Hi all. I am new here. Just got 1996 Adventurer 34ft in March. When we took it out at first and plugged in, the batteries would maintain. This is the 3rd trip and when plugged in the batteries drain instead of charge. We have checked power to the shore tower and reset it. We have switched breakers on and off inside and it doesn't help. We also reset the switches inside. Still no charging to the batteries unless we start up the rig and run it for 30 mins. Any advice?
my 2006 34 sightseer charges house battery when on shore power but not engine battery. at the entrance there is a switch saying axillary battery, is that what you referring to.
my 2006 34 sightseer charges house battery when on shore power but not engine battery. at the entrance there is a switch saying axillary battery, is that what you referring to.
Both the OP's RV and yours "jgh" should charge the house batteries on shore power, generator power and/or alternator power.
As for chassis batteries... that should be charged by the alternator for sure.
But chassis battery charging via shore power is dependent on how your model RV is setup. Many older RVs do not charge the chassis battery on shore power. For those many people install a Amp-L-Start device (or Trik-L-Start) and then their chassis batteries will charge on shore power.
If your RV doesn't charge the chassis battery on shore power it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a problem. As it could be the way your RV was built from the factory. However, if you are certain that your RV came from the factory with this charging feature then you could have a problem with your BiRD solenoid.
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Originally Posted by jgh
at the entrance there is a switch saying axillary battery, is that what you referring to.
As to the labeling of the disconnect switch in the stairwell, it seems that many different terms have been used over the years on those switch labels - and some are on the dash and not even in the stair well. Looking in your Operator's Manual is the best way to determine what various switches are, what they're labeled as and where they are located.
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2017 Winnebago Adventurer 37F
2016 Lincoln MKX Toad
This subject comes up a lot; and when it does it makes me think you just bought your RV. Is that the case?
What has not been said about this subject is this: Solving this problem by adding a VSR maybe different for gas-RV-owners vs. diesel-RV-owners. Why?
...I have found great success adding a VSR (aka battery isolator) to my diesel rig, but that is made very easy because my house batteries are co-located with my engine batteries, on a slide rack, with one tray on top of the other tray, and then I just add a VSR... and now my alternator charges my house batteries.
As CreativePart said, your RV may not have come with the necessary alternator charging circuitry via relays or some other method, just like my 2004 RV diesel, but that actually can be a good thing considering all the problems these other charging circuits have caused in the past.
For more information do a search by typing "imnprsd VSR" in the above Winnebago search bar or copy this to your browser search bar: "imnprsd VSR site:winnieowners.com"
You know, I think I made a mistake, but it's not about who drives a "gas" or who drives a "diesel."
I was thinking the OP's was saying his house batteries were not getting charged off the alternator (too), but now I see the subject is more limited to just charging off shore power.
Just the same, the VSR or battery isolator is a superior way to share voltage between your battery banks and the Trik-L and Amp-L by design is a "one-way" charging circuit.
I also forgot this: The VSR is an excellent upgrade, but an even better way to go is to add a VSR and a Victron 17A charger. (Or you can get a 25A charger too.)
I did this and now whatever charge I put on the engine batteries, via the alternator, will be shared with the house batteries.
And what ever charge I put on the house batteries, via solar or converter/charger, will be shared with the engine batteries.
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I also would add a Victron Bluetooth 17A charger and stop using the house battery charger all together, but that's another subject.
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And when I say you are lucky if you DO NOT to have a Trik-L or Amp-L installed from the factory, is because, then, you don't have to go looking for a short... which would be drawing down your batteries... and I hate looking for shorts!
So it's important to know if you have a charging circuit that is shorting to ground before you upgrade to a VSR or battery isolator that will mask your short.
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The Victron is not a rapid charger, but 17A takes care of all my camping needs when I have shore power; and the Victron is also a battery maintainer when you put your RV in storage.
Further, I only use my Dimensions Inverter+Charger when I need a rapid charge from the generator or shore power. The ATS handles the switching. The only thing I need to do is to unplug the Victron when I am driving. And then I let the VSR share charging amps off the engine battery (via alternator) with the house batteries.
AND NOW, every time I arrive at my boondocking camping spot, all my batteries, engine and house, are as full as they possibly can be. And because I have a residential refrigerator, I can't imagine RVing with an VSR.
IMO, the Trik-L is a joke compared to the Keyline VSR; and it's just another example of Winnebago shortchanging their loyal customers. And the fact they replaced it with the Amp-L is still not making the grade.
One like feature and benefit of the VSR: If you store your RV outside, and have 100W+ of solar on your roof, the VSR will also keep both your engine and house battery banks at 100% SOC without any shore power; and this too is a homerun!
I forgot to mention, if you want to know what a Trik-L charging circuit is and what it does NOT do, and what a VSR will do, you can search for
imnprsd trik-L site:winnieowners.com
Or just type imnprsd trik-L in the Winnebago search bar above.
Specifically, the Trik-L & Amp-L is a 1-way device vs. the KeyLine VSR or BlueSea Isolator (aka Combiner) that is a 2-way relay/switch with cut-in and cut-out voltage so both batteries can pass a charging current from any charging source.
The battery disconnect switch on my 2005 Voyage is labeled AUX BATT. If it is OFF, none of the coach circuits will operate if there is no shore power. The switch controls a solenoid, and causes an audible click when the solenoid engages or disengages. If you can’t hear anything when you switch it on or off, check the solenoid. I haven’t tried using shore power with the switch turned off, but I can attest that none of the coach electrics (lights, fridge, etc) work when it is off without shore power.
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2005 Winnebago Voyage. UltraPower, Ultra Trac rear and Roadmaster front track bars, Koni shocks, EZ-Steer, Honda CRV toad.
The first thing I did when I purchased my 1996 Itasca Sunrise was to replace the old single-stage converter/charger with a modern three-stage converter/charger. I recommend you do this as well, good insurance to protect your batteries. The problem you describe sounds like you are having difficulty determining the correct switch settings for the house batteries in your unit. A voltmeter will help with the diagnosis and reveal the solution.
Hi all. I am new here. Just got 1996 Adventurer 34ft in March. When we took it out at first and plugged in, the batteries would maintain. This is the 3rd trip and when plugged in the batteries drain instead of charge. We have checked power to the shore tower and reset it. We have switched breakers on and off inside and it doesn't help. We also reset the switches inside. Still no charging to the batteries unless we start up the rig and run it for 30 mins. Any advice?
As a start to sorting a problem, I have to know the question first!
Since there are two set of batteries, one for engine starting and one for coach functions, first step might be to know which is the problem as they normally get charged from different sources.
Which runs down, the start battery or the coach? If you are not familiar with which battery does what function, tell us what item fails. Like does the engine fail to start or do the inside items like lights and vents, etc. fail?
No need to get bogged down in the details until we know the question!
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Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
BobN1957 has implied: ...If the BDS (Battery Disconnect Switch), aka Salesman Switch, aka AUX BAT is OFF, then none of the coach circuits (12V) will operate if there is no shore power.
Sorry... but I don't think so!
What about the 12V steps? Or the LP Switch? Or the Radio? Or the holding tank sensors? ...Okay, maybe not the holding tank sensors, but there are definitely parasitic current draws on both your engine and house batteries even after you turn the AUX Battery switch off. And this is why you need to keep your batteries "maintained" when you put your RV in storage.
I really don't know the list that draws down your house by .5A - 1.0A/day... which will leave you with a "dead battery" in 2-3 months if you don't put a trickle charger on them when you put your RV in storage; or you can use a battery maintainer, or a solar charge controller...
... and with a Keyline VSR or BlueSea battery isolator that will do the trick.
I.e., you need a 2-way relay that joins the house to the engine battery so they can share the charge on the road and in storage... with the BDS "off" or "ON."
When I put my RV in storage, I connect the 120Vac outlet to my Victron 17A chager/battery maintainer; and because I have a Keyline VSR connected between my house and energy batteries, then the charge is shared and these two battery banks remain "topped off" during storage! ...And I might add, that during a freeze your want your charger running so the heat inside the battery keeps the water (electrolyte) from freezing.
In fact, this year I think I will buy a boat heater and put it inside my basement... so that it turns on at temperatures below 32F, just so the charger is forced to "turn on" ...which will heat up the inside of the battery while it's charging it.
First of all my post has no mention of the BDS switch implied or not! In a normal situation lead-acid batteries self-drain at about 1% a day so in around three months give or take the batteries will be discharged. If you add a 1 amp draw that converts to 1 amp-hour so if you have a 100 amp-hour battery it would be discharged in four days. The Aux Battery switch needs to be on for the house batteries to be charged by the converter/charger. The stairs will retract when the engine is started as they are powered by the chassis battery, as is the radio (the exception for the radio is the radio selector switch on the dash that powers the radio from the house batteries)
Wooo... "First of all." ...You cherry picked. ...Figure it out.
It's not like I was trying to correct you. ...Oh yes I was.
The point is that there are parasitic drains always present and turning off your Aux Bat has no affect. ...But you can believe what you want!
I do agree with your suggestion a better 3-stage charger will be an upgrade, and then there are better 3-stage chargers out there... based on what?
... I installed a Victron and much to my surprise I have not yet changed the water in my house batteries for over 9 months!
Humm... That leads me to think a battery bank that evaporates a lot of water in each cell is doing so because your charger is "barbaric" and is causing a lot of harm... which is BobN1957's point. I'm just agreeing with him. I.e., upgrade your charger if you have an old style Inverter/Charger or Converter. And all I'm saying is that I like my Victron and I like the bluetooth display on my cell phone.
Correction: I implied I would buy a boat heater and put it inside my basement so the battery charger/maintainer will keep the electrolyte inside the battery from freezing, because charging a battery creates heat (resistance).
...but the more and more I think about that; I'm not going to do this, because I don't want the heat to attract mice! I.e., I don't want to solve one problem and create another one.
So maybe this season, I will just leave the BDS "on"... and then I will leave a AC powered 25-60W light bulb "ON"... so that it will use battery DC amps daily... so the charger is always replenishing the batteries and therefore will prevent my battery banks from freezing in the winter.
Of course, someone will be paying for the shore power, but that's really not a great concern, is it?
What do you all think are the pro's and con's of doing that?
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