put in by FR and I am not sure they are deep cycles to begin with. To boot I think the person who owned prior to me only used it for a couple of tailgate games and didnt really take care of it. I think I am going to end up going with 2 6 volts and hook them up in series vs the 12 volt in parallell. That seems to be what a lot of folks recommend.

[JLeising]

If your batteries are under your entrance step, be sure to verify the battery height vs the available height. I understand golf cart six volt batteries are too tall for our Solera without some modification.

[drakethib]

Originally Posted by JLeising

If your batteries are under your entrance step, be sure to verify the battery height vs the available height. I understand golf cart six volt batteries are too tall for our Solera without some modification.

Thanks for the heads up, I am going to measure before I buy

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by Jim Schings

No. Too many variables. I would just measure the voltage on the batteries in both conditions....

I finally got around to putting a volt meter on my battery as per Jim Schings and also used ATVers suggestion.

The RV was on shore power for 5 days and the battery switch in the on position. Then it was unplugged for one day with the battery switch off and the TVs unplugged. At that point the battery voltage read 12.36 volts and the lights on the battery monitor indicated 1/3 charge.

Today, after another day of being off line and the battery switch in the off position the volts read 10.34 and the red battery lights showing empty. After that I started the engine and let it run for about five minutes and the voltage read 14.51. A previous time all the lights were lit up on the battery monitor with the engine running.

Then I turned off the engine and plugged into shore power. With the battery switch off off it showed 13.02 volts and with the battery switch on it showed 13.48 volts.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe my battery is toast despite what my dealer claims based on their $55 battery test.

BTW, there is plenty of room in the battery box under the step for two batteries that are larger than the current group 27. A quick and not precise measurement shows 9.5 inches of height and about 28" in length.

BTW2, When we bought this RV last August among the things left by the previous owner was an unidentified strap. I saved the strap but had no idea what is was for. A couple of people at the dealership also had no clue. It matches exactly the strap that holds down the existing battery. Mystery solved.

Bobby

[budblack]

O'Reilly Auto Parts will test your battery for free.


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[poorbuthappy]

even turning the battery switch off, there are still parasitic loads that can drain the batteries. disconnect the cables, charge the batteries, wait at least 12 hours to test.

leaving shore power on for five days will boil batteries dry. if I'm plugged into power I always leave a light or two on to keep the cheap converter from killing the batteries. after a trip I check/top off levels, charge and disconnect completely.

[benagi]

Originally Posted by poorbuthappy

leaving shore power on for five days will boil batteries dry. if I'm plugged into power I always leave a light or two on to keep the cheap converter from killing the batteries. after a trip I check/top off levels, charge and disconnect completely.

Poorbuthappy, I've seen on other threads that some people leave their rv's plugged in all winter and never had a problem with boiling batteries. Can someone chime in on this who leaves their unit plugged in when stored? Thx.

[MarsMan]

Coachmen factory rep advised me to not store my MH with the converter charging the batteries. They suggested disconnecting the battery at the negative terminal (to remove all parasitic load), make sure fully charged and then either remove and store at home OR leave in MH and place on a maintainer.

[trdutch]

Originally Posted by benagi

Poorbuthappy, I've seen on other threads that some people leave their rv's plugged in all winter and never had a problem with boiling batteries. Can someone chime in on this who leaves their unit plugged in when stored? Thx.

If you tripped the Converters breaker,
Wouldn't that prevent charging and you could still leave it plugged in to run Electric heater?

[Jim Schings]

Originally Posted by poorbuthappy

even turning the battery switch off, there are still parasitic loads that can drain the batteries. disconnect the cables, charge the batteries, wait at least 12 hours to test.

Possibly

leaving shore power on for five days will boil batteries dry. if I'm plugged into power I always leave a light or two on to keep the cheap converter from killing the batteries. after a trip I check/top off levels, charge and disconnect completely.

Then you have a problem with the system. You can (and many people do) leave it on shore power for years. Of course you should check the water level periodically like in any use.

[Garrette]

Originally Posted by benagi

Poorbuthappy, I've seen on other threads that some people leave their rv's plugged in all winter and never had a problem with boiling batteries. Can someone chime in on this who leaves their unit plugged in when stored? Thx.

I leave mine plugged in all winter, in fact, all the time and my batteries have never boiled. I do have maintenance free batteries that came with my 2014 Sunseeker. My batteries are 2 years 8 months old and currently need replacing. Now, I can't say if my leaving it plugged it in shorten my battery life but, I am upgrading to AGM 's as I have already upgraded the converter from WIFCO to Progressive.


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[funfinder5]

If you have the Progressive Industries converter then one can leave plugged in. I changed out our converter to the Progressive unit 3 years ago. Factory converter would boil batteries and I had to add water 4-5 times a year.

Have only topped off water in batteries once in 3 years with the Progressive. I still check the water level 3-4 times a year.

BTW- my unit stays plugged in my driveway 24/7.

[ATVer]

Just buy 2 Deltran Battery tenders JR on ebay for about $25 each with free shipping. Connect one to the coach batteries and one to the chassis battery. They have float, storage, desulfication modes etc and cannot boil the batteries even if they fail since they max out at 0.75 amps. Onboard converter should also work but if it doesn't perform as it should you can cook the batteries. I have always used Deltrans and after 4+ years, batteries are still good. Under 3 years for battery life seems low unless they were deep cycled a lot or run low on water. So called Maint free batteries still need their water levels checked with heavy use like an RV, but less frequently than normal batteries. Typically under normal usage and no over charging the battery will fail for other reasons before the water gets low, hence "maint free".