1999 Santara Class CShakedown cruise yesterday went well, but revealed an issue with the coach battery. It should charge when the rig is plugged in to shore current, right? The indicator lights in mine showed a partial charge when we arrived, but when we left it was down as low as it can go. When I got it back home, it looke a little healthier.Shouldn't 12 hours of being plugged in to shore power bring this back to full? I'm thinking that the drive home charged the coach battery off the truck alternator, but the unit isn't recharging off of shore power. My thoughts so far:-- maybe the converter isn't working right and all of my 12V activity in camp was draining the battery. -- maybe the battery is the problem, and it isn't taking a charge. The service records I have from previous owners seem to indicate the batteries are about 3 years old, which is about all we get here in southern Arizona. But the fact that it seemed to charge up off when driving isn't consistent with this. Any other possibilities? Trouble-shooting I can do before I haul the thing off to an expert? Rich

Hi,Measure the house batteries voltage with a meter. Then plug into shore power. Measure again, and if you are not seeing well over 13 volts there is a problem.If this has happened, until you can get the rv into a shop use a stand alone battery charger to fill up the house batteries.

Yes, it should have charged. Did you have the battery cutoff switch on, or off?

12 hours probably won't bring it back to full. It depends on your converter. Many RVs come with a Parallax converter that charges at a very slow rate. I agree that it seems to be charging from the alternator so it should also charge from the converter. Check the voltage as pianatuna suggests and make sure your battery disconnect switch is not on storage as Snowman suggests.

Trouble shooting this will be more complex because there's no AC at the storage location, and my HOA board is VERY snarky about parking it here anywhere I can get at AC.@Snowman, the switch has two positions. In the "Store" position, all 12V services are disabled. In the other position, I think, is labelled "on." I have it in ON when I'm using the RV or traveling, and "STORE" when I'm not.

Hi rich,Borrow a medium size inverter, or generator for testing the system.

Battery charging issue | Good Sam Community

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
Somewhere either here or on line I saw a block diagram of the typical RV 12VDC system. While a block diagram doesn't show individual components they are usually detailed enough to determine test points. If you are DIYer, get the block diagram and an inexpensive Digital Mulitmeter(DMM) or an analog meter, and learn how the system works. I am far away from my rig, over 5 hours by air so I can't send what I have at home. Checking stuff out is pretty easy if you know were to look. There are a lot of places to visit and get a load check on the batteries for free. You should do that too. I use the shop that services my rig or AutoZone, both are in my opinion trustworthy, if batteries are dead, I go to Costco for new ones.

Good Luck and let us know how you faired.
Bordercollie
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
You will need find a way to have rig plugged into shore power when parked undriven for over a week. Alternately, you will need to use a smart trickle charger ( "Battery Minder" ) connected to a 110volt supply and the house battery(s) Check all connections from converter to battery and any circuit breakers or fuses. Connections at the converter require an allen wrench tighten them. Check connections at the house battery for corrosion and clean if needed. Use a digital multi-meter to check if converter is charging the house batteries when plugged into shore power. House batteries are "dead" at 12 volts, fully charged at 13.6 volts. Battery life is seriously shortened if allowed to go dead an stay that way.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Mar 27, 2014
Hi rich,

Borrow a medium size inverter, or generator for testing the system.
rich85704
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
Trouble shooting this will be more complex because there's no AC at the storage location, and my HOA board is VERY snarky about parking it here anywhere I can get at AC.

@Snowman, the switch has two positions. In the "Store" position, all 12V services are disabled. In the other position, I think, is labelled "on." I have it in ON when I'm using the RV or traveling, and "STORE" when I'm not.
tenbear
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
12 hours probably won't bring it back to full. It depends on your converter. Many RVs come with a Parallax converter that charges at a very slow rate. I agree that it seems to be charging from the alternator so it should also charge from the converter. Check the voltage as pianatuna suggests and make sure your battery disconnect switch is not on storage as Snowman suggests.
Snowman9000
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
Yes, it should have charged. Did you have the battery cutoff switch on, or off?
pianotuna
Nomad III
Mar 27, 2014
Hi,

Measure the house batteries voltage with a meter. Then plug into shore power. Measure again, and if you are not seeing well over 13 volts there is a problem.

If this has happened, until you can get the rv into a shop use a stand alone battery charger to fill up the house batteries.

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