Hi folks, my toy hauler is a 2004 WW FS 22 with an inboard Onan generator , the generator starts right up and runs great...Tow vehicle is an 09 3500HD duramax silverado with the factory pin connectionsmy problem is blue top optima batteries are not holding a charge anymore ...or not getting a chargetypical case....after a 3 hour drive from home to desert ..all the battery status lights are green but after only 30 minutes with just the cabin lights on , the green is now yellow and red is about an hour away.ill run the generator for 30 minutes , the green lights come back on, but drops again within 30 minutesthe batteries were bought new in 2009, so 5 years old , toy hauler spends a lot of cold nights in the desert camping and a lot of hot days sitting in storage in OC. Are the batteries just worn out/..OR ...is my charging system not working ? ...or both? I have voltmeter , can anyone explain how to check? or is there a website? Are the cheaper RV batteries from autozone any good? or better to replace with the $200.00 (or more) optimas?any advice , information greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!!

5 year old batteries are probably no good by now. But understand, that driving 3 hours charging off your TV will not put a full charge on the batteries, it takes much longer than that. Have the batts checked to see what shape they are in first, then go from there.

Try plugging in the trailer overnight at home first. Even running the gent isn't that great. My WW only had a 30amp converter, so a full charge on dual batts could take 8 hrs or more.

carringb wrote:Try plugging in the trailer overnight at home first. Even running the gent isn't that great. My WW only had a 30amp converter, so a full charge on dual batts could take 8 hrs or more.Rgr that, i dont use the on board charger, i use a seperate smart charger to ramp up the batteries, works much better and fully charges the batteries. We got back from our pismo trip back on august 2nd, i charged back up right away, then i used the cut off switch to disable the hauler. I checked the state of charge and im at 12.39 so still fully charged and sitting all this time..

I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD diesel, and I know that when the trailer is plugged in to the truck plug, you have to have the tow/haul button pushed on the end of the shifter. Otherwise, the charge wire in the 7 round plug isn't working.Optima batteries are made in Mexico now. They don't have the same restrictions and work environments that we do, so the batteries fall short from previous expectations on them. A lot of batteries are made there now, and have dropped in quality from a few years ago. Deka batteries are still made in the US, I know from a friend that sells them at his auto parts store.Do a little research, and find what you think is an acceptable battery, I found some that fit the bill at Batteries Plus for my sand car, and my old Corvette.

BigBlockTank wrote:I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD diesel, and I know that when the trailer is plugged in to the truck plug, you have to have the tow/haul button pushed on the end of the shifter. Otherwise, the charge wire in the 7 round plug isn't working.something has to be wired wrong on your truck. The constant power for the "charge wire" is wired direct to a lug on the fuse block. This has to be done when the truck is new. GM just tapes it up under the master cylinder. If you're not getting power unless tow/haul mode is, something is definitely wrong with your truck.And I have a lot of experience with Duramax trucks from 06 - 14.

Optima battery replacement or charging system | Good Sam Community

Strabo
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
5 year old batteries are probably no good by now. But understand, that driving 3 hours charging off your TV will not put a full charge on the batteries, it takes much longer than that. Have the batts checked to see what shape they are in first, then go from there.
carringb
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
Try plugging in the trailer overnight at home first. Even running the gent isn't that great. My WW only had a 30amp converter, so a full charge on dual batts could take 8 hrs or more.
Strabo
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
carringb wrote:
Try plugging in the trailer overnight at home first. Even running the gent isn't that great. My WW only had a 30amp converter, so a full charge on dual batts could take 8 hrs or more.

Rgr that, i dont use the on board charger, i use a seperate smart charger to ramp up the batteries, works much better and fully charges the batteries. We got back from our pismo trip back on august 2nd, i charged back up right away, then i used the cut off switch to disable the hauler. I checked the state of charge and im at 12.39 so still fully charged and sitting all this time..
BigBlockTank
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD diesel, and I know that when the trailer is plugged in to the truck plug, you have to have the tow/haul button pushed on the end of the shifter. Otherwise, the charge wire in the 7 round plug isn't working.

Optima batteries are made in Mexico now. They don't have the same restrictions and work environments that we do, so the batteries fall short from previous expectations on them. A lot of batteries are made there now, and have dropped in quality from a few years ago. Deka batteries are still made in the US, I know from a friend that sells them at his auto parts store.

Do a little research, and find what you think is an acceptable battery, I found some that fit the bill at Batteries Plus for my sand car, and my old Corvette.
offtohavasu
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
BigBlockTank wrote:
I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD diesel, and I know that when the trailer is plugged in to the truck plug, you have to have the tow/haul button pushed on the end of the shifter. Otherwise, the charge wire in the 7 round plug isn't working.

something has to be wired wrong on your truck. The constant power for the "charge wire" is wired direct to a lug on the fuse block. This has to be done when the truck is new. GM just tapes it up under the master cylinder. If you're not getting power unless tow/haul mode is, something is definitely wrong with your truck.

And I have a lot of experience with Duramax trucks from 06 - 14.
time2roll
Nomad
Sep 08, 2014
If the batteries are allowed to run down in storage they have probably sulfated and lost capacity.

Charging from the truck will have limited amps and not fully charge in three hours. You are getting a surface charge reading, not an indication of full 100% charged with the indicator.

Again 30 minutes is too short of a generator run time to charge a low battery anywhere close to even 90%. Even fast charging AGM takes longer than 30 minutes. And it will depend on the converter. Some are very good, others are miserable. You will need to post the converter model number for best answers. If it is a three stage converter you also need to verify the charging voltage gets above 14 volts during the first hour.

Optima is a good battery but usually the set up has low capacity for what an RV needs.

LED lighting and 100+ watts of solar would go a long way when off grid and for storage maintenance of the battery.
dedmiston
Moderator
Sep 08, 2014

Your old batteries are toast. It's time to replace them.

Plug your rig in to shore power the night before you leave for a trip to fully charge your batteries and start out strong.

Run your generator from time to time to top them off at camp.

Disconnect your batteries when you store your trailer, because phantom draws will completely kill them (smoke alarms, etc.)

Don't count on much of a charge from your tow vehicle. Your alternator can't deliver as much power as your generator or a shore power plug.
big_buford
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
2- 6v golf cart. Batts are on tongue so easy to get too service/add water. Throwing money away on blue tops with 50-66 amp hrs each IMHO.
nayther
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
big buford wrote:
2- 6v golf cart. Batts are on tongue so easy to get too service/add water. Throwing money away on blue tops with 50-66 amp hrs each IMHO.

ditto
big_buford
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
CL us battery