low house battery

[patty lou evans]

This coach was purchased 7-3-08 with brand new house batteries, Deka gel filled. They currently have none in stock and one has been ordered out of factory in PA. We're currently in a holding mode awaiting the arrival of this battery. And,yes; we're having to start our bus engine and then start our generator in order to have power to house systems. Will inform you of the results after battery is replaced. The coach is a 1985 Marathon Prevost, it contains 4 house batteries and 4 engine batteries. All new. It has a Vanner battery charger and an inverter. The battery charger is a 50-20 amp. we will be having the charger checked, also. We thank all who have responded and would appreciate any other thoughts any of you may have. Patty Lou Evans

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Hello Patty. Thanks for that update. Those are important. There have been many with MPD experiencing sleepless nights due to posts of folks with trouble without followup.

I am curious. While you are at a campground plugged in what components are not working that will work if the generator is running instead

Also I could be wrong but if you shut off the master for the chassis batteries I don't think you would need to run the bus or worry about the chassis batteries.

If your house is 12 volt and that is where the bad battery is you could remove it now and run the house bank on 1 less battery till the new one shows up.

Is this your first bus? Ever owned an RV before this?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Patty,

We still lack a lot of information (and so do you), but I have some ideas and in order for your problems to be resolved it is important for as much information about your coach as possible to be made available.

I'll start with two simple observations, neither of which may be correct in your case, but it is important that you are alert to these facts.

Gel cell batteries are fine for coaches, but your coach was not originally equipped with them. What has been their biggest benefit is that they are a no-maintenance battery. They are susceptible to damage of two types. Over charging will ruin them. This is an excellent site to learn about gel cell batteries and their charging protocols.

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Bat...ting%20battery

They are not tolerant of higher voltage charge rates so if the Vanners are starting out with a 15.5 volt bulk charge it might be damaging to the batteries thus explaining the shortened life.

Also they are not tolerant of heat. Dpending on where they are located that may or may not be an issue. If they are near the engine, even if the charge rate is properly adjusted they will not last.

By your response I am assuming the Vanners are converter/chargers. I am also assuming the inverter is not a charger. Before your new batteries are installed I urge you to test the Vanner or access the operating manual and learn its charge cycle. Further, if it is as high as I suspect then either reduce the voltage, or switch to flooded wet cell batteries or AGM.

Don't hesitate to wear us out with questions, and come to Spearfish.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Patty,

Where are you located. There may be a knowledgible POG member near you?

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

This must be how it is at the 911 call bureau, you get a call for help, without enough info to be of any use to the caller. You hope they will give out one more piece of information before its too late. Tough job!

Come on Patty. Stick around for a dialog. Don't just hit and run!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Patty,

More comments for you to mull over. In your first post you said your were told your system was outdated and needed to be updated.

I am fairly certain that if you install new gel cell batteries you will be replacing them in another month or two. I am also fairly certain that if you pay what will be serious dollars to modify your electrical system to bring it up to the current technology you will still "cook" your batteries unless what ever is installed is set up specifically for gel cell batteries.

If you smelled the odor of rotten eggs when your battery failed you can take what I have previously said to the bank. It is the gospel.

I tried to find information on line about your Vanner chargers. I couldn't, but that does not mean they are a bad thing. It does mean however that if you do not have the Vanner charger operating manual you need to find out from Vanner if it is possible to adjust the charging protocol on the chargers so it is suitable for a gel cell battery set.

I am also concerned that damage may have already been done to the remaining batteries such as internal gas bubbles that will compromise their performance or life. If I were you I would give serious consideration to using flooded wet cell batteries in lieu of the gel cell until you decide if you wish to modify the coach. It will be a serious investment if you do choose to go that route and it will not make the coach worth a penny more in resale.

[garyde]

I have not read anywhere where Gel filled batteries are a good choice for Coach batteries. Patty, you might want to read about Glass Matt Batteries by Lifeline,
http://www.prevost-stuff.com/LifelineStory.htm

Your charger is probably designed for water based batteries like Jon has described, and would need to be replaced to be able to use Gel or Glass Mat batteries.
The folks who installed the batteries should have known .

[Judi Brown]

We are having problem with house batterys overcharging. We have had to replace 2. Swelled up. What should we look to replace to stop this.
JB

[Joe Cannarozzi]

You need to give more information Judy. What year is your bus, what type of batteries are they and if they are wet cell are they maintence free, what is charging them.

[Judi Brown]

It is 1991 H340, by Liberty. I think they are maintence free , as no caps on top. My husband put 9 gel batterys in when the first one swelled up and we were waiting for 8 D to come in and no problem. Put 4 of the big batterys back in and one swelled up. He bought 2 when had to replace last one,but
don't want to put extra in until problem solved. Would it be our inverter.
JB