Dead Batteries

[Trappfarmer]

How did you resolve the issue?

[jwleslie]

Trappfarmer, thanks for asking. I have not resolved the issue. I am doing a "workaround" - anytime that I park the coach and expect to leave it (unconnected to shore power) for more than a day or two, I am turning off the battery disconnect switches in each battery compartment. A little inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as jump starting the coach.


Every once in a while, I think about how to troubleshoot, but haven't come up with anything. Am open to suggestions.

[Trappfarmer]

A question for all the experts on the subject.
If you’re plugged in for a couple of days what should the battery voltage be reading on coach and chassis?
This should indicate a healthy battery vs. one that won’t take a charge, no?

[btritschler1437]

You may find these helpful regarding your 34QS

Type in Gordon Sick in search above for his various articles and the manual he wrote for the 34QS. His last update was in Aug 2020, try to find that pdf.

This link takes you to a blog that is very informative. The coach is not a 34QS but a lot of what he says apply to all Berkshire.
https://dragonship.blog/.

[gordonsick]

Here is a link to my 2015 Berk 34QS Manual. I always post a link to it in my signature, so you need to find some post by me and you’ll find the manual. https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...qs-191578.html

I’ve had batteries go dead, so I always disconnect the battery switches and turn off the inverter when I store it. I’m a little surprised that you lost your batteries after 10 days with the switches on, but I wouldn’t try it without watching the voltages over shorter periods of time. I do have 2x100 watts of solar panel, and find that I can keep the batteries up in Calgary’s winter (51° Latitude) with the solar panels if I clear the snow and turn off the battery switches.

BTW, if all your batteries are dead and you have a small car to jumpstart, my manual has a procedure for getting you going.

There are lots of problems with RVs left on the dealer lot over the winter, with a plan to complete the purchase in spring. The dealers have so many coaches in their parking lot that they don’t keep a charge in the batteries, in my experience.

—Gordon

[gordonsick]

Originally Posted by Trappfarmer

A question for all the experts on the subject.
If you’re plugged in for a couple of days what should the battery voltage be reading on coach and chassis?
This should indicate a healthy battery vs. one that won’t take a charge, no?

You need to disconnect the charger and all loads from the batteries. Wait a few minutes for things to settle and then measure the no-load voltage. That is the official way to do it.

Here is a chart of voltage versus State of Charge (SOC) with no load. Don’t go below 50% SOC to avoid battery damage.

Trojan Flooded Battery State of Charge vs Voltage
Percent Specific Voltage Voltage Voltage
Charge Gravity per Cell per 6v per 12v
100 1.277 2.122 6.366 12.732
90 1.258 2.103 6.309 12.618
80 1.238 2.083 6.249 12.498
70 1.217 2.062 6.186 12.372
60 1.195 2.040 6.120 12.240
50 1.172 2.017 6.051 12.102
40 1.148 1.993 5.979 11.958
30 1.124 1.969 5.907 11.814
20 1.098 1.943 5.829 11.658
10 1.073 1.918 5.754 11.508

—Gordon

[phillyg]

Problem is not everything is turned off with just the mfrgs. installed cut-off switches. I finally bought an inexpensive ($15) knife switch, installed on the neg. battery cable. I also bought an inexpensive ($60) solar panel with a controller, and finally, my batts stay fully charged.

[201834QS]

this is my first time to post to any thread...ever (and I am "only" 49) so go easy on me. This is also my first RV.
my 2018 Berkshire 34QS house batteries are dead after getting it back from service (they had it for 21 days and never charged them) they are so dead that I cant even get the monitor screen to come on and not even a single light. Nothing. Perhaps there is a master breaker or something that is also off?..... because if the house batteries are now charging, wouldn't the lights at least be on be very dim (like my RV knowledge)

I read on this thread that perhaps the batteries are so dead that the onboard charger/inverter wont charge them. Is this true? Do I need to get a secondary charger and charge them?

(incidentally I have also noticed that when the battery switches are off in the battery bays the inverter will still work. the dealer says this is for solar...?)

[gordonsick]

201834QS,
Welcome to the Berkshire 34QS lifestyle. If you are new to RVs, you should read the manual I wrote for my 2015 34QS. It has a tonne of information for you. (I'm metric, so I use tonnes rather than tons....)

The inverter/charger is hard wired to the house batteries. You can see its wires coming off the right end of your battery set. The switch in the house battery compartment comes off the left end of the battery set, so it doesn't switch the inverter. This means that if you are storing the coach and want to save the charge in your batteries, you need to turn off the big red switch in the battery bay and also turn off the inverter from inside the coach with the Magnum ME control panel.

You can get the owners manual for the Magnum control panel at https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/ma...emote-controls
I have the Magnum ME-RC remote, but you might have the slightly more advance Magnum ME-ARC. You should get a copy of the manual, because it has a lot of detailed information that you'll need if the following simple suggestions don't work:

1. Check the water level in the batteries. Ideally, it should come up to the lower neck of the fill hole. You'll see a curved meniscus when it touches that point. If the water level is so low the you the tops of the separators in the cells are uncovered, you definitely need to add water. Use distilled water. Wear old clothes that you don't mind getting holes from battery acid.

2. Check to see that the ME-RC remote has the battery charger on. It will say that it is charging if it is charging. If you press the "Meter" button, you should see the status of everything, including voltages of the batteries.

3. Make sure you are getting power to the coach. If you plug in the shore power cable, you will hear a clunk in the centre electrical bay at the back to say that your transfer switch is kicking on. If that doesn't happen, maybe you don't have power in your cable.

4. You might be able to jump start the generator while in the coach. Hold down the "Aux Start" switch on the dashboard to temporarily connect the chassis batteries to the house batteries, since the house batteries are needed to start the generator. If the generator starts, go back to the ME-RC panel to see if you are getting a charge indication. If the generator is running and there is no charge, open the front drawer to expose the generator and make sure the circuit breaker on the generator isn't tripped.

I assume that your chassis batteries are working and that you were able to drive back home from the dealership. If you are at the dealership, get them to work on the problem!

Let us know how these ideas work.

–gordon

[201834QS]

I was able to drive it home from the shop and if the generator trick doesn’t work, I will drive it back (when I get back to Az from a business trip). and have them look at it. One more question. ....my four 6v batteries all now read 6.73 on a hand held volt meter but no lights the Precision Circuit panel still won’t fire up. Is this what the batteries should read?

[jwleslie]

I believe that if each of the batteries are reading 6.73 volts, they may well be fully charged. If you are seeing nothing on the precision control panel, make sure the salesman switch (battery disconnect) is turned on. This is just inside the entry door.

[201834QS]

Two things 1) Ugh. Thank you so much. I am glad I didn’t use my real name in this pair because I feel dumb for not knowing about the “salesman” switch. The lights come on now! Thank you !
2) the LCD precision circuit panel that controls everything will still not come on. I wonder if when the RV shop let the battery drain to zero, if there is now a simpler reset button to get that control panel to fire up ? Is there a simple fix to turn that on like the “salesman” switch I was too dense to fighter out ?

[shepardmike]

Try this first - To reset the Touch from the Master:

Go into the Master Panel Diagnostics, by pressing both the top and bottom buttons at the same time.

Scroll down till you see Module Status, then press the center button.

With cursor on Touch, press the right button. It should say Resetting.

Failing this, it’s fine to cycle the disconnect, the system will come back up promptly, with the touch taking a full minute.

If that doesn't work call Dan -
Precision Plex (control board on wall): Dan: 630-515-9100 ext 704
Technical Support
Precision Circuits Inc
2538 Wisconsin Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-515-9100 EXT-704
Email:
tech@precisioncircuitsinc.com

[201834QS]

Thank you to everyone who helped me with my dead LCD screen. As an FYI Precision Plex "Dan" was very helpful. Turns out there is a small battery behind the PrecisionPlex screen that was dead and wasn't telling the LCD screen to "wake up" after the coach batteries were brought back to life. The battery is a CR1025 for any newbies like me reading this post in the future. Dan at Precision Plex says the watch-type battery is supposed to last 5 years, but the coach is three years old and he suspects the AZ desert heat made the tiny battery die an early death.
thanks again to all those who helped me!

[Trappfarmer]

Next time you do a complete shutdown check to see if the WiFi is still available.

[red0801]

Originally Posted by jwleslie

1. Is this operating as designed? By that I mean, should all of the batteries (chassis and House) have discharged after only 10 days?

While this may seem extreme, the condition is more common than you might think. The chassis network has a standard parasitic draw of x. This draw will deplete the chassis in approx. 8 days.
I normally recommend that anytime you know your coach is going to be stationary for more than 2-3 days, go ahead & turn off the large manual disconnect switch located in the chassis battery compartment.

Unlike most Travel trailers & Fifth Wheels where the batteries are regularly removed, there are parasitic draws placed on the House batteries in your Class A Motorhome that can’t be avoided due to health & safety reasons. These include Fire & Carbon Monoxide detectors, Leveling systems, Inverter Controls, Macerator toilets & Aux Cockpit systems (Bed lifts, Door Locks, Radio, etc).
Do NOT turn off the Manual Disconnect Switch in the House Battery Compartment if anyone is going to be inside the unit while it is stationary. Turning this switch off not only disconnects the safety systems, but it also disconnects power from your solar charge controller. For your solar controller to charge the House batteries, your Manual disconnect switch in the House Battery Compartment MUST be ON. Ensure your solar controller is ON, & the panel on the roof has regular access to direct sunlight.

The Battery Combiner (Auxiliary Start Switch) will latch or disconnect the chassis & house batteries for charging or auxiliary power conditions. However, when the combiner senses the batteries are discharging, it will automatically disengage & isolate the batteries. The batteries will then stay isolated until a charging voltage is present. By turning off the Disconnect in the Chassis Battery compartment you will ensure the chassis parasitic draw does NOT drain the chassis batteries below the point that they could be used to start the generator if needed.

Originally Posted by jwleslie

3. Will this have done any damage to any of the batteries? How can I know? What can I do to reduce the likelihood of damage, beyond ensuring appropriate water levels in the batteries?

Batteries today are amazingly durable. I would make sure the Solar controller is ON & you should be fine after the batteries recharge.

[red0801]

Originally Posted by Trappfarmer

Next time you do a complete shutdown check to see if the WiFi is still available.

The Wifi Network is powered by 120V provided via the Inverter & Breaker i9A.

[shepardmike]

Wait, did I miss something? We have WiFi in our 34QS rigs?

[red0801]

Originally Posted by shepardmike

Wait, did I miss something? We have WiFi in our 34QS rigs?

You have a WiFi Hotspost available through your Magnadyne radio in your 2019 34QS. Check page 22 of the attached M6 manual.

https://magnadyne.com/content/manual...ual_Manual.pdf

You'll still need a wifi/data source, but this give you a means to broadcast a signal throughout your coach.

[shepardmike]

Ok, thanks. Yes, I knew about the ability to connect to an external WiFI I just miss-interpreted the statement thinking it was it's own standalone hotspot.