House battery problem - is it me or Interstate?

[gcvt]

Quick backstory: Bought a 1997 Sportsmobile last August. Class B Ford Econoline E250 extended body van. Two group 27 batteries in parallel, dead house batteries when I bought it. Intellipower 9100 converter/charger.

When I bought the van I picked up two new Interstate ECL Pro 27 deep cycle batteries. They lasted eight months. Don’t know why the went bad, but the date stamp indicated that they were manufactured two years before I bought them. Thought that was the problem. Never dry camped more than three nights in a row on them. Draws are a Norcold fridge (2.3 amp draw), 6 rarely used LED light fixtures, one new unused dual-USB outlet, and the water pump when the faucet is on.

Interstate said they had a high return rate on the “Pro” series batteries and replaced them under warranty with their regular SRM27s. Had those about 12 days unused. They were 12.7-12.8 and I checked them daily. Turned on the fridge for the first time and they went to 12.3v in one hour.

Took them back and they load tested one of them. It was at 12.87v but had 0 cranking amps. This was at our local Interstate batteries warehouse/distributor, not a regular dealer. The tech looked confused. They gave me two more new SRM27s. Went camping this weekend and got the same result. Mostly fridge-only use and they get drawn down very quickly.

When the engine is running, they’re charging at about 13.9v. When plugged in to the Honda EU2000 generator, they’re charging at 13.4v. Verified this using a newly installed dual battery monitor and one of those cigarette lighter battery monitors. My buddy brought his fancy Fluke clamp meter this weekend and we confirmed that the fridge is drawing 2.3 amps, and that there is no draw when everything is shut off.

Before I go back to Interstate, is there anything else I should be looking at here? Seems unlikely that I’d get so many bad batteries from them. I know they’re not the highest quality but 12.8 to 12.3 in an hour is perplexing.

Side note: Ordering a 100w flexible solar setup from Renogy soon - with the 20A charge controller that will allow me to add a second panel later this Summer. But, I gotta get this battery situation figured out first.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Or do it the easy way...

Apply 14.8 volts @ 20C right off the bat (lots of amperage) and leave it at 14.8 volts until all cells are lightly bubbling then reduce amperage. This is not equalizing it is the most efficient protocol when utilizing a generator for charging.

Manufacturers love to quote C-rates. They have to quote something even if it's entirely stupid and inappropriate. Their prime directive is to offer a perfumed recipe that allows their product to last as long as possible when maintained under darned near laboratory float conditions. The minute a customer yells "GENERATOR RECHARGE!" at them they get a profound case of the stupids.

I'll bet the VAST, a stupendous percentage majority of RV batteries do not reach two hundred cycles before being rowed across the Pb River Styx.

[jrnymn7]

Actually, I may have mis-spoke concerning the 12.7-8v "surface charge". It's more likely a case of the chronic undercharging resulting in progressive capacity loss. So, even at 12.8v, your battery would be like a much smaller Ah capacity battery, and would appear to discharge much faster than expected.

Those who do 50-80's regularly see this all the time. At some point, the bank must be brought back up to full capacity. At 13.6v it could take weeks of charging, not hours, and even then SG levels would be low. And in all likelihood, there would still be sulfation and capacity loss. Check out the battery manufacturer's recommendations and guidelines for your particular batteries, and try to match up an appropriate charger to them.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

It's all a learning process...
No need for finger-pointing IMHO
When someone is unskilled with battery management it costs them lots of money and frustrarion which is one heck of a hard rap on the knuckles with the proverbial birch pointer.

Einstein was quoted as saying "Insanity can be defined by performing the same errors over-and-over and expecting different results".

Myself, I see a whole lot of learning going on here. Makes me smile 🙂

[jrnymn7]

Well, it's not Doug's fault, nor Interstate's fault that your current charging methods have been CHRONICALLY UNDERCHARGING your batteries. In fact, a good top charge and EQ probably would have solved your "bad" battery issues from the start. As stated, that 12.7-8 volts you were seeing, was, in all likelihood, surface charge, and the 12.3V was actual voltage, minus the Peukert effect.

And the fact you are now buying a new 'charge wizard' proves you are now aware of the chronic undercharging. And if you had checked SG levels, as suggested, you would have known you had a "bad" battery, and could have taken the steps necessary to bring both ocv and sg up to par. Instead you wasted how much time running back and forth, testing and replacing batteries?

In due time, you will likely be returning these batteries, as well... unless you start caring for them properly. This means charging them to true FULL, not 4 or 5 hours at float voltages. It takes several hours at 14.6++ volts to fully charge a 12v battery, followed by a good top charge, and then an EQ if necessary.

The next time you go to buy batteries, take a volt meter with you, and ask when the batteries were last charged. A good surface charge can take several days to self-dissipate. The batteries need to sit idle for a good 4 days after being charged, to get a proper RESTING OCV.

[gcvt]

Went back to the local Interstate distributor today. They load tested both batteries and one was bad. Got a replacement. Gonna charge them both on my Exide charger at 2A for a few days before I put them back in the van. Also going to order up the PD Charge Wizard and that Renogy 200w solar setup I've been dreaming about.

Planning to test my entire electrical system before I put the batteries in...charger/converter, isolator, etc. just to make sure.

Next camping trip is Memorial Day so I should have this all worked out by then.

Thanks to everyone for your help and advice!! And a special thanks to those who blamed me so quickly. No offense dougrainer, but you were wrong 😛

[MEXICOWANDERER]

With a genset that would be a good thing for a 100 amp hour battery. Some boondockers are using 12 cells 3-parallel, golf car batteries. Using normal hotel loads plus a heater's fan overnight, it seems campgrounds are literally symphonies of generator hum from dawn to dusk. 60db isn't much until it is multiplied by a dozen.

Forty amps initial charge rate per 100-amp hour capacity is a good formula for genset recharging.

[grizzzman]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Hee Hee Hee Hee





http://www.progressivedyn.com/prod_details/110004_Wizard_Pendant_card.pdf


Scuze me, but the mirrir-mirro-on-the-wall pendant magic wand simply eliminates the default timing sequence and manually maintains this gizmo in whatever FACTORY SET voltage phase that is selected. "Boost" is 14.4?

Will charge batteries in as little as 4-6 hours? If I had to wait six hours listening to a yammering generator I'd slash my wrists. This is a pedestal princess.

Did u know that best converter has a 45 Amp PDC that has a 14.8 volt output ? 14.8 volts

[azrving]

Get a meanwell 15 volt power supply. 14.4 is better than 13.6 but 14.8 is better than 14.6, You may need top charges at 15 plus. I have 4 grp 27 that are regularly charged at over 15 v. This is their 8th year in service. My 6 volts always end charge at 15 v. They are a year old and seem to be working good. Some would predict their life to be 6 months.

[jwmII]

Interstate routinely rotates out their dealer stock ever couple months or so. Sounds like you got a set of batteries that were probably rotated out. They go just as dead and suffer sulphated plates setting on Interstates shelves the same as if they were setting unattended in your trailer or motor home. Really shortens life expectancy to just let them set around uncared for.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Hee Hee Hee Hee





http://www.progressivedyn.com/prod_details/110004_Wizard_Pendant_card.pdf


Scuze me, but the mirrir-mirro-on-the-wall pendant magic wand simply eliminates the default timing sequence and manually maintains this gizmo in whatever FACTORY SET voltage phase that is selected. "Boost" is 14.4?

Will charge batteries in as little as 4-6 hours? If I had to wait six hours listening to a yammering generator I'd slash my wrists. This is a pedestal princess.

[gcvt]

Yanked the couch out just to check. Running an Intellipower 9155.

[tenbear]

Clickey

[mpierce]

gcvt wrote:
Just plugged in at work and they're only getting 13.5v. Guess I'll pull them out and put them on my Exide charger at home and see what happens, then have them load tested on Friday.

Bet you have a crappy, OEM WFCO convertor! Get one of these: http://www.adventurerv.net/intelipower-9260-convertercharger-amp-charge-wizard-p-5029.html?gclid=COn51-ail8UCFQetaQodW7sAEQ&utm_campaign=partsfeed_ppc&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Froogle

PD 9260, and get the pendant for an extra $11. You will be AMAZED at the difference!

[NinerBikes]

DAS26miles wrote:
I use my Renogy solar 100 watt suitcase to get the higher volts needed to top charge my Interstate's. Which controller do you have coming with your flex panels? Hope you are getting this one, Viewstar 20 amp the cheaper one doesn't have equalization. I set my equalization mode up to 16.3 volts and the boost charge to 15.4 volts. PM me if you want to know how to do it, it's a special way of setting the parameters that Renogy told me.

Why don't you post up the method that Renogy gave you to set the parameters here?