Battery Basics ??

[phorner]

Okay, what am I doing wrong??

How do the chassis batteries get charged while the coach is plugged into 50 amp service? Or, do they not get charged?

Went to start the bus for its once-a-month-because-I-like-the-sound-and- it-gets-things-lubricated start up and the batteries appear dead.

No cranking....nuthin'...

So, apparently I've misunderstood how they get charged while plugged in.

And, how do I get them charged now that they're down? It doesn't appear that the generator charges them, but I haven't let it run long enough to tell for sure.

Hey, Lew, if you push......... I'll steer...

[dalej]

My chassis batts don't get charged unless the engine is running. When parked for periods of time I shut down the disconnect.

You can charge two batteries at a time with a 12v charger and then boost the other two with a car or truck.

Our batteries were dead one morning when we first bought our coach back in 98, used Jan's jeep to start it.

Ours is a 86, so yours might be all together different, good luck.

[phorner]

Thanks, Dale...

Now that I've confirmed with my voltmeter that I have 4 "dead" batteries, what's the safest way to charge them?

I have a 12 volt charger and can afford to take the time to charge each battery at a time if need be.

There are also 2 switches: "24 volt disconnect" and "12 volt disconnect".

Can I simply turn the disconnects off and then disconnect each battery to charge it? By turning the disconnects off, have I removed the batteries from everything?

Should I turn either, or both, off while parked for an extended time?

Seems that there should be a relatively easy way to keep them charged while plugged into shore power.

[dalej]

There are some that use a tender for the chassis batts. but I and others don't have a problem with drain
down, so don't use one.

Just shut off the 24v when parked and monitor the drain, if you have some it's coming from the 12v, so
disconnect it also.

If your not in a hurry, then charge each battery separate and check drain down, to see if all the batteries
are holding charge.

It is hard for anyone to speak on someone else’s coach since someone at sometime could have
changed some of the wiring on a coach. We only talk in general terms.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Paul,

Be careful you are not addressing the real issue.

To start with your chassis batteries should have no load, parasitic or otherwise when you turn off the key. If you do have a load you need to find out what it is, determine if it should be there, and if your coach has a load you think is important to have on the coach, then turning off the coach master switches is just going to end up turning off this load as well.

If it does not turn off the load then you have a bigger problem because someone added something directly to the batteries (or some connection point ahead of the master switch).

But if you do not have a load of any type you may have a bad battery pulling the others down. I have parked my coach with all switches on for as long as 90 days and it has started with no boost or recharging of the batteries.

If you can find anybody with a new style battery tester of sufficient size you can test each battery and determine if any battery has a defect.

While the concept of starting the bus periodically seems like a good idea, it is probably more damaging to the coach than taking it for a 40 or 50 mile run to get everything up to temperature and to exercise all the seals, valves, tires, and systems.

Let us know what you find out about your batteries.

[truk4u]

Paul,

Does Liberty not have the boost switch for boosting the house and/or chassis?

Jon?

Also, be careful on your charging, the chassis is probably parallel/series and you have both 24 and 12 volt sources.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

In our coach we have a dedicated circuit breaker for a 24 volt charger, which charger is located above the chassis batteries.

But....this charger is intended to slap a charge into the batteries to get you going, unlike the house battery chargers that are in the inverters which are meant to be left on 100% of the time.

This topic has been discussed over the years. Prevost wants you to turn off the chassis master switches every time you stop, even if it just for over night. I have the philosophy that I don't want to do that except when I am servicing the chassis, so I want they to be no "key off" loads.

I don't know how Paul's coach is set up? Paul?????

[phorner]

I agree. It does seem very odd to me that the batteries, which are less than a year old, would not last for at least several months without being charged.

I am noticing a rhythmic "click-clock" sound in the battery compartment which appears to be coming from the Vanner Model 60-100D High Efficiency Battery Equalizer. The sounds occur at 10 second intervals and I don't recall ever having heard them before.

Could it be that the equalizer is just trying to "equalize" dead batteries?

Or, could this be an indication of a faulty equalizer which caused the problem in the first place?

I can see that between electrical and air systems, I've got a full time job ahead of me!

[MangoMike]

Paul,

I have one of those new digital high tech battery testers as outlined by Nick Hessler at POG4. I would be glad to send it down to you.

Picture 24.jpg

Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I also have one. Different brand, but the important thing is that it has the capacity to handle your largest battery (house =1960 CCA). It is a good investment because batteries are your critical items.