House Batteries are close to dead

altlamp · 01-19-2019, 07:49 PM

We took our 2017 Isata 3 in for warranty work. Bought it in March 2017 so our warranty is good until March 2019. One of the problems we have is that the back slide does not always go in or out. We have to turn the generator or start the engine. This started during our 6 month summer trip - 2018

We were told the problem is because of extremely low cranking power. The mechanic tested our 2 coach 12 volt batteries; one was at 86 CCA and one was at 125 CCA. They are supposed to be at 800 CCA. He told us the batteries are not covered under the warranty. He also said it didn’t look like theses are the appropriate batteries for our RV.

2 questions:

1. Is this normal for the batteries to be so low after 1 1/2 years?

2. Why aren’t the batteries covered under our 2 year warranty with Dynamax?

valleyduo · 01-19-2019, 08:06 PM

Have you checked with the battery manufacturer? I also find it strange that Dynamax wouldn't cover that, but I would think they should be covered by the maker. Just out of curiosity, are these the house battery(s) or the driveline? House batteries aren't usually measured in cca. It is not normal for batteries to wear out that quickly unless they are not properly maintained.

**Flybob** · 01-19-2019, 08:11 PM

If these are House Batteries then technically the tech is misinformed. CCA is a measurement that pertains to Automotive starting batteries and is a measure of the batteries ability to supply a high current for a very short period of time. Deep cycle batteries on the other hand are usually measured in AHr capacity as they provide a lower current for a longer period of time. Many times house batteries are provided by the dealer and not the manufacturer. Dealers routinely supply a hybrid known as a Marine deep cycle battery which is not ideal for either use, but easy and economical. As for the batteries dying early, this is very dependent on how they are used and how low they have been discharged. You can damage a battery in months if abused.

**bikendan** · 01-19-2019, 09:26 PM

Batteries are probably not covered, since they may be installed by the dealer and owners often don't care for them properly. And they should have their own separate warranty from the battery manufacturer.

JLeising · 01-19-2019, 09:51 PM

Believe Forest River typically supplies house batteries in Motorhomes.

Delco Bobby · 01-20-2019, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by altlamp

We took our 2017 Isata 3 in for warranty work. Bought it in March 2017 so our warranty is good until March 2019. One of the problems we have is that the back slide does not always go in or out. We have to turn the generator or start the engine. This started during our 6 month summer trip - 2018

We were told the problem is because of extremely low cranking power. The mechanic tested our 2 coach 12 volt batteries; one was at 86 CCA and one was at 125 CCA. They are supposed to be at 800 CCA. He told us the batteries are not covered under the warranty. He also said it didn’t look like theses are the appropriate batteries for our RV.

2 questions:

1. Is this normal for the batteries to be so low after 1 1/2 years?

2. Why aren’t the batteries covered under our 2 year warranty with Dynamax?

Dynamax factory installed high quality house batteries in my motorhome. I believe that they do so in all of their products. What brand battery do you have?

There are differences between Dynamax models and you can find multiple threads on the slide out issue. You probably need to have your engine running or the generator or be plugged in to shore power to operate your slide out properly and avoid a low voltage issue.

Do yourself a favor and make sure your batteries charged up before operating the slide out. That is in addition to the above.

If I am wrong then expect a few other Dynamax owners to give you more definitive instructions.

Is that mechanic an RV technician and does he have experience with Dynamax products?

FFred · 01-20-2019, 06:57 AM

Is this normal for the batteries to be so low after 1 1/2 years?

DEPENDS, The house batts hopefully deep cycle or AGM are long lived ONLY if not discharged too deeply too often.

The usual is 50% of the batts capacity then recharge as soon as possible.

A volt meter is useless at anything but confirming the batts are dead .

What is required to understand where the batts are charge wise is an SOC meter. State Of Charge.

These are invaluable if camping with no power hookup , think of SOC as a gas gauge for the house batt system.

Here is one system , there are many more
TriMetric Model Descriptions - Bogart Engineering

www.bogartengineering.com/products/trimetrics.html
Measures battery % full, based on amp hour measurements for accurate information on state of charge (SOC). This method is more accurate than monitors that ...

Have someone install a SOC meter , but NOT the ignorant clown that looked at your system.

Deep cycle or golf cart batts are measured in Amp hours at a standard "20 hour rate".

If a tech mentions CCA or MCA ,for house batts head for a better shop

altlamp · 01-20-2019, 09:28 AM

Thanks everyone! Looking through my file, these are AGM etteries installed by Dynamax with a 2 year warranty. I sent an email to Brandon Droptiny, the west coast warranty manager. They are self sealed and from what I understand from my electrician friend, don’t need maintenance and showily be charged (and not overcharged) by our solar panels. Still wondering why they would be so low

formerFR · 01-20-2019, 09:38 AM

Batteries, especially HOUSE batteries for your interior 12v and Inverter usage, are not 'guaranteed' or warrantied normally by the factory since MANY issues can cause them to be depleted, or used incorrectly, especially by owners.
The batteries themselves may come with warranties by the battery manufacturer, and you can certainly choose that route, but it may well be that you have not set up your battery Charger and Solar power to properly charge them, as well as you may have some draws on the battery bank, even when you are not using the coach.
You have to make sure that charging is actually happening - if you are plugged into external power, make sure your CHARGER function is turned on. Make sure that your Solar power is actually making it to your batteries.

Slides generally use the HOUSE battery bank to move the motors/hydraulics... and many find that having the coach running, or the generator running, gives them the VOLTAGE they need to operate. Slides are a heavy draw when they first start, so low House batteries can create issues - regardless of what type or age batteries you have. Having the engine running allows the Alternator power to help jump-start the slide operation(if your slide controller allows the slides to move while the ignition is on), as well as having the Generator running provides Charging to the battery bank, giving it the extra Volts it needs at the beginning.

This is not un-normal for many RVs.

altlamp · 01-20-2019, 09:56 AM

Thanks! I wonder if the dealer had our coach under cover for the two weeks they had it, so our solar panels were not charging g our batteries. Could that be why the batteries were drained?

formerFR · 01-20-2019, 10:01 AM

that's always a possibility - but generally dealers will plug in RVs to shore power when they are in the work bay, as they may be needing to access 120v power while in the coach, or just because they themselves know that the batteries need to be charging...

remember also that your HOUSE batteries are not the same as your CHASSIS(Vehicle) batteries. Chassis batteries are generally to START the coach, like your car, and are more needed for the 'cold cranking amps' measurement, but HOUSE batteries are more like Golf Cart batteries - needed for long-term slow drain usage over time. The cold cranking amps of House batteries is not a measurement to be concerned with, only the VOLTS reading, and the 'amp hours' of the batteries themselves.
Any RV dealer or mechanic should easily realize the difference between the two.

altlamp · 01-20-2019, 10:29 AM

My electrician friend is looking at the batteries and the coach right now.

The side slide works, but the back slide does not. That does not sound like a battery problem with me, but a mechanical problem in the back.

**bclemens** · 01-20-2019, 10:38 AM

Also, just to be clear, the 2 year warranty is on the Dynamax built portion. The TV, radio, batteries, etc are all covered by their own manufacturers warranty. Some of our suppliers DO in fact match our 2 year...but it varies. Batteries would have their own warranty for sure and often are not covered because they can be mistreated very easily which reduces their life. Solar is not always the answer either. 200 watts is not that much, mainly just to overcome parasitic draws. However, with 1 1/2 years of use, there are lots of opportunities during camping to drain those all the way down. Especially if you're not 100% knowledgeable in their operation.

altlamp · 01-20-2019, 10:43 AM

Thanks Brian. But I’m now questioning the mechanic’s answer that the mechanic’s answer to our back slide problem being the battery, when the side slide works

**bclemens** · 01-20-2019, 10:59 AM

I would be too....it could be bad batteries, but then why would the front not be affected.

I assume you have an RW since that is the only 2 slide. That bedroom slide is also much lighter than the front slide...and one I never really see issues on.

If it is happening randomly, it could be a slide motor. Something is catch/rubbing or wedged. Could be a lose wire since they each have their own controller.

When the rear slide DOES NOT work...does the panel flash anything? Are you putting the front out first? Maybe the batteries are bad and the front is drawing the batteries down enough to cause issues in the rear if they are not given enough time to fully charge. When the rear doesn't work...I assume it eventually does/did? what is happening between "not working" and "working".

**bclemens** · 01-20-2019, 11:02 AM

Sorry...I just re-read your original post "One of the problems we have is that the back slide does not always go in or out. We have to turn the generator or start the engine"

That is what you are SUPPOSED TO do. You should have the gen or engine running when operating the slides. Or be plugged in. If you are plugged in...that tells me the batteries may not be getting a charge.

**Flybob** · 01-20-2019, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by altlamp

Thanks everyone! Looking through my file, these are AGM etteries installed by Dynamax with a 2 year warranty. I sent an email to Brandon Droptiny, the west coast warranty manager. They are self sealed and from what I understand from my electrician friend, don’t need maintenance and showily be charged (and not overcharged) by our solar panels. Still wondering why they would be so low

Check the batteries to verify that they are the same ones installed by the factory and not switched out at dealer.

altlamp · 01-20-2019, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bclemens

Sorry...I just re-read your original post "One of the problems we have is that the back slide does not always go in or out. We have to turn the generator or start the engine"

That is what you are SUPPOSED TO do. You should have the gen or engine running when operating the slides. Or be plugged in. If you are plugged in...that tells me the batteries may not be getting a charge.

Thanks Brian! That explains it! I think the mechanic drained our batteries when it was sitting there for 2 weeks. Now that we have it at home, our batteries seem to be charged. We’ll turn the generator on to see if the rear slide goes out.

I really appreciate your comments and your interest in solving our problems! This is one of the main reasons we lone Dynamax!

CedarCreekWoody · 01-20-2019, 12:41 PM

It is important to note what Brian said...you should ALWAYS be hooked to external power, generator, or engine when activating a slideout.

garbonz · 01-20-2019, 04:29 PM

Contrary to what you hear there is NO way to test AGM capacity, without doing a full 20 hour discharge with a known amp draw. Every place that tests batteries can only load test the batteries and observe voltage drop under high load. Deep cycle AGM's are particularly poor at this test, which is why the technician reported poor performance.

The slides pull a lot of current, and thus drop the AGM voltage and strain the slide motors, which is why you need to be running or plugged in.

You AGM's may be working fine.

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