Dead house batteries. Are they trash now

[parpar1]

So the RV is in for some due bill work. They first said one week then two weeks. Called yesterday, Friday. Service said most stuff was done and it is in the paint shop getting the paint touched up. And it would be done that night and Monday i could come get it. Well today noticed i left my easy-up in the RV. I call and the person said no prob come get it. We find my RV and it looks like it has not moved in two weeks and the paint is not fixed. I open the door to see if anything was done and the house batteries are beyond dead. Obviously something was left on. So beside being lied to are the house batteries trash now. Will a load test be accurate after they put a full charge on them? Or should i demand new house batteries? I have heard many times that taking a lead acid down to zero will hurt the battery.

Thanks in advance for answers.

[bikendan]

it would help if you clarified if it's a motorhome or trailer.
the term "house" battery usually refers to a motorhome but some use the term for their trailer batteries.

[camaraderie]

They may not be toast but you've definitely had a hurt put on them... A load test should show you if you can still use them... but I'd try to get something for the damage they've done to their LIFE CYCLES by letting them fully discharge. I'd want to be present to SEE the load test as well.
Alternatively...you could have them deliver them to you "fully charged" but not hooked up. Wait 24 hours and THEN take a voltage or turkey baster reading and see what % charge remains. It should be 12.6V and anything less is loss of capacity.
Good luck!

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by parpar1

So the RV is in for some due bill work. They first said one week then two weeks. Called yesterday, Friday. Service said most stuff was done and it is in the paint shop getting the paint touched up. And it would be done that night and Monday i could come get it. Well today noticed i left my easy-up in the RV. I call and the person said no prob come get it. We find my RV and it looks like it has not moved in two weeks and the paint is not fixed. I open the door to see if anything was done and the house batteries are beyond dead. Obviously something was left on. So beside being lied to are the house batteries trash now. Will a load test be accurate after they put a full charge on them? Or should i demand new house batteries? I have heard many times that taking a lead acid down to zero will hurt the battery.

Thanks in advance for answers.

Guessing with a "trickle" discharge caused by parasitc loads, the damage done is minimal, important to grt the batts recharged ASAP. Afer charge have a cable lifted to stop the discharge until back in your custody.

[parpar1]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

They may not be toast but you've definitely had a hurt put on them... A load test should show you if you can still use them... but I'd try to get something for the damage they've done to their LIFE CYCLES by letting them fully discharge. I'd want to be present to SEE the load test as well.
Alternatively...you could have them deliver them to you "fully charged" but not hooked up. Wait 24 hours and THEN take a voltage or turkey baster reading and see what % charge remains. It should be 12.6V and anything less is loss of capacity.
Good luck!

Sounds like i better put up a good fight if they say it is not a problem and refuse to replace them.

Originally Posted by VinceU

Guessing with a "trickle" discharge caused by parasitc loads, the damage done is minimal, important to grt the batts recharged ASAP. Afer charge have a cable lifted to stop the discharge until back in your custody.

I dont think so. I have left it off shore power for a few weeks at a time, with the battery by-pass left on, and still had a little voltage reading on the control panel. And when i say dead i mean dead. I have been doing a little reading and it definitely is not good for batteries. Maybe i can swing a deal and get two 6 volts for the higher milli amps.

Oh it is a 2014 Class C Sunseeker 32foot 3010DS motorhome.

[Herk7769]

Another possibility is to buy a good battery charger that includes a "battery Recovery" mode. Basically a super "desulphator" it will try to blast the corroded plates clean of the hardened lead sulphate and restore your plates and electrolyte back to near normal levels.

It works most of the time and is a worthwhile investment in any case.

12V Battery Recovery Charger & Desulfator 16 Amp, Xtreme XCR-20

While you may not need the priciest of units (like the cheaper "shop" one above - if price is not an object), there are others that may just do the job for you like XC100-P Xtreme Charge 12V Battery Maintenance Charger Desulfator

[Surveyor Mike]

This might be a stretch Herk, but if I had one of the XC100-P chargers hooked up to my posts on the battery while boondocking, do you think it will give me a battery charge % on the led's without being plugged in to 110.? How long will this charger take to fully charge a 50% depleted Trojan SCS200 battery?

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread.

[parpar1]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Another possibility is to buy a good battery charger that includes a "battery Recovery" mode. Basically a super "desulphator" it will try to blast the corroded plates clean of the hardened lead sulphate and restore your plates and electrolyte back to near normal levels.

It works most of the time and is a worthwhile investment in any case.

12V Battery Recovery Charger & Desulfator 16 Amp, Xtreme XCR-20

While you may not need the priciest of units (like the cheaper "shop" one above - if price is not an object), there are others that may just do the job for you like XC100-P Xtreme Charge 12V Battery Maintenance Charger Desulfator

Gulp I just saw the price on that unit. Has to be a home made DYI kit somewhere.

[parpar1]

Desulfator for 12V Car Batteries, in an Altoids Tin

found this.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by parpar1

Gulp I just saw the price on that unit. Has to be a home made DYI kit somewhere.

That was the cheap one.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Surveyor Mike

This might be a stretch Herk, but if I had one of the XC100-P chargers hooked up to my posts on the battery while boondocking, do you think it will give me a battery charge % on the led's without being plugged in to 110.? How long will this charger take to fully charge a 50% depleted Trojan SCS200 battery?

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread.

I don't own that one. I was just using it as an example.
Without 100VAC, the XC100-P will use battery power to continue to spike the battery, so you might actually see a decrease in battery life while boondocking.

Not sure about your other question.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by parpar1

Desulfator for 12V Car Batteries, in an Altoids Tin

found this.

Now THAT is a pretty cool DIY.

[parpar1]

I consider myself to smart enough to be dangerous, if you know what i mean lol. I have never heard of doing this to lead acid batteries before. Know I keep thinking of all those house batteris i have throw out when performance starts dropping. I realy need to put this on the to due list.

Learn something new everyday

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by parpar1

Desulfator for 12V Car Batteries, in an Altoids Tin

found this.

Pulse desulphators have been sold by the millions because they are cheap and they sound so cool. The Controlled STUDIES which have been run on them always turn out to be...NO EFFECT except loss of $$.
*************************

@Surveyor Mike...I wouldn't even think of using this on healthy batteries.
14.9V is WAY too high a bulk charging voltage as it will bubble off acid...which is exactly what you want the OCCASIONAL EQ charge to do.
Furthermore...it ONLY bulk charges at a 16 amp rate...which means that even if you used half your SCS200's 115 amp hours...you'd be looking at 4 hours to replace those amps...IF a battery worked like a water faucet. The reality is that you'd be lucky to get it fully charged in less tha 6 hours from a 50% charge.
Finally...charging at 14.9V can do more damage than simply creating explosive gas...it can also buckle battery cases and collapse grids if not monitored carefully with the caps off and the temperature not allowed to rise beyond 120 degrees F.
As a final note...ANY battery charger over 30 amps will do you no good as that is the MOST amps your battery will take at one time. You must expect 3-4 hours as the minimum time to bring your battery back from 50% to 100%. NOW...to bring it from 50% to over 80% should only take 2 hours. What many people do while boondocking is simply operate between 50 and 80% daily...and then go for the 100% at least once a week.

[parpar1]

12 Volts Lead Acid Battery Charger Desulfator 7 30 Amps Battery Assembled | eBay

Comments? remarks? I don't know what makes a good unit vs a piece of junk unit. Still doing my homework.

[Surveyor Mike]

Well, I was thinking of using the charger to just "spot check " on the battery while having a small genny for afternoon recharges to keep the battery topped off when it gets to about 50% or so. All for about $400. new batt, new charger that has the desulfator as well, and a small genny.

[Surveyor Mike]

I already own a sears 2, 10, 50amp auto charger.

Thanks for the help, as always.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by parpar1

12 Volts Lead Acid Battery Charger Desulfator 7 30 Amps Battery Assembled | eBay

Comments? remarks? I don't know what makes a good unit vs a piece of junk unit. Still doing my homework.

PURE junk. Simply a pulse desulphator...so snake oil of indeterminate quality as opposed to pure snake oil!!

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by Surveyor Mike

I already own a sears 2, 10, 50amp auto charger.

Thanks for the help, as always.

That and a decent battery monitor will do a much better job for you.

[parpar1]

Talked to the service manager today. He said he would throw them on a charger in the morning then load test them. If they read good i guess i will take her home and go from there. I have about 60 days left on the battery warranty so that gives me some time.

If they read bad, i see some 6 volts coming my way.