House batteries not charging -- Road Trek
My friend just bought a Road Trek and is still figuring it out. She Said she's plugged in but the batteries are not charging. When she unplugs after hours and hours the battery power still shows as ze...
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cannesdo wrote:
It's a 2013 170 Versatile. She did check the breakers...everything was a-ok. Everything works fine with shore power. She's going to have the battery checked when she gets back from a quick 4-day trip. If the switch is engaged how does one "unengage" it? Could it simply be a dead battery?
My understanding is that the switch should be on when traveling and off when storing, yes? We're also trying to figure out how her battery ended up dead (if it is) in the first place. What must she be sure to turn off when she's using it to drive around town (it's her only vehicle).
Thanks for your help!
So much for all the guess work...although some comments may have their merit. The tell tale light (blue LED) is labelled "battery on" which I assume is telling us that indeed the battery is on and supplying power regardless of the condition of the battery.
LEDs can operate on extremely low voltage (in fact most of then are designed for three volts power) hence, staying on even if the battery is giving less that 12 volt power.
The rocker switch labelled "battery disconnect" is by all indication a momentary contact N.O. switch that is used to trigger an SCR (silicon controlled rectifier) that will drive a normally closed heavy duty relay or contactor to disconnect the battery. Since the voltage is too low to drive the heavy duty relay coil, it is unable to open the normally closed contact.
SCRs will only reset to its normal state by either introducing a reverse voltage or disrupting the supply power completely. This sounds like rocket science but you can simulate a disrupted power condition by disconnecting the battery momentarily about five seconds. Reconnect the battery and Blue light will come on--then push the rocker switch and see if blue light goes off. This should be the normal operating condition.
If all else fails get the schematic diagram.
Good luck
As a safety precaution: if your house battery is essential along with your engine battery in the normal operation of the vehicle ie travelling, you would not be able to disconnect the battery. Putting the RV in storage is a different matter.
If it were me, my course of action would be: take the house battery for a battery test--replace if necessary.
