Battery Cables crossed on my RV?

[aaron268]

The Cables going to the battery are Black and White, and the Black is on the positive, and the White is on Negative??

Everything in the RV works, Ive been living in it for 3 months now. Except when testing if the furnace would run without shore power(rv park power went out for a short time). The furnace fan ran but ran slower and slower until it stopped in only about 3 minutes. I disconnected shore power, disconnected the battery and put a multi meter on the battery and it reads real low at 8.6



So... The colors seem wrong to me, but if everything works fine, but the battery just seems to be low and needing replaced should I be worried about the wrong colors?

[Flybob]

RV low voltage wiring color is non standard. There could be several problems.
If your battery is original 2011 then it needs to be replaced.

If the battery is newer it is possible that the reverse polarity fuses 30-40A are blown and the battery is not charging.

Check the battery voltage with shore power on. If it is in the 13+VDC range then the fuses are OK.
Since you said the furnace started and ran on battery it is more likely it is just an old battery and unable to support a load.

[herbike]

It could be your converter not charging your batteries. Check to see if it is putting out 12V to the batteries when you are on shore power.

FlyBob, you beat me to posting, you are probably right on!

[MillMitch]

I accidentally reversed my battery cables once this summer when putting the battery in. Didn't notice (elec tongue jack and stabilizers all worked) until I was setting up at campsite and went to put out slide. Had to replace both 40a polarity fuses, plus fuse in radio, plus 1 fuse in TV (which a forum member pointed out to look for). If cables are truly reversed, I think you would have noticeable issues. Sounds to me like you are wired backwards, but have no idea how to confirm that.

edit: listen to those guys, they know way more about this than I do

[5picker]

It is not uncommon for the black to be on positive and the white on negative on a battery in an R/V.

I'm not sure why the manufacturers seemed to adopt this policy over the automotive standards but they have for the most part. Maybe it is because in home/residential wiring the black is the hot and the white is ground or neutral.

None the less the OP has been given good instructions on how to test the battery, the converter output and fuses and go from there.

Unless the OP decided to CHANGE the wiring because they thought it to be incorrect and popped the converter output fuses, I'm betting it is simply a bad battery.

[aaron268]

Thanks everyone,
I checked all fuses with multimeter they are all ok
When the battery is connected and shore power is on, the batter terminals give me 13+ on the multimeter so its getting good power to the battery.

The dates on the battery aren't pulled out, I have no idea how old it is, looks like I just need a new battery.

Of course this happened on a 20 degree night and the rv park power went out, good thing it came back on in less than 30 minutes.

This is my first winter full timing in an RV, its been quite a learning process.

I just put heat tape and rubber insulation on my black tank, and drain the day before, then power goes out, no electricity to black tank drain heat tape

[boondocking]

If there is 13+ volts coming from the converter it is working properly. You need a new battery. Also it is connected properly, because the reverse polarity fuses are OK.

[flhtci2006]

O'reilly and Autozone will check the battery for free.

[Flybob]

All your data shows bad battery and simple fix. Since you are new to this just a suggestion. Do not buy an auto battery they are not designed for your use. Since you are living in the RV and apparently can have power outages. I suggest a good deep cycle battery. A deep cycle dual purpose marine battery may suffice, but if the power is out for long you will be much happier with a good deep cycle battery.

[Dave Lyon]

Further to the battery concerns...….I'd have generator on hand for sure if wintering over in an RV.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by aaron268

The dates on the battery aren't pulled out, I have no idea how old it is, looks like I just need a new battery.

Almost all batteries have a "Date Code" somewhere on the top of side. Can be a sticker or a "hot brand" in the plastic case. Usually consists of numbers or a letter and two numbers. This code indicates when the battery left the factory.

Numbers are fairly easy to decipher into a date. Letter/number combinations are usually a letter that translates to a month number by it's position in the Alphabet. A C would be March, a 6 June, etc. The number would be the last two of the year.

Take a look and you'll probably find them and rather easily determine you have a battery that has passed it's useful life.

Good chance that if you were to pull the caps over the cells (usually two rectangular covers on a maintenance free battery) you'll find that one of more cells are dry with exposed plates. Something to remember for your new battery. Always check battery water levels at least every month or so. Only add water when battery is fully charged and only use distilled water.

Rather than carry a huge gallon of Distilled Water, merely save a couple of drinking water bottles (8-10 oz size) and fill from the gallon jug. Unless you have huge "forklift batteries" you wont need much more than one of those bottles in a whole year (unless your charger is cooking the batteries and that's another problem to address).

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by 5picker

It is not uncommon for the black to be on positive and the white on negative on a battery in an R/V.

I'm not sure why the manufacturers seemed to adopt this policy over the automotive standards but they have for the most part. Maybe it is because in home/residential wiring the black is the hot and the white is ground or neutral.

None the less the OP has been given good instructions on how to test the battery, the converter output and fuses and go from there.

Unless the OP decided to CHANGE the wiring because they thought it to be incorrect and popped the converter output fuses, I'm betting it is simply a bad battery.

Here's my guess on why those color codes are used. It may be something I read from WMTIRE.

The common color codes are:

• In 120 VAC wiring, black is hot and white is neutral (common, return, etc.)
• In low-voltage DC wiring, red is hot and black is ground (common, return, etc.)

However, Amish build many of these units and they may not be familiar with these codes. They may never have changed batteries in an MP3 player. So the trailer designers decided it was easier to teach one color code (black=hot, white=common) for both 120 VAC and 12 VDC.

Whether this is true or not is an open conjecture, but it's a helpful mnemonic for me.

Larry

[Maxwell D Pratt]

Most RV I have ever had used white on neutral 120 volt . And white on ( - ) side of the 12 Volt system . They used black on the ( + ) side. Or red. You have to think of RV’s being a different breed. They do things a little different. They also use white for ( - ) on the wires to the running lights on RV.

[RECONUSMC]

Here is a great battery for RV and heavy loads. Had one for 6 yrs and going strong https://www.dcbattery.com/optima2.html

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by aaron268

Thanks everyone,
I checked all fuses with multimeter they are all ok
When the battery is connected and shore power is on, the batter terminals give me 13+ on the multimeter so its getting good power to the battery.

The dates on the battery aren't pulled out, I have no idea how old it is, looks like I just need a new battery.

Of course this happened on a 20 degree night and the rv park power went out, good thing it came back on in less than 30 minutes.

This is my first winter full timing in an RV, its been quite a learning process.

I just put heat tape and rubber insulation on my black tank, and drain the day before, then power goes out, no electricity to black tank drain heat tape

In case you don't know, the furnace is the biggest battery power hog in your RV.
I agree that your battery is not good. The best test after recharging, is using a hydrometer to test each cell.

[petitecodiac]

Any lead acid battery that falls below 10.5 volts is toast.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by flhtci2006

O'reilly and Autozone will check the battery for free.

Your username appears to be a Harley Model, : )

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by aaron268

<snip>

The dates on the battery aren't pulled out, I have no idea how old it is, looks like I just need a new battery.

<snip>

I've seen this several times. Not just on batteries bought from walmart, tractor supply, farm & fleet, fleet farm, sears, etc., but also batteries bought from auto parts stores.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

I've seen this several times. Not just on batteries bought from walmart, tractor supply, farm & fleet, fleet farm, sears, etc., but also batteries bought from auto parts stores.

Really doesn't matter. If warranty claim is necessary the date on the "Proof of Purchase" is all that matters anyway. Most places won't even talk to you with out the PoP although many will see if they can find a record of purchase in their point of sale system.

[Bluepill]

Good info in this video:

https://youtu.be/FboDyLjn5sg

Note that the white wire is connected to the negative battery post, and to various grounding screws on the body and frame of the RV. This is normal. I have written the colors of the cables on the top of my batteries with a Sharpie Pen as a reminder.