Chassis battery issue

[kemer]

I have a 2014 Winnebago sightseer. During the summer I have it parked at my cabin and plugged into 50amp shore power 24x7. After being gone for a couple weeks, I came back up and my chassis battery level basically drained(It's less than a year old). I know that if I store it, I need to switch the coach and chassis batteries off. But I thought as long as I was plugged into shore power, the chassis should keep a charge. The coach battery is normal. I was hoping to start the unit using the battery boost switch and charge the chassis battery, but that wouldn't work either. SUGGESTIONS appreciated....

THANKS

[wa8yxm]

atsrmf wrote:
You may have a parasitic drain killing the battery. Disconnect the NEGATIVE cable,

May have?
Most modern (Anything built this century or the last decade of the last one) will have computers and so on that draw current on or off.

not much current but the average chassis battery only has about 10-15 amp hours to spare. Let's see 73amp hours times 20% is 14.6 and then you dead.

[atsrmf]

You may have a parasitic drain killing the battery. Disconnect the NEGATIVE cable, set your VOM to Amps, and check between the negative post and the cable you just disconnected. 50 milliamps is the normal maximum drain by standard, if there is more you have to isolate that device by process of elimination.
I had the same problem with my Class A with both batteries. I found the rear camera was draining the house battery and a courtesy light was draining the chassis battery. The latter was a mystery, since no light was on anywhere. I pulled fuses until I got a zero amp reading in both cases.

[ArchHoagland]

Disconnect Switch

My coach doesn't charge the engine battery either.

A simple disconnect switch will cure the problem.

My coach already came with a built in engine disconnect switch but that one, or a similar one with different post connectors, will do the trick.

[wa8yxm]

kemer wrote:
I have a 2014 Winnebago sightseer. During the summer I have it parked at my cabin and plugged into 50amp shore power 24x7. After being gone for a couple weeks, I came back up and my chassis battery level basically drained(It's less than a year old). I know that if I store it, I need to switch the coach and chassis batteries off. But I thought as long as I was plugged into shore power, the chassis should keep a charge. The coach battery is normal. I was hoping to start the unit using the battery boost switch and charge the chassis battery, but that wouldn't work either. SUGGESTIONS appreciated....

THANKS

You got it backwards
The converter charges the COACH battery.. now on a 2014 it should alo charge the CHASSIS but.. with the coach batteries off. it might not.

Your voltmeter is your friend. Use it to measure voltage AT THE BATTERY TERMINALS

After 2 hours without charging 12.x is good. the .x determines the state of charge (Without double checking I think .6 is full)

With the converter connected and charging 13.x is common.. NOTE depending on your converter it may go up and down so try mulitple readings over say a 30 minute period...

Also. WHAT is the converter model. in some Rigs this is the power center model In others. the converter is a in a different place (Mine is)

[skiatom]

Thanks for the info!

[time2roll]

skiatom wrote:
Well, I looked at the charger you recommended. Seems to me that you could purchase a less expensive one at any parts store. Or, just run a wire from the positive post of the house battery to the positive post on the chassis battery and let your house battery charger recharge both.

Yes that is correct.

The Trik-L-Start combines and separates the batteries automatically in all conditions with any charging source to the house battery including generator or solar.

The wire does not and needs a fuse unless sized the same as largest existing connection. Put this on your list to connect or disconnect as needed.

The separate on board maintenance charger could be plugged into the RV 120v system to always charge when plugged in. Otherwise add it to your list to plug in as needed.

[DrewE]

Running a wire between the batteries also means that house loads when not on shore power will depelete the chassis battery, which undoes one of the primary reasons for having two batteries. Having one with a switch (and appropriate current limiting/overcurrent protection) would be okay if you always remembered to operate the switch properly.

The battery tenders/trickle chargers you get at parts stores are different in that they are AC powered rather than DC, and I think at least some tend to discharge the battery if they are connected to the battery but not to AC power. The really nice thing about the Trik-L-Start, besides being a reliable, well-built device, is that it always just works without needing any additional effort on your part. It also has the advantage of working properly if the house battery is being charged by solar rather than by shore power, under which conditions a plug-in battery tender would not be so useful.

[skiatom]

Well, I looked at the charger you recommended. Seems to me that you could purchase a less expensive one at any parts store. Or, just run a wire from the positive post of the house battery to the positive post on the chassis battery and let your house battery charger recharge both.

[ndrorder]

The manual doesn't mention that the chassis battery would be charged from the converter.

[time2roll]

+1 for Trik-L-Start

[rk911]

add a trik-l-start. problem solved. http://www.lslproducts.net/TLSPage.html