indicator panel reading 11v. Newbie!!!

Agreed, if a volt meter, go to 2 decimal places, ie 12.11 Volts. Learn what your RV reads fully charged, no load, light load and low charge, light load and no load. Keep above about 12.10V if at all possible, going lower is not good for the longevity of the batteries.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Battery monitor ...........same as tank level indicators

A tool for salesman to show off.....nothing but bells & whistles

X2 Seldom read accurately, especially if they are the led light indicators. Look for a good multimeter and learn how to use it.

You can also look for a small digital voltmeter that you can you can replace that led waste of space with. Get one that reads at least one decimal place. (ie 13.4V ) 2 decimal places could be more useful at times.

Battery monitor ...........same as tank level indicators

A tool for salesman to show off.....nothing but bells & whistles

lauravanb wrote:
Or do you know how to get the batteries tested/replaced? I'm guessing its not as easy as hitting the local pep boys!

Actually it is that easy.


Print this out and keep it with you in the RV:

The 12 Volt Side of Life

RJsfishin wrote:

You maybe should not hit the road till you get the whole rig sorted out

+1

Any RV supply store or auto supply store will have a 12 V monitor that plugs into a power outlet (cigarette lighter socket) for a continuous readout. Get one with an actual numerical display.
And plug it into an outlet in the COACH, not the truck.

Not only do you need the batteries tested.....AFTER a good charge....but then you need to have the charging tested too; both on shore power/generator and when the "truck" is running.

After fixing the "battery relay", mine reads:
Above 14 going down the road.
Above 13 when on shore or gen. power
12.6-12.8 after a good charge and a short rest.

And yes you can get a suitable replacement battery at almost any place that sells auto parts. Deep cycle is better;typically found at marine and golf cart stores. AGM is MUCH better but somewhat more expensive.

Under most conditions they mean there is a source of power for the 12 volt system, and that is all.
If connected to shore power the top voltage should light

IF you test with lights or other loads on the bottom only should light

If testing batteries resting then the middle one should light.

But they are meaningless To get meaningful info you must test AT THE BATTERY TERMINAL and they can not do that.. use a digital voltmeter (Calibrated if possible) and measure at the battery.. Then consult charts you will find if you replace teh word "twelve" with the number 12 in the following sentence and forum search fore it: Twelve volt side of life.

What did the led meter read while plugged into shore power ?
If it did not go well above 12 volts, (like 13.6) then your converter may not be charging the batts.

What does it read while unplugged, and running the big engine ? It should
read well above 12v, like 13-14 volts same as plugged in.

You maybe should not hit the road till you get the whole rig sorted out

If you are new at this, make sure you take a photo of how the batteries are hooked up so you can refer to it when putting them back in or replacing them with new ones after you have them tested.

if your pluffed into shore power most of the time, go to wal mart get two deep cycle marine batteries , you,ll be fine.

If it you find is actually 11 volts, it is basically dead. Might hold a charge or might not. Pull the batteries and take them to a auto parts store and have them load tested.