I just bought a new MH, Winnebago Adventurer 35A. This is a gas MH and is my first trek into RVing. I have several questions, but will start with the most pressing. When I run my engine or my generator, I can press the volt meter on my control panel. The engine battery shows 13 volts. The house battery shows 13 volts (all plus or minus a few). If I shut off the engine or turn off the generator, the house battery shows zero and engine shows 13 volts. The batteries are brand new, but the house batteries (2 each) are dead. I have a dash switch labeled "battery boost" and a switch near the battery bank at the step labeled "auxiliary battery" on/off. I have never used batt boost because I am not sure what it does, and have turned aux batt switch to off when we park the MH at the storage place. Also, I have one solar panel on the roof that shows the house batteries are charging in sunlight, even when they are showing zero on the control panel. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

Battery Boost will cross connect your house batteries to the engine to provide a jump start in the event the engine battery is dead. It may also permit you to use the engine battery bank to fire the generator. The Auxiliary on/off disconnects most of your draws from the house batteries when it is off - note MOST. To totally eliminate phantom draws you may need to disconnect the batteries at the terminal. As for showing 0 v on the house batteries. you should start with something simple like taking a volt meter and checking across the battery terminals. If that shows 0 you have a serious problem. If that shows reasonable voltage it indicates your gauge or some other item is the problem. Obviously if you don't have lights in the coach with the switch on it is also a sure sign there is no power coming from the battery bank to the system, but it still might be something other than the batteries.

Battery boost will help jump start your engine battery if it is dead. Hold the bat boost down and then turn the key to start the engine.zero on your house batteries.. have you turned the auxiliary battery back to "on" when checking the voltage? Cannot answer the solar panel questions, no experience with that.

donnyB7 wrote: The batteries are brand new, but the house batteries (2 each) are dead. and have turned aux batt switch to off when we park the MH at the storage place. YOu need a multi-meter.First try putting that switch in the OTHER position and see if you get a reading on the panel. Even "dead" batteries seldom read ZERO.If the batteries really are dead, then charging them with an external charger probably is needed.

If they were discharged too low over and over it may have damaged the batteries.

Put a meter on the battery itself. If under 12volt then either shore power or generator on and check again. Should be close to 13.4 volts. Let run for 30 minutes . Turn off shore/generator which ever power and check voltage, if still at or below 12 volt, then bad or very discharge batter. If battery voltage is below 12 or less they will not charge. They must be charge a different way to see if bad. Watch this and try it. Works if your battery has any life left in it. If you gets voltage then put on a charge at no more than 10 amps and let charge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMPuzmhYCQc

New MH - battery drain question | Good Sam Community

xctraveler
Explorer
Aug 22, 2017
Battery Boost will cross connect your house batteries to the engine to provide a jump start in the event the engine battery is dead. It may also permit you to use the engine battery bank to fire the generator. The Auxiliary on/off disconnects most of your draws from the house batteries when it is off - note MOST. To totally eliminate phantom draws you may need to disconnect the batteries at the terminal. As for showing 0 v on the house batteries. you should start with something simple like taking a volt meter and checking across the battery terminals. If that shows 0 you have a serious problem. If that shows reasonable voltage it indicates your gauge or some other item is the problem. Obviously if you don't have lights in the coach with the switch on it is also a sure sign there is no power coming from the battery bank to the system, but it still might be something other than the batteries.
LadyRVer
Explorer II
Aug 22, 2017
Battery boost will help jump start your engine battery if it is dead. Hold the bat boost down and then turn the key to start the engine.

zero on your house batteries.. have you turned the auxiliary battery back to "on" when checking the voltage?

Cannot answer the solar panel questions, no experience with that.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Aug 22, 2017
donnyB7 wrote:
The batteries are brand new, but the house batteries (2 each) are dead.

and have turned aux batt switch to off when we park the MH at the storage place.

YOu need a multi-meter.

First try putting that switch in the OTHER position and see if you get a reading on the panel. Even "dead" batteries seldom read ZERO.

If the batteries really are dead, then charging them with an external charger probably is needed.
azrving
Explorer
Aug 22, 2017
If they were discharged too low over and over it may have damaged the batteries.
MountainAir05
Explorer II
Aug 22, 2017
Put a meter on the battery itself. If under 12volt then either shore power or generator on and check again. Should be close to 13.4 volts. Let run for 30 minutes . Turn off shore/generator which ever power and check voltage, if still at or below 12 volt, then bad or very discharge batter. If battery voltage is below 12 or less they will not charge. They must be charge a different way to see if bad. Watch this and try it. Works if your battery has any life left in it. If you gets voltage then put on a charge at no more than 10 amps and let charge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMPuzmhYCQc
darsben1
Explorer
Aug 22, 2017
It should be under warranty take it back to the dealer. We are guessing from hundreds of miles away.
Gjac
Explorer III
Aug 22, 2017
I would fully charge the batteries over 12-24 hrs, charging voltage should read 13.4 v or more. After batteries have rested for several hrs with no charger attached take another reading, you should have 12.6 v or so. Use a multi meter to check at the pos and neg terminal of your batteries. How many batteries and what kind do you have? One 12v 2 6v in series etc? If voltage is good then disconnect the neg terminal and switch your mutimeter to 10 amps and measure your parasitic amp draw if you have several amps or more something is left on drawing your batteries down overnight. Do you have a mutimeter?
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Aug 22, 2017
Does the dash meter read any different when you're plugged into shorepower at home or at a campsite. If it still reads zero but your "house" lights, water pump, etc, work, then I suspect the meter is not connected properly and the battery isolation switch is disconnecting the house batteries from the meter when the engine is off.
Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Aug 22, 2017
When the generator is running, or on shore power, you indicator is showing the DC volts from the AC to DC Converter. When the engine is running your indicator is showing engine alternator DC volts which is being supplied to the house to maintain a battery charge when going down the road.

I suspect the house battery disconnect switch is is active and has disconnect the batteries from the circuit. Normally the switch is used to preserve the battery charge when the coach is being stored and charge power is not available. Not sure where Winnebago installed the switch panel. Usually it will be near the door and have two momentary switches and two small lights to indicate if the circuit has power. One for the house and one for the chassis. If my suspicions are correct once the batteries are back in the circuit the solar will work as expected to maintain the battery charge when sufficient sunlight is available.
1995brave
Nomad
Aug 22, 2017
Also check for a battery fuse or circuit breaker. It will be somewhere between the house battery and the converter. Also go out to the Winnebago website and download your wiring and other diagrams. You never know when you might need them (like now).