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Old 08-20-2018, 03:10 PM   #1
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Battery issues

On a 2014 Work and Play WPT118EC. Is there a battery disconnect switch? I had it hooked to battery only and no lights were working. What am I doing wrong?Should the battery be running the lights when no shore power is hooked up. My ole man is a truck driver and trying to walk me through this while he is out on the road.
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Old 08-21-2018, 06:37 AM   #2
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Usually the battery disconnect is located close to the batteries on the positive lead. Yes the lights should work of the battery when not plugged in if the battery is charged up.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:24 AM   #3
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Many factory installed battery switches do not disconnect the carbon monoxide and propane detectors which are on 24-7 and can discharge a battery over time.

Attach power to your camper and if you have lights, it means your battery died.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:57 AM   #4
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Thank you, very good starting point. Going to take battery to the store and have it tested. Should I charge the battery before I take it to get it tested?
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:07 AM   #5
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Check the battery before you do anything to see what current condition is. Then charge and take to an auto store. The batteries normally supplied with Rvs are low end and even with good care last 4-5 yrs at best. They are usually older than the RV model year they are installed in.
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:19 AM   #6
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If hooked up to 110 power, I pushed the battery test on the panel it showed me a good reading. After disconnecting from shore power (110) nothing would come on. No lights, and could not do a panel test as well. Does this mean the battery is dead?
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:38 AM   #7
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When connected to shore power, the battery test button is actually reading the output of the Converter going into the battery. This will read fully charged even if there is no battery connected. With shore power disconnected you are reading the battery voltage going into the distribution panel which is zero so either the battery is dead or disconnected via a disconnect switch, or the two high current fuses in the distribution panel ( reverse polarity fuses) are blown.
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:43 AM   #8
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Thanks I will check all this out this afternoon
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:43 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy Gordon View Post
If hooked up to 110 power, I pushed the battery test on the panel it showed me a good reading. After disconnecting from shore power (110) nothing would come on. No lights, and could not do a panel test as well. Does this mean the battery is dead?
The button on the panel is a poor way to determine the battery charge.
At least use a multimeter or hydrometer.
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Old 08-22-2018, 09:13 AM   #10
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I believe, after some research and a few phone calls, the 2014 18EC did not come standard with a battery disconnect. So when you are not connected to shore power you would be dead in the water. They did start making it standard in late 2015-2016. Hope this helps!
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Old 08-22-2018, 09:18 AM   #11
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Thank you chuck for your research. Yes that helps out. We did determine that the battery was dead. The dealership sold it to us with a dead battery.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:17 AM   #12
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If you do not have an aftermarket battery monitor then a voltmeter is an important tool.

No rv should be without one. Less than 12 volts is as far as you should discharge it.

Batteries are a constant issue. There are many ways to damage them. Dealer installed ones are often cheap.

Life expectancy is all over the place.

Buy a better battery system. Better battery. Not a place to go cheap.

Bigger is better. Costco has a good set of six volt golf cart batteries for less than $200 if you have room. Measure! You should also have a small tape measure in your tool box.
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Old 08-22-2018, 11:15 AM   #13
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6 volt battery is an option in the future. We are going to purchase a marine/rv battery deep cell asap after installing the new battery should we leave shore power 110 plugged into the the rv to constantly triple charge the battery knowing there is a slow draw from 12 volt lp gas, smoke detectors, etc.
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Old 08-27-2018, 06:10 PM   #14
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Just purchased new battery. Once its connected should i leave it hooked to 110 so it keeps charged. Due to somethings run off the battery at all times.
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Old 11-30-2018, 09:28 AM   #15
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I keep mine plugged in all the time to keep the batteries charged. Make sure you check for water in your batteries periodically. I have a monthly reminder on my phone to make sure I check the batteries. Always use distilled water.
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Old 11-30-2018, 09:35 AM   #16
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Yes we have decided to leave it plugged in all the time. I do check the water on the battery occasionally however I really like the idea of setting the reminder on the phone. Thanks for the idea.
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