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Old 08-09-2019, 09:40 AM   #1
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Battery dead

2005 sightseer traveling for yr no problems setting still 3 months now went to move and found out batterys dead everything works plugged in. Checked fuse plugs is this my inverter panel
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Old 08-09-2019, 09:57 AM   #2
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If you have been sitting for 3 months and not running the engine at all, or trickle charging, it's likely that the chassis battery is dead. Put a charger on it and see if that helps. It may need to be replaced.
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Old 08-09-2019, 10:27 AM   #3
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If you have been sitting for 3 months and not running the engine at all, or trickle charging, it's likely that the chassis battery is dead. Put a charger on it and see if that helps. It may need to be replaced.
This sounds correct as the coach and chassis batteries are not always connected together when stored and that may leave things on the chassis slowly draining power while stored. Things we might not think about are called "parasitic drains" and can include things like the memory and clock on the radio or parts on the ignition. Some are more common on cars than RV but things like the auto locks that unlock the doors when the key approaches are slowly draining the battery full time. All those little trickles can do the job over three months. My converter puts out too much and boils things dry while stored so I keep it disconnected.
To avoid this, I use a small trickle charger like one from Harbor freight as a way to get a small amount in but not overcharge and boil the batteries dry.
https://www.harborfreight.com/automa...ger-42292.html
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Old 08-09-2019, 10:39 AM   #4
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I keep a trickle charger on mine as well. FWIW, the HF one was not high enough current to keep ahead of the parasitic loads, so I use a older Diehard trickle charger.
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Old 08-10-2019, 11:14 PM   #5
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I too have a Trik-L-Start on the chassis battery all the times. But it's not the cure for a RV left without shore power for 3 months. For that you either need a solar system, or just keep a wrench and a pair of gloves in the battery bay. Whenever the RV is going to be sitting for more than a few days without power, just disconnect the grounds from the 2 banks. Idling the engine does more harm than good. If you're going to start the engine periodically, make sure you drive it for 30 minutes or so to drive out moisture and get the lube moving around in the Tranni.
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Old 08-11-2019, 06:19 AM   #6
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2005 sightseer traveling for yr no problems setting still 3 months now went to move and found out batterys dead everything works plugged in. Checked fuse plugs is this my inverter panel
So when I am plugged in should this maintain my chassis battery to coach battery fully charged chassis was dead but came up after charge
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Old 08-11-2019, 06:21 AM   #7
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So when I am plugged in this will not maintain my chassis battery coach battery fully charged
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Old 08-11-2019, 08:05 AM   #8
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Probably not. Depending on the make/model/year, being plugged in usually only charges your house batteries in your coach. It does not charge your chassis batteries. You might want to check out something like a Trik-L-Charge, which transfers a bit of power from your house batteries to your chassis batteries to keep them topped off. That way, while you are plugged into shore power, you are effectively keeping both batteries topped off. Became standard equipment on some later Winnebagos.
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Old 08-11-2019, 09:06 AM   #9
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So when I am plugged in this will not maintain my chassis battery coach battery fully charged
I normally expect to find the two battery groups are only connected together when the engine is running to recharge the coach group or when you push an "emergency start" button somewhere on the dash to let you use the coach battery to help start the engine when that battery is dead.
If you choose to remove the cable from the engine battery to avoid the small drains killing that battery, I find a cheap "battery disconnect is easy to instal and use.
This is one I like as it is simple to install at the battery and easy to turn the knob to connect/ disconnect.
https://www.harborfreight.com/batter...MaAqfzEALw_wcB
Letting a battery go completely dead frequently will shorten the life a whole bunch and I don't let that happen.
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Old 08-12-2019, 06:55 AM   #10
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Solar charger

Has anyone used any of plug in solar chargers to maintain battery thru cigarette plug
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Old 08-12-2019, 07:18 AM   #11
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You can try it, with some caveats.


Ensure that the outlet you use is connected to the chassis battery, not the house batteries.


Ensure that the outlet is not controlled by the ignition switch.


Depending on the parasitic loads on the battery, the weather, the location and time of year, and the placement of the panel, it may not be enough to keep up. Solar panels only work when the sun shines directly on them.
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Old 08-12-2019, 09:18 AM   #12
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Assuming no handy AC shore power to keep it charged? In that case, I would certainly look at adding one of the battery disconnnects on the chassis battery to cut off the draining. That gives your battery a pretty good chance of staying charged for the three months storage and as a final thought in case it doesn't keep it up enough to start, look for a switch to connect both battery strings together to let you get started without jumping. Lots of different options for the disconnect to fit what you have on your unit. Some can be placed so that it is not necessary to open the battery box to do the disconnect.
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Old 08-12-2019, 09:34 AM   #13
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Has anyone used any of plug in solar chargers to maintain battery thru cigarette plug
You might check your RV's roof. It's possible you already have a solar panel up there. Thing is, solar panels that size (8W to 12W) are just a marketing gimmick as they never output enough current to keep those huge RV batteries charged up. But they come as standard equipment on most Class A's. Years ago, they might have done some good when RV batteries were much smaller, but not any more.

A 100 watt panel would do some good though. That is if you park out in the open.
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Old 08-14-2019, 05:44 PM   #14
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What model Sightseer i have a 29r and the engine battery does not charge from shore power. There is a switch on the dash that says aux start this will use the house batteries to start the engine and charge the battery. When sitting for a long time it will go dead add a trickel charger to keep the battery charged. When ever not pluged in to shore power use the knife switch on the battery to disconnect. I have solar panels on the roof that keep all the batteries charged house and engine.
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Old 08-14-2019, 07:45 PM   #15
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Install the "knife switch" to the negative side of the chassis side and also a separate switch to the negative of the chassis battery. This will eliminate any parasitic draw from both systems. If the batteries haven't been totally drawn down too many times and the cells are good, this should help. Remember, "deep cycle marine batteries" are good for maybe 5 years. Replace all coach batteries at the same time, not just when one is dying out. Adding a Battery Tender (multi stage) is an easy step to keep chassis battery charged while the coach is plugged into power. On our 29R, I mounted the Battery Tender inside the patio bay adjacent to the 110 outlet; then ran positive and negative to chassis battery poles. When not on shore power, both sets will charge while engine is running. And, if you want to spend $$$, look into a GoPower with transfer switch and multi-stage converter/inverter to replace the miserable one that ships as stock. GoPower will first put the solar charge to the coach (house) batteries, then at ~95%, will direct a trickle charge into your chassis batter. As long as you have sun, you will have fully charged coach and chassis batteries that are protected from over-charge.
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Old 08-14-2019, 10:37 PM   #16
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The older coaches did not charge the engine starting battery when on shore power so you had to purchase your own charger or management device to take care of this.

The engine battery and house batteries have different charging requirements and have different capacities and they cannot be simply linked permanently together with a jumper so charging from a central charger has to be switched on and off by some type of regulating device to meet the different needs of both types of batteries or two separate chargers will need to be used.

Winnebago did put a solar charger on some of those coaches however it was a rather small one and only kind-of worked to slow things down. The small accessory/lighter socket solar panels didn't help very much on my 2001 which does already have the factory solar panel.

Most with the older coaches will be best off adding a float charger for the engine battery and if in storage where there is no electrical service, going by and running the generator for a few hours every couple of weeks or setting up a large enough solar panel to keep the float charge of all batteries up to spec.

Be mindful that an hour of running the generator should be considered about the equivalent of driving at 60 mph for an hour and the 50 hours to the next generator oil change can pass more quickly than you think. 50 hours generator use would be similar to driving 3,000 miles on a small motorcycle to put things into perspective.
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Old 08-15-2019, 05:55 AM   #17
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Solar charger

Has anyone used th small solar charger from Harbor Freight? It is supposed o be able o plug into the cigarette lighter and tickle charge the chassis battery.
I have a 2008 Winnebago Access 31J that I am tying to keep charged when not in use.
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Old 08-15-2019, 06:03 AM   #18
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Go back and read post #11 in this thread...



Quote:
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Has anyone used th small solar charger from Harbor Freight? It is supposed o be able o plug into the cigarette lighter and tickle charge the chassis battery.
I have a 2008 Winnebago Access 31J that I am tying to keep charged when not in use.
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Old 08-15-2019, 08:42 AM   #19
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They make a device that connects to coach batteries that charges engine battery correctly. 50 Bucks maybe Expensive winnie rigs have them. Easy to install. Make sure your inverter smart charges if leaving it lugged in. Mine wasnt. 09 Sightseer
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Old 08-18-2019, 09:23 PM   #20
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Has anyone used th small solar charger from Harbor Freight? It is supposed o be able o plug into the cigarette lighter and tickle charge the chassis battery.
I have a 2008 Winnebago Access 31J that I am tying to keep charged when not in use.

That is the one I tried on my 2001 and it was not sufficient and just slowed things down a bit. Over time the plastic housing and seals started to deteriorate like a bunch of old rubber bands. Who would have thought they would make a Solar Charging Panel out of materials that were not UV resistant and would break down if left out in the sun.
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