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Old 01-01-2019, 01:28 PM   #1
Winnebago Camper
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Renton Washington
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Cab Battery not holding a charge

I have a 1996 Minnie Winnie Dl. I have been running a portable electric heater to keep it above freezing. My problem is the cab battery keeps dieing. I have charged it up and start the Rv once a week but it still eventually dies. The batteries are fairly new and I make sure nothing else is turned on. I thought having it plugged into shore power would not affect the batteries? I am going to charge it up again and leave my portable heater unplugged for a few weeks to see if that helps. Any thoughts on why this is happening? The only other thing I have plugged in is a nest camera. that keeps a eye on my house.
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Old 01-01-2019, 01:47 PM   #2
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Sounds like in 1996 Winnebago did not use a type of Battery Isolation Manager that allows the coach battery charger to also charge the chassis battery. It soundsl like you have access to 15 amp AC power outlet. So, the answer is to connect a separate AC charger to your chassis battery. I recommend and use the BatteryMINDer Model 12117: 12 Volt 1.33 Amp (12V 1.33A) Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator. In addition to keeping your chassis battery charged it can also be clipped across any lead-acid battery to desulfate it.

Other option would be to run a 12 gauge wire from Coach B+ to Chassis B+ in line with a SPST and a 15 or 20 amp fuse that you could manually toggle to on so your coach charger could also charge your chassis battery when you are parked and have AC power. Down side to that is remembering to toggle it back to off when you don't have AC power.
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Old 01-01-2019, 02:11 PM   #3
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Thanks, So I have a NOCO Genius G3500 charger/maintainer already. You would recommend I keep this hooked up full time while I have the RV parked ? It does have battery maintenance plus feature designed to maintain without overcharging. I also have a NOCO GB40 jumpstarter that stared it right up when dead.
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Old 01-01-2019, 02:13 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Greggs View Post
Thanks, So I have a NOCO Genius G3500 charger/maintainer already. You would recommend I keep this hooked up full time while I have the RV parked ? It does have battery maintenance plus feature designed to maintain without overcharging. I also have a NOCO GB40 jumpstarter that stared it right up when dead.
Yes. Perfect.
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Old 01-01-2019, 02:19 PM   #5
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So I am to believe running the heater and my camera while plugged into shore power is causing my chassis battery to die? Is there a way to isolate that battery to not drain?
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Old 01-01-2019, 02:52 PM   #6
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Heater is AC powered, not impacting batteries.

Camera, if 12 volt powered and if plugged into a dash power outlet, maybe. Could be the particular outlet you are using is off the chassis battery. I would try moving the camera to a different outlet, not a dash outlet and see if it changes your problem.
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Old 01-01-2019, 02:55 PM   #7
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camera is hooked into power strip in the tv entertainment area above cab. Shouldn't be tied into dash power at all. I moved it anyway to see if that will make a difference, course if I now leave the NOCO G3500 hooked up to chassis battery I won't know.
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Old 01-01-2019, 03:16 PM   #8
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"Fairly new"????? Before going to a lot of bother..... I'd load test the battery in question. "Fairly new" doesn't mean 'good'.



Today's batteries aren't the same as the one in your GrandPaps '54 DeSoto which could take a lot of abuse and maybe last near forever. New batteries have a lot less material and are made to be 'just good enough' to get (almost) to the end of the warranty.
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Old 01-01-2019, 05:38 PM   #9
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I think you are right , I tested the cells and a couple were bad. Found the paper work and its 5 years old . Its a Les schwab extreme power. Might get a prorated refund or credit on a new Les schwab. Any opinions on batteries?
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Old 01-02-2019, 01:09 PM   #10
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Tim, There you go Bud! Bad cells = bad battery. The battery is the 'heart' of the system...



I've had several Dura-Last batteries from Autozone in the last couple years. Batteries don't last long in the Texas heat under the hood. Might as well put them in the oven at 450F. They last about 3 years no matter what. So, I'd look for a battery that meets the size for your application. I like AGMs. They hold a charge longer and don't need babysitting. Look at the Reserve Capacity (RC). Bigger RC is better and also the most important factor. The CCA has become less important unless you live in Nanook-Nanook Beyond Civilization, Canada. Look at the warranty. Doesn't necessarily mean the battery is better or won't have a problem but 'less likely fail during the warranty period.' And if it does, you either get a free replacement or a pro-rated 'refund' on the unexpired warranty.
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Old 01-06-2019, 05:16 PM   #11
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Hi,


Add a Trik-L-Start or Amp-L-Start.


Ultra TRIK-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer



Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Greggs View Post
I have a 1996 Minnie Winnie Dl. I have been running a portable electric heater to keep it above freezing. My problem is the cab battery keeps dieing. I have charged it up and start the Rv once a week but it still eventually dies. The batteries are fairly new and I make sure nothing else is turned on. I thought having it plugged into shore power would not affect the batteries? I am going to charge it up again and leave my portable heater unplugged for a few weeks to see if that helps. Any thoughts on why this is happening? The only other thing I have plugged in is a nest camera. that keeps a eye on my house.
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