Wet Cell Batteries

[dale farley]

Jon, I have read the inverter instructions a couple times in the last few days, including the Equalization charge setting. I do plan to read the manual with the new inverter and hopefully set things the way they should be when I actually install the inverter and batteries.

I took my two batteries back to the store and had them check them and fill to the correct level. They said they are shipped with low fluid so they won't spill. They just forgot to check and fill mine.

I noticed they were using a filler like the one in the picture. It automatically stops the flow when the battery is at the correct level. I figure since I currently have 26 lead acid batteries in various vehicles and equipment, this might be a handy device to have. I am sure some of you have seen these, but I had not.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I got one of them. It means I have too many vehicles with batteries.

[truk4u]

Dale,

Just a side not... CC does a poor job of venting that compartment. All you have is a small square tube on the rear side of the compartment that vents to the space just in front of the drive tires. That compartment with the inverters humming along in the summer is a heat factory. That's probably why they switched to AGM,s in the later years.

The compartment really needs a fan to move air...

[dale farley]

Tom,

All four of my bottom batteries have a wire grid that is under them and open to the bottom of the bus. The top batteries ride on a steel frame under the edge of the batteries about 3" wide, and the middle is completely open. I would think the air would flow quite freely around the batteries while the bus is in motion since the batteries are about 3/4" above the grid.

I heard someone at Spearfish say they left their bay door open while parked inside to allow for more complete ventilation of the inverter bay. I wonder if it would be wise to turn off the inverters when not using the bus for several weeks at a time? Your previous comment also makes me wonder if I should install a fan in the bay.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Dale,

If you have not experienced any issues prior to the recent spillage, which may have been a charging rate problem, why do anything different now?

When my bus is not in use I never turn anything off. I leave my chassis batteries "on", as well as my inverters to keep my house batteries up and I also usually leave pressure in the water system, but the pump off.

The inverters do a good job of maintaining the charge on the batteries.

[dale farley]

Jon,

I was just thinking that it might extend the life of the inverters if they were't on all the time. I noticed that the manual does say turn them off when not in use for an extended time. I currently leave everything on when the bus is in the garage.

I was thinking that since the CC automatically bypasses the inverter system if one goes bad, maybe it would be okay to just shut the inverter down while connected to AC. I realize I would need to add a battery tender of some kind to maintain the charge in the house batteries (about $100). I now have a 24V Deltran Battery Tender ($85) on the engine batteries, and it works fine.

I am in the "thinking" stage and welcome input. I am not interested in doing anything that sets me up for additional problems, but I'm in favor of doing things that are actual improvements to the current setup. So far, I see no negative effects that this should have.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Dale the fellow that repaired our Heart told me he has had one (on his bench) turned on continously for better than 10yrs.

[dale farley]

Joe, That sounds good. I wish I could expect mine to last 10 years. Considering they offer excellent charging procedures, I probably will leave mine turned on also.

I just finished installing the inverter, 300 Amp fuse, and the batteries. The hardest part was making sure I got all the wires labled so I could ensure I put them back in the right position. The first picture shows the old inverter when I removed the end cap and exposed the wires. the second picture shows all the wires once I pulled them out and labled them. The last one is after everything was put back together. I am not replacing the cover over my batteries until I make sure there is no more boiling over. I am currently running off my inverters with a medium load, (refrigerator, lights, etc.) for a few hours, then I will recharge and watch the batteries and monitors.

After installation, I started checking the main settings, and found that the default settings are not what the book says. The default for wet cell batteries is supposed to be "0". Mine was on "1" which is the setting for gel cel batteries. I checked my second inverter, and it was set the same. This means my batteries have previously been charged on the gel setting vice the wet cell. I talked to the Xantrex tech and got him to go through the settings with me. The four settings that I would normally need to check, were all wrong on both the new inverter and my second one.

I suppose the moral of this story is don't depend on the default settings being what they are supposed to be. This very likely caused or added-to the problem with my batteries. So far, everything seems to be working fine.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Guess what Dale....if your inverters were previously set for gel cell, you probably had them in there at some point in the coach's life.

Running lead acid on gel cell voltages will not damage the batteries except limit their charge voltage. Running gel cell on lead acid battery settings is the kiss of death for them.

On my inverters the #1 dip switch turns the equalization charge on or off. Leaving that switch on is bad news for any battery.

[dale farley]

Jon, That was my first thought also, but when I realized that the default from the factory is supposed to be "0" for wet cell, and the inverter was actually set for gel cell, that was confusing. The tech said the inverters are definitely supposed to be set for wet cell when they leave their warehouse.

I am not sure what batteries CC was shipping in the coaches in 1999, but I would think it would have been gel or AGM. As soon as I see the AGMs for about $300, I will change all 6 batteries. Or if the market hits 13,000 before the end of the year, I will give Paulette 6 AGMs for Christmas.