DX3 batteries dead, not charging

[jtad]

2016 DX3 was left in storage for a couple of weeks not plugged in. Showed up yesterday and batteries are dead. Zantrex control panel said house batteries had 4 volts. Plugged into shore power and left over night. This morning still dead. Panel says zero volts now. What am I missing why didn't the charger/inverter charge the batteries over night? It isn't in standby mode..Its plugged in and nothing comes on. I'm guessing its cause the coach disconnect was turned off but shouldn't everything come back on when I plugged into shore power?

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by jtad

2016 DX3 was left in storage for a couple of weeks not plugged in. Showed up yesterday and batteries are dead. Zantrex control panel said house batteries had 4 volts. Plugged into shore power and left over night. This morning still dead. Panel says zero volts now. What am I missing why didn't the charger/inverter charge the batteries over night? It isn't in standby mode..Its plugged in and nothing comes on. I'm guessing its cause the coach disconnect was turned off but shouldn't everything come back on when I plugged into shore power?

Yes if you turned the disconnect back on, I just turned mine off the other night and put the charger on. The next day they were full charged, but I had to still turn the disconnect back on for anything to work. Are you saying you tried it without turning the disconnect back On? It has to be on, or I'm missing what you said.

[HappyTrav]

Battery chargers have a safety circuit in them to prevent them from charging fully discharged batteries. A fully discharged battery could damage the charger.

A battery shop will be able to recharge the batteries but they will be “damaged” by the full discharge and their life will be shortened.

Bob

[FOURWHL]

Especially being AGM not sure they can be recovered like a regular flooded. Time for new batteries most likely. I just did this on my 2016 as well.

[CHICKDOE]

i have read your post a couple of times and it seems you are asking two different but related questions, if i understand correctly.

let's take the second one first. you said you are plugged into shore power yet nothing comes on. is that just the 12 volt stuff or both 12 volt and 110 volt? is there a light on the microwave? that would indicate that you have 110 volt power present so you are probably just including the 12 volt stuff in the 'nothing comes on'. now the converter should be putting out 12 volt power to try to recharge the batteries and it can also be used to run the other 12 volt stuff. try to see if you have 12 volt power with the battery disconnect switch in both positions. if you can, take a 12 volt voltage measurement across the battery terminals with the converter on and the disconnect switch in both positions. trying to determine if the converter is outputting any 12 volt power. check the 110 volt circuit breaker that feeds power into the converter to make sure it is not tripped. reset it just for drill. if you are not getting 12 volt power out of the converter check the reverse polarity fuses.

assuming you can get 12 volt power out of the converter what to do about the batteries? first i would confirm that the disconnect switch is set properly to recharge the batteries and i would take a voltage measurement across the battery terminals to ensure you have a charge voltage from the converter. if all is ok let them charge up. if you can't get a charge from the converter you could try an external auto battery charger. or pull the batteries and take them to an auto parts store. many of them have rechargers that might get them recharged. get them charged and tested to see their status before you run out and buy new ones.

[CHICKDOE]

i have read your post a couple of times and it seems you are asking two different but related questions, if i understand correctly.

let's take the second one first. you said you are plugged into shore power yet nothing comes on. is that just the 12 volt stuff or both 12 volt and 110 volt? is there a light on the microwave? that would indicate that you have 110 volt power present so you are probably just including the 12 volt stuff in the 'nothing comes on'. now the converter should be putting out 12 volt power to try to recharge the batteries and it can also be used to run the other 12 volt stuff. try to see if you have 12 volt power with the battery disconnect switch in both positions. if you can, take a 12 volt voltage measurement across the battery terminals with the converter on and the disconnect switch in both positions. trying to determine if the converter is outputting any 12 volt power. check the 110 volt circuit breaker that feeds power into the converter to make sure it is not tripped. reset it just for drill. if you are not getting 12 volt power out of the converter check the reverse polarity fuses.

assuming you can get 12 volt power out of the converter what to do about the batteries? first i would confirm that the disconnect switch is set properly to recharge the batteries and i would take a voltage measurement across the battery terminals to ensure you have a charge voltage from the converter. if all is ok let them charge up. if you can't get a charge from the converter you could try an external auto battery charger. or pull the batteries and take them to an auto parts store. many of them have rechargers that might get them recharged. get them charged and tested to see their status before you run out and buy new ones.

[jtad]

Plugged into shore power I can toggle the coach disconnect switch (the one just inside the door) and no lights come on. The zantrex control panel show 120 ac volts coming in. But 4 volts on house batteries. And the charger will no come on and charge the batteries. Do I need to remove them and charge them off the coach then replace and do and equalizing charge? Or am I missing something?

[CHICKDOE]

Do you have 110 power to anything (tv, microwave, etc)? Trying to determine if you have a 110 volt problem that is keeping converter from running or if there might be a problem with the converter not supplying 12 volt power. What works that we can eliminate?

[jtad]

I have 110 in the coach.. If what happytrv is saying is correct it isn't going to charge.. So my questions is I guess I need to remove them and charge them off the coach then return them? And do a equalize charge?

[CHICKDOE]

it would certainly make sense to pull them and get them recharged. if you have a battery charger available you should be able to hook that to the batteries without removing them. if not, see if you can find an auto parts store that will charge them. if you take them out take many pictures of how all the wires are connected before you remove them. label the wires so you can put them back exactly the same way.

i have read where some converters will not recharge a severely discharged battery. but i have also read where people operate their 12 volt systems entirely from the converter without any batteries connected. but it is pretty obvious that your converter is not providing 12 volt power. did you check the reverse polarity fuses? hopefully it could be as easy as having to replace these. i'd check them before i pulled the batteries.

[jtad]

Is that fuse on the inverter/charger?

[CHICKDOE]

the reverse polarity fuses are associated with the converter / charger. sometimes they are on the converter itself it is is a separate unit. sometimes they are part of the power distribution center if the converter is built into it. what model converter / charger to you have? it may also be part of a combination converter / inverter unit.

[camaraderie]

Do you have 12V overhead lights when you are plugged into shore power? If yes...then the pass through on the converter is working.



Do you have a VOLT METER? If so then while plugged into shore power...measure the 12V DC voltage at the OUTPUT of your Converter. (you probably have a stand alone converter in one of your bays VERY close to your interior fuse/breaker panel.). If you don't have 13+V... you need to check the fuses on the converter for continuity. Also need to check for 120V AC at te Wall Socket the inverter plugs into.
Replace converter or fuses as needed.



Once you have good output from converter...check the DC at the battery terminals and you should have 13+V there OR there is a wiring or battery center problem. Time for a pro.

You should definitely try to SALVAGE your AGM batteries at a decent auto parts shop that can bulk charge them back into existence...your coach charger will not do so. They will be damaged if recovered and may need to be replaced.

Suggest that for future storage you EITHER disconnect the negative battery wire which will prevent ANY battery drain. OR buy a battery disconect switch and attach it to the negaative wire to accomplish the same thing. As you have discovered...the coach disconnect switch does NOT eliminate phantom loads on the batteries so you need to have a way to take them out of the loop.
Good luck..

[Webefine]

My DX3 has a manual disconnect for the house batteries and for the chassis batteries. When I store even for a week or two and I’m not able to be plugged in I always disconnect the batteries and I have never had a problem, even when I store for the winter (4 months) my batteries stay charged without being plugged in.

[jtad]

I do not have any lights when plugged into shore power. Everything worked as it should until the disconnect was left on for two weeks and I found the batteries dead. So I plugged into shore power thinking my inverter/charger would kick in and charge the batteries back up. (That is how my old coach worked) This did not happen. So my original question was am I missing something here? Shouldn't when I plug into shore power I get lights back even if batteries are dead? And shouldn't they get charged from the on board charger? I understand a few on here have said that there is a safety override in our chargers that prevents them from charging dead batteries. If that is the case my next question is if I charge the batteries with my shop battery charger and bring them back to life some shouldn't I be able to use the bulk charge function of my Xantrex then follow up with the float charge?

[bclemens]

Someone else had this exact same thing just recently...charge light would not go on. I think an inverter reboot took care of it???

[jtad]

Came home from work this morning and everything back to normal.. Sometime over the last two days I guess it decided to start charging.. 14.2 volts and everything works as it should..I have no idea....