House batteries dead - Itasca Viva 23B

[andyboy57]

Hello all - a newbie so please go easy on me. I have just purchased an Itasca 23b Viva (made by Winnebago) - my house batteries are dead - in other words I cannot even start the generator. The battery monitor display is blank. I am currently in a storage facility. They do have 110v outlets nearby but I would have to move the rv to that area so not sure if storage owners will let me leave the RV there for very long. What can I do. Thanks for your input in advance. Andy

[neub]

Not familiar with your model but most rvs have a "battery boost" button that has you hold it down connects the chassis and house batteries. If you have one, start your rv, hold down on the boost button and after a couple minutes push the start button on the generator while still holding the boost button down. Release the boost button once the generator has started. Given how long your house batteries have been dead they may be damaged. Running your generator for a couple hours will not fully recharge your batteries, it will need the charger plugged in for 8-12 hrs. If after being plugged in for that time period and your batteries don't hold a charge have them tested to see if they where damaged from the deep discharge. Also whenever you are storing your rv turn the house battery off, you should have a button that turns off the house batteries.

[LarryW]

Draining any wet battery completely severely damages batteries if not kills them. If the battery will charge consider a portable solar charger. It will take a while...if it charges.

[Tucsontoy]

You did not say if you storage was an open air lot or under cover. You need to evaluate solar. In the near term, take the rig out for a drive for a couple hours. Once charged, pull the neg cable off the battery until the next time you want to use it to stop the drain. Consider a battery shut of switch like on boats. These band aids will help until you pick a long term solution. Yes, those current batteries have been severally damaged and may have to be replaced.

[andyboy57]

Originally Posted by neub

Not familiar with your model but most rvs have a "battery boost" button that has you hold it down connects the chassis and house batteries. If you have one, start your rv, hold down on the boost button and after a couple minutes push the start button on the generator while still holding the boost button down. Release the boost button once the generator has started. Given how long your house batteries have been dead they may be damaged. Running your generator for a couple hours will not fully recharge your batteries, it will need the charger plugged in for 8-12 hrs. If after being plugged in for that time period and your batteries don't hold a charge have them tested to see if they where damaged from the deep discharge. Also whenever you are storing your rv turn the house battery off, you should have a button that turns off the house batteries.

thank you - knew i would get good advice. happy travels

[andyboy57]

Originally Posted by Tucsontoy

You did not say if you storage was an open air lot or under cover. You need to evaluate solar. In the near term, take the rig out for a drive for a couple hours. Once charged, pull the neg cable off the battery until the next time you want to use it to stop the drain. Consider a battery shut of switch like on boats. These band aids will help until you pick a long term solution. Yes, those current batteries have been severally damaged and may have to be replaced.

thanks for your input Tuscantoy - looks like we have a similar model? what year is yours.

[Tucsontoy]

Mine is a 2017.

[creativepart]

If you can't get enough boost to start your RV due to the dead house batteries you may need to remove them and take them home to charge them. Or maybe to a battery dealer to have them evaluated.

As others has said - a completely dead battery is likely damaged or even destroyed.

If they are flooded make sure they are topped up with distilled water. If they are very low on water the chance that they are still usable is vastly reduced.

Sounds like someone parked the RV without using the house battery disconnect to keep the batteries from going dead.

[MurphyMan]

Once you get your batteries charged and going, get yourself a couple of these things. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006EH9W...531006938&sr=2



You install it on the ground post of your batteries. I have one for the engine's battery and one for the house batteries. If you have two house batteries in series, you just need one for the cable going to the chassis ground.

After installation, it's a simple matter of turning the knob to connect or disconnect the battery. Whenever I know that "Squeaky" is going to be stored for more than a few days I disconnect the batteries. It's simple, fast, and it works great.

[skyking]

Just jump it to the engine battery, the same way you would a car.
With the engine running, check the voltages, to make sure engine and house batteries are getting 13 volts or more.
Then diagnose the original problem,