Charging or not charging, that is the question

kkiger wrote:
My basic question is... While in storage and battery toggles off, both chassis and coach, should my batteries be charging if I'm plugged in.

I'm having a weird issue. My chassis battery has never died. My coach batteries have been dead on occasion. What's strange is, sometimes they are dead and sometimes not. I used the coach in January and everything was fine. It had sat unplugged for maybe two months. After my January trip, I went to use it in February, and the coach batteries were dead. I went home and came back a few days later, to charge the batteries, and the coach batteries were fine. I'm basically using them to crank the gen.

Is the inverter the battery charger as well?

At this point, you should check the voltage of each battery and/or bank of batteries without anything turned on or plugged in. Then plug in and compare your readings. This will tell you if you're getting a charge and then you can go from there.
With our coach, the house batteries charge first and once they're up to specs. then the chassis battery begins to charge. Since you're not having chassis battery problems, I would suspect that it is charging or at least not drawing anything and staying up on it's own from the last alternator charge. If your house batteries are indeed being charged, but not holding for any length of time unplugged, then I would suspect that something is being left or that one or more are bad. Water level OK and not boiling out with overcharging?

No many do not charge from the power converter, If you use the disconnect switch
It does depend on MFG

We use one of these cheap MULTIMETERs available from LOWES-WALMART-AMAZON-many parts stores for $7-$20.


Read across the battery terminals when you get setup and you should read 12.6-7VDC if your batteries are fully charged and you are not connected to shore power. Then just plug-into shore power and your multimeter should to jump to 13.6VDC or higher telling you the batteries will receive charge voltages.

Takes all of the quessing out of knowing if they are being charged or not.

If you've got power, and a newer unit, they should be charging. My question is, if you're not going to be using the unit for a couple of weeks, should you unplug everything, and plug back in the day before you leave?

Ok, there isn't a charge coming to the battery while plugged in, but I don't know if there should be one. Also, with both disconnects off, there isn't a draw on the battery. It's almost as if there is a short between the Gen start switch and the gen. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it doesn't.

It's a 2007 Winnie Sunova. I'm looking in the manual now.

A voltmeter is your friend (use as described above) however here is a guideline.

IF you have a really big (#,#00 watt) inverter,, AND it is also your charger.. ODDS are it connects directly to the battery BEFORE the disconnect switch so yes, it will charge JUST THE HOUSE batteries.

IF you do not have a thousand watt plus inverter Odds are the converter/charger is on the HOUSE side of the disconnect and thus will not be able to charge unless the batteries are Connected/Use/ON mode.

BUT.. Here is how to find out..

Unplug for liek 30 minutes.. Measure battery voltage AT THE BATTERY (should be12.6)

Plug in for 10 minutes,, Re-measure 13+ indicates they are charging.