Dead Batteries

Don't have a Newmar (yet). But as said disconnecting the battery cable after fully charged should work. Or keep it plugged in. The little solar charger isn't made to charge a battery when needed. Just to help keep it topped off when charged fully.

As the others said your generator should be able to be setup to come on to charge your batteries as your require. I finally set mine up to do this one month ago, as I have a problem with the onboard surge protector shutting down shore power when it shouldn't ( needs to be fixed). Just remember every 30 days you have to reset the auto run feature for this.

I simply put a disconnect switch on both battery banks and have not had any problems since. That keeps it simple and direct.

crasster wrote:
What I think you need more than a disconnect is a float charger. Very very low amp 12V constantly charging while the batteries are in storage.

The float chargers (like a battery minder) requires 120vac to operate. If the op has 120vac available, he might as well just plug in the motor home to it and the inverter/charger will keep the batteries charged.

Without access to 120vac, the only true way to keep the batteries from discharging is like Bill mentioned above. A true disconnect switch, or remove ground cable.

Ron

What I think you need more than a disconnect is a float charger. Very very low amp 12V constantly charging while the batteries are in storage. Harbor Freight tools sells a pretty good one for cheap.

EDIT the disconnect is fine too to eliminate ghost draws on the batteries, but its never really good to let batteries sit for months.

clinedinstjt wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I do have a solar panel on the roof. that didn't help. I made sure the inverter was off.

Does the Solar panel LED light stay on? It should when in direct sun. Doug

clinedinstjt wrote:

RWjSIM2003 wrote:
You should have Auto gen on your MH that will automatically come on and recharge the batteries when they are low. You can set it and have it monitor the batteries. I have used that on our MH and now 5er when in storage. Just have to make sure you have enough fuel in the tank.

If you use the auto gen. start will i9f shut down when the batteries are charged?

My MH will start the GEN when a certain voltage is reached and stop at the preset 13.6V when finished.

WW

RWjSIM2003 wrote:
You should have Auto gen on your MH that will automatically come on and recharge the batteries when they are low. You can set it and have it monitor the batteries. I have used that on our MH and now 5er when in storage. Just have to make sure you have enough fuel in the tank.

If you use the auto gen. start will i9f shut down when the batteries are charged?

Thanks for the reply. I do have a solar panel on the roof. that didn't help. I made sure the inverter was off.

On a Newmar, the coach batteries can go dead with the Battery disconnect OFF. BUT, unless Newmar has changed the design from 20 years ago, they installed a small 10 watt solar charger to keep the chassis batteries charged from the small drain from the computer systems on the Diesel chassis. Do you not have that small solar charger or did you have the RV stored INSIDE or under an Awning? Newmar usually has the Dash radio and the LP/CO detector direct wired to the Coach batteries bypassing the disconnect. As another stated, it is BEST to disconnect the Ground cables from both sets of batteries to assure that they will not drain. Also, you have a INVERTER/CHARGER and they are NOT wired to a disconnect system. They are wired DIRECT from the Coach batteries to the Inverter. IF the Inverter was ON, then when you disconnected the batteries the Inverter stayed on. My experience with customers with Inverter/Chargers(especially all electric motorhomes) is the Inverter remote is out of sight and out of mind and they forget to shut it OFF when storing or bring it in for service. Doug

You should have Auto gen on your MH that will automatically come on and recharge the batteries when they are low. You can set it and have it monitor the batteries. I have used that on our MH and now 5er when in storage. Just have to make sure you have enough fuel in the tank.