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Old 12-21-2014, 10:23 AM   #1
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Battery or Inverter issue???

Hello to all<
Have a question which I hope somebody can shed some light on. Have batteries that are 8 months old and a new Progressive Dynamics IntelliPower 9200 series converter, with the Remote Wizard. So we were driving from Texas to California and started noticing a rotten egg smell typical from overcharged batteries. So I pull over and check by battery compartment and can see one of my batteries is hot and overcharged. I go check my converter and notice that it is in "Boost Mode". I try to toggle the converter to "Normal or Storage Mode" and the it won't let me. So I am wondering if that battery is bad will the converter automatically stay in "Boost Mode" to try to charge is as fast as possible, or do I have something wrong with my converter??? Appreciate all input and hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Brian & Patricia Arvidson
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Old 12-21-2014, 03:48 PM   #2
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A little more info please. What kind of batteries (6v vs 12v) and how many. Next, were you running a generator while on the road thus charging the battery via the converter?
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Old 12-21-2014, 03:59 PM   #3
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(2) 12 volt batteries and not running generator while driving.
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Old 12-21-2014, 07:01 PM   #4
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Brian, the state of your batteries should not affect the charge cycle from your PD. For lack of additional information, and it might seem a little banal, but my first thought would be to check your battery connections. It almost sounds like you have a reverse polarity situation going on.

Barring that.. you might just have a sour lemon. To test that.. I would disconnect the suspected culprit and let your PD run through a full charge cycle on the single battery. Additional follow-up will allow other folks to chime in and see if we can't get this nailed down.
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Old 12-21-2014, 07:21 PM   #5
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A converter only charges the batteries on shore power or if the generator is running. So, if you're getting an overheated battery while driving, you likely have a bad battery. Also, you can't change the converter's mode unless you're on shore power (or generator).

Am I missing something?
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Old 12-21-2014, 07:42 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPAspey View Post
A converter only charges the batteries on shore power or if the generator is running. So, if you're getting an overheated battery while driving, you likely have a bad battery. Also, you can't change the converter's mode unless you're on shore power (or generator).

Am I missing something?
No you're not missing the point. The only way the converter could try to charge the batteries (in this case) if shore power is not hook up or generator is not running, is if it was plugged into an inverter being fed off the batteries creating high circulating currents.
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Old 12-21-2014, 08:34 PM   #7
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You could use a hyrometer on the battery you suspect being bad to determine if its spent. Or, drive to an auto parts store and have them load test it. At least you will know the battery status.
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Old 12-22-2014, 12:21 PM   #8
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Thank you everybody that chimed in. The battery connections are good and we do not have any reverse polarity. I disconnected the converter for awhile and reconnected it and it is now working fine. I am able to cycle through the charging modes while the unit is charging. I don't know if the converter got "stuck" in a charging mode or what, but it is working fine now. I now need to see if I smoked a battery or not.


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Old 12-22-2014, 12:25 PM   #9
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How the converter gets it's 120 volt supply while you are driving and generator not running, as per your previous statement?
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Old 12-22-2014, 01:47 PM   #10
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How the converter gets it's 120 volt supply while you are driving and generator not running, as per your previous statement?
I can't wait to see how this works. Maybe the thing has a perpetual motion machine.
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Old 12-22-2014, 05:14 PM   #11
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Seconding post #7...You should now get a hydrometer and test EACH cell of each battery.
Another thing worth checking is the coach alternator and voltage regulator as these are the likely culprits for excessive charging voltage underway.
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Old 12-22-2014, 05:20 PM   #12
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Maybe he has a very large flux capacitor installed.
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Old 12-22-2014, 06:16 PM   #13
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Maybe he has a very large flux capacitor installed.
Bob.. you just made me buck snort my coffee.. lol Good one!
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Old 12-22-2014, 06:23 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie View Post
Seconding post #7...You should now get a hydrometer and test EACH cell of each battery.
Another thing worth checking is the coach alternator and voltage regulator as these are the likely culprits for excessive charging voltage underway.
While a very good point, and there are many good ideas and methods posted here, the elephant in the room is how does he get converter power when on the road and NOT running the generator? I don't think this discussion can go any further or be fruitful until we know that.
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Old 12-22-2014, 06:59 PM   #15
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The progress dynamics converter will have the charge LED lit as if in bulk, when there is no ac power applied and hooked to the batteries.

I believe the OP misunderstood what he was seeing. That's why he couldn't change the charge status.
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Old 12-22-2014, 08:11 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPAspey View Post
The progress dynamics converter will have the charge LED lit as if in bulk, when there is no ac power applied and hooked to the batteries.

I believe the OP misunderstood what he was seeing. That's why he couldn't change the charge status.

That seems to be the most logical answer so far. Jerry.


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Old 12-22-2014, 11:06 PM   #17
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Sounds right to me RPAspey...from the remote manual:

"Note: When no 120 VAC power is applied to the RV through the Shore Power Cord, or Generator, the Indicator Light will remain "ON" at all times. This indicates that the Charge Wizard is monitoring the battery voltage."
PD92201 Remote Pendant

Nice find!

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Old 12-23-2014, 12:06 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie View Post
Sounds right to me RPAspey...from the remote manual:

"Note: When no 120 VAC power is applied to the RV through the Shore Power Cord, or Generator, the Indicator Light will remain "ON" at all times. This indicates that the Charge Wizard is monitoring the battery voltage."
PD92201 Remote Pendant

Nice find!

Ah ha! Yes great find RPAspey and great posting the quote camaraderie. I'm thinking of getting one of these Progressive Dynamics units and it helps to learn about it before using it. There's nothing like this forum!

So it looks like we are now back to a bad battery or charging system.
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Old 12-23-2014, 07:33 AM   #19
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Thanks all. That light drove me nuts on my PD converter after I went to solar charging only. Took a while to figure out why it was lit.
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