Okay, so I went out on Monday to take off on my first trip in my (new to me) 2018 Leprechaun, and the engine battery was dead. Had to call for a jump start. So I learned if my coach is just sitting in the driveway, I should turn the battery disconnect to OFF. (Kinda backwards .. turning a disconnect to off?) But what confuses me is what happens if I camp without hookups for 7 or 10 or 14 days, which I often do?! How do I keep the engine battery charged so I am not calling for emergency road service in the middle of the back-country?No, I don't have a "battery boost" for the engine battery.Thank you!!!!

Not sure but could there be a second battery that runs the camper

See page 39 Generic owner's manualYou should have two battery systems. Coach which operates 12 volt items such as lights, water pump, refer (12 volt control, and furnace)Another battery system operates the chassis.The coach system is charged by converter while plugged into shore power or when the main chassis engine is running.The chassis battery is in most cases charged by chassis engine. Parasitic loads can drain this battery. It needs a trickle charger to keep it up.Many MHs are equipped with an "AUX" or "Battery Boost" start button to tie battery systems together so if chassis battery is dead you can jump start it with this switch.

DesertHiker wrote:Okay, so I went out on Monday to take off on my first trip in my (new to me) 2018 Leprechaun, and the engine battery was dead. Had to call for a jump start. So I learned if my coach is just sitting in the driveway, I should turn the battery disconnect to OFF. (Kinda backwards .. turning a disconnect to off?) But what confuses me is what happens if I camp without hookups for 7 or 10 or 14 days, which I often do?! How do I keep the engine battery charged so I am not calling for emergency road service in the middle of the back-country?No, I don't have a "battery boost" for the engine battery.Thank you!!!!The battery disconnect switch usually has nothing to do with the chassis battery. It's strictly to disconnect your coach battery or batteries for idle times to keep them from draining. If you want to keep the engine battery from draining, too, you could install a blade disconnect at the negative - terminal under the hood, or a Triklstart battery maintainer, to charge the chassis battery via shore power or generator, when you're parked with hookups or running the generator. It steals some current from the coach batteries. Or you could use a regular battery charger/maintainer under the hood to keep the chassis battery charged when you're not using the RV.

Are you plugged in during storage?The disconnect is probably just the house battery. Yes it is best to move the switch to off or storage when not in use and not plugged in.Chassis battery to start the main engine remains connected and will run down same as any car. Although RV tend to have additional accessories that will run it down a bit faster.If you are plugged in a great solution is the Trik-L-Start brand combiner that will connect the float charge from the house battery to the chassis battery and keep everything in good shape.

DesertHiker wrote:No, I don't have a "battery boost" for the engine battery.Thank you!!!!Are you sure? I have not seen a class C that didn't have one. They are designed for the situation that you described.This is how it works. I should be located to the left of the steering wheel on the dashboard Looks something like this.

Battery Disconnect Confusion | Good Sam Community

DesertHiker
Explorer
Jul 24, 2020
Ah yes, these are good comments. Unfortunately, it was drained in something less than 9 days! Sigh. I am not having fun yet with this new motorhome.
enblethen
Nomad
Jul 24, 2020
Do you have an electric step with light? You may need to shut off step by entry to kill the light.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 25, 2020
So no warranty?
Meaning it’s an ex rental or super high miles?
Bad diodes in alternators seem to be a Ford thing. Never heard of it before except our sons 06 Mustang. Low miles 40 something on it.
Bad diode was causing a cam pos sensor code. Had alt rebuilt, fixed the otherwise seemingly un diagnosable code and running issues.
Gjac
Explorer III
Jul 25, 2020
DesertHiker wrote:
Krusty wrote:
I would try to figure out what is drawing the battery down and fix that. ie: If you have a dome lamp switch on the dash that controls a dome lamp that has its own remote switch, make sure the dash switch is not left in the on position.

How can I do this?
To check this remove the negative cable from your battery, set your multimeter to 10 amps and measure the amp reading between the negative cable and negative post. A reading of greater than 1 amp is too much parasitic draw and will drain your battery. Mine will read about .4 amps and will take weeks to draw down to 80% SOC. ECM as Bud stated and some other things will contribute to this draw. If the MH will not be used for several months just disconnect the neg cable and the parasitic draw is eliminated. You should never have to recharge your chassis battery for two weeks of camping but if you do when you run your genset to charge your house batteries put your key in the on position and your chassis battery will charge at the same time your house batteries are being charged. Once you measure what your parasitic draw is post it here and you will get help to find what is drawing your battery down.

Forum Discussion

Battery Disconnect Confusion

About Motorhome Group

Related Content

Battery disconnect

Battery disconnect Switch

Disconnect my battery

Battery disconnect solenoid

battery disconnect switch