No 12 V power at all W/O shore line or generator

matthewjscott wrote:
Coach batteries are two years old and plates inside were dry.

Three things:

Multi-meters are cheap; sometimes even free at Harbor Freight.
You NEED one in the RV.

Then....you probably will be shopping for new batteries. They likely won't function right again after going completely dry.

And....you then need to try and figure out WHY they went dry.
With use averaging one week a month during the summer and 3 months of storage, the level in mine barely dropped below the "full" indicator.

dtucker3usa wrote:
I have sort of the same problem except that unless I'm hooked to shore power or running the generator the only 12 volt I have is to my steps. all other 12 volt systems shut off as soon as you shut down the generator or unhook from shore power. Also the coach batteries are relatively new. Any suggestions? I have a 1997 Damon Intruder with two 12 volt coach batteries.

Most likely the steps are powered by the chassis battery. That is how my C class WBO View is set up. They design it so if you get the engine started, the steps can be retracted even if the house batteries are dead.

Charles

thank you all. Coach batteries are two years old and plates inside were dry. filled with water and plugged into shore power I have 6.5 volts on each battery. letting them charge a few days on shore power and then will test again.. And yes I do own a multimeter and waffle iron battery tester just did not have on road trip. Thank you all again ,keep you posted.

If I remember correctly from my '04 Southwind the Main Battery switch is in the cabinet above the entry door. It operates a relay and there are two, one for house and the other for engine. It's been a while. Issue does not sound like it is related to the battery switches.

Fried batteries or bad converter/charger would be my call. Actually one caused the other most likely. Batteries are 2x6 V under entry steps converter/charger on mine was under the refrigerator and yes it was a simple one level.

dtucker3usa wrote:

TNGW1500SE wrote:

dtucker3usa wrote:
I have sort of the same problem except that unless I'm hooked to shore power or running the generator the only 12 volt I have is to my steps. all other 12 volt systems shut off as soon as you shut down the generator or unhook from shore power. Also the coach batteries are relatively new. Any suggestions? I have a 1997 Damon Intruder with two 12 volt coach batteries.

Is there a main switch? It would be located just inside the door.

the three switches by the door go to the step, porch light, and dome light. There is no battery disconnect switch there.

There IS a main battery disconnect switch somewhere.

TNGW1500SE wrote:

dtucker3usa wrote:
I have sort of the same problem except that unless I'm hooked to shore power or running the generator the only 12 volt I have is to my steps. all other 12 volt systems shut off as soon as you shut down the generator or unhook from shore power. Also the coach batteries are relatively new. Any suggestions? I have a 1997 Damon Intruder with two 12 volt coach batteries.

Is there a main switch? It would be located just inside the door.

the three switches by the door go to the step, porch light, and dome light. There is no battery disconnect switch there.

Any RV owner that does not own a MULTI METER should not own the RV. Get Meter and LEARN how to use it. JMO

Did you have longer lasting batteries when you drove to the track the first night?

If you are able to run your vehicle engine for 30 minutes with generator off, then do the same time test and get different results you may just have bad connections from the generator to the house batteries.

You should have a multimeter and measure your voltage at the coach batteries with nothing running, then with the generator running, then with the engine running and give us more information.

There really is a lot that can be figured out before you start spending money. The sad thing is, changing out good parts usually results in tight connections when all that was needed was a loose connection needed to be tightened.

Yes, sounds like your batteries are toast.

TNGW1500SE wrote:

Is there a main switch? It would be located just inside the door.

Been there and done that but......the 12 V disappears IMMEDIATELY if that is the problem. It certainly wouldn't last 2 minutes.

Either the house batteries are toast or they are not charging due to converter failure or bad connections.

Which track are you at ??
If it's Charlotte, I might be able to help.
You do need a meter though.
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