Battery Disconnect

Adamfarl · 01-02-2022, 07:40 PM

Ok I have a bit of a problem that I would love to get suggestions on how to troubleshoot!

I have a 2019 FR3 30DS with standard features. It’s been in storage for around 2 months.

I got it out of storage today and start battery works great. I drove it to my house from storage no issues.

Coach/house batteries appear to be dead. With a voltmeter on them I get 2.2V even when connected to shore power. Shouldn’t I see 13+V when connected to shore?

Awning and steps do not work. Presumably because of the 2.2V on the batteries even with shore power.

Inside lights work, slides work, but steps and Awning do NOT work at all.

I was thinking maybe my battery disconnect switch was faulty or stuck in disconnect but slides wouldn’t work if so?

Any idea where I should start?? Batteries may be dead and need replacing, but is there another issue going on?

Thanks for your help!

SeaDog · 01-03-2022, 08:53 AM

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. We need a little more info. Are you on shore power or generator? 2.2V is a very dead battery. If on shore power or generator have you checked the output from your converter? I would cycle the disconnect and see if that has any affect. good luck

Adamfarl · 01-03-2022, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaDog

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. We need a little more info. Are you on shore power or generator? 2.2V is a very dead battery. If on shore power or generator have you checked the output from your converter? I would cycle the disconnect and see if that has any affect. good luck

Hi SeaDog, thanks for the reply.

I’m on shore power. The inverter is outputting 13.4V so it seems to be working as expected. I need to disconnect the battery and see if that 13.4V is making it all the way to the batteries.

I cycled the disconnect but there is no relay clicking at all. Not sure if that’s normal or not when on shore power? The light is on but I understand that light is always on when on shore power.

-Adam

SeaDog · 01-03-2022, 09:43 AM

That is a good plan once you have the batteries disconnected you can verify their condition. You might consider trying to charge them with a standalone charger and if they will take a charge charge to 100% and then load test them, shot batteries will read full charge but when you put a load on them they fail quickly. Harbor freight has a very inexpensive load tester. good luck your steps for trouble shooting are sound. Don't forget to let the forum know what you find or correct.

bubbles · 01-03-2022, 09:44 AM

Not sure about the slides in an FR3 but with the entrance door open press your aux (emergency start) switch and see if the steps extend. If they do the coach batteries are disconnected and/or depleted.

Adamfarl · 01-03-2022, 01:24 PM

Thanks Bubbles. Oddly I did try that but the steps still didn’t work. Kind of odd.

However I think I figured it out!

First I disconnected both batteries. They were 4ish years old, so probably time to replace anyway. Both were reading around 2-3V still so I think they were toast. I replaced them with a couple Die Hard Deep Cycles rated for the same as my current.

Once I hooked up the new batteries the steps now come out and the awning does as well.

** I think the root cause of most of this is that the battery disconnect relay appears to only work off the battery. When my house batteries were dead, on shore power, I could not get the relay to switch at all when pressing the button. Once I installed the new batteries, still on shore power, the relay switch triggers just fine.

Does it seem odd that if you have your batteries disconnected (by mean of the disconnect relay switch), and they die, you can’t switch them out of disconnect mode? Even with shore power. Also it appears that the inverter will not try to charge the batteries when on disconnect mode, on shore power.

I know this is all super confusing but perhaps someone else can read through and find it helpful. These RVs are so complicated nowadays but I guess that’s what we pay for luxury! Haha

Thanks again all for the help and for reading!

bubbles · 01-03-2022, 01:52 PM

The battery disconnect/connect solenoid is a latching relay that requires 12Vdc to energize/deenergize in both directions. I was thinking that there was enough voltage from the coach batteries for the interconnect relay to be energized and tie the chassis and coach batteries together but evidently the coach batteries were so low that it wasn't going to happen. By the way, it's the converter not the inverter that supplies 12Vdc to the coach for charging of the coach batteries/chassis batteries. Glad you got er done. Still don't know why the slides worked though.

Adamfarl · 01-03-2022, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbles

The battery disconnect/connect solenoid is a latching relay that requires 12Vdc to energize/deenergize in both directions. I was thinking that there was enough voltage from the coach batteries for the interconnect relay to be energized and tie the chassis and coach batteries together but evidently the coach batteries were so low that it wasn't going to happen. By the way, it's the converter not the inverter that supplies 12Vdc to the coach for charging of the coach batteries/chassis batteries. Glad you got er done. Still don't know why the slides worked though.

There’s a converter AND an inverter? Where do I find the converter then?

Must be the slides, water pump, lights etc all run from the shore power/inverter directly maybe?

kenandterry · 01-03-2022, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adamfarl

There’s a converter AND an inverter? Where do I find the converter then?

Must be the slides, water pump, lights etc all run from the shore power/inverter directly maybe?

Your rig most definitely has a converter…..changes A.C. voltage to D.C. voltage.
An inverter is usually an option for your rig,,if at all….
Changes D.C. to A.C.

bubbles · 01-03-2022, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adamfarl

There’s a converter AND an inverter? Where do I find the converter then?

Must be the slides, water pump, lights etc all run from the shore power/inverter directly maybe?

I don't know if you have an inverter or not (it's not listed as standard equipment for a 2019 FR3 30DS) but all those items you mention are 12Vdc items along with the awning/steps/LP detector/furnace etc. and some are in-line fused directly off a coach battery, ie; awning/steps/step switch/LP detector etc.. This is the way a 2016 FR3 is configured and haven't heard of any changes for a 2019 FR3. My Georgetown converter looks like this and is mounted on the ceiling of the power bay. Yours may be similar.

Adamfarl · 01-03-2022, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbles

I don't know if you have an inverter or not (it's not listed as standard equipment for a 2019 FR3 30DS) but all those items you mention are 12Vdc items along with the awning/steps/LP detector/furnace etc. and some are in-line fused directly off a coach battery, ie; awning/steps/step switch/LP detector etc.. This is the way a 2016 FR3 is configured and haven't heard of any changes for a 2019 FR3. My Georgetown converter looks like this and is mounted on the ceiling of the power bay. Yours may be similar.

Right you are bubbles. As well kenandterry is right. Sorry, I always think of inverters in Vehicles because it’s going from the battery DC to AC for charging etc… so yes, I actually have that same converter, bubbles. Horrible pic attached, but it’s the same! lol

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