House Lights not working with hour batteries

[ewick58]

I have a 2008 31ft Class C Fleetwood Tioga. I kept having battery issues every couple of months or so. the RV dealer who is no longer in business rewired by MH to keep the draining minimual on my batteries. I didn't think much about it since I did little to no dry camping. After they rewired the rig about five years ago, my house lights will not come on with 12 volt batteries. Work fine with shore and generator power. My vehicle radio will not work unless I have the accessory power switch on. So for now the house batteries only run my vehicle radio and starting the generator. I want to start dry camping so would like my house lights to run off the 12 volt house batteries. I am not an electrician which makes it a bit more difficult. Any suggestions on how the RV dealer may have rewired the system. I have had a couple folks familiar with electrical but not RV electrical look but can't figure out what they may have done.

thanks,
Ed Wickenhofer

[wa8yxm]

ewick58 wrote:
The house batteries I just replaced were purchased in 2012 so they are recharging. On house batteries, generator will start, radio and steps both work. Just no coach lights.

Well as I said.. 7-10 years 2019-2012=7 So... 7 to 10 years

Note this is for Flooded wet with proper care.. Mainenance free (In RV use) likely will be on the low side 5-9

BFL13 wrote:


I missed the generator starting, so that does need house batteries.

The Generator on SOME RV's starts off either a battery of it's own or the chassis (Most it's the house)

[BFL13]

It seems they did disconnect the house battery wires from the lugs on the DC fuse panel as suspected---you need to reconnect them.

Your things that run with the aux switch on are running from the engine battery. Oops maybe with the engine battery disconnected, close the aux switch (to on) and see if those things run--in the above test, you didn't say if that switch was on or off.

The gen does run from the house batteries. The only charging you can get now to recharge the house batts is from the alternator. Once you connect the house batteries to the battery lugs on the DC fuse panel, the converter will be able to keep those new 6s charged up when you have either shore power or generator running.

You never answered about the fridge and water heater when they work and don't.

[ewick58]

Disconnected vehicle battery. I can start my generator but nothing else. No radio, water pump or steps.

I guess with my limited electrical knowledge I should take it to a dealer to look at. Thought it may be something fairly easy.

[ewick58]

I have an "AUX BATTERY" switch on my main panel. When that is on, water pump and cab radio can be turned on and generator can be started. Steps come out. Nothing else works. No fans and no lights. That all works on shore or generator power just not on my house 12 volt system.

If I start the vehicle with the Aux Battery switch on or off no difference. Cab radio does not work when you start the vehicle. You must have the Aux Battery switch on to listen to the radio while driving down the road.

[maillemaker]

I kept having battery issues every couple of months or so. the RV dealer who is no longer in business rewired by MH to keep the draining minimual on my batteries. I didn't think much about it since I did little to no dry camping. After they rewired the rig about five years ago, my house lights will not come on with 12 volt batteries. Work fine with shore and generator power. My vehicle radio will not work unless I have the accessory power switch on. So for now the house batteries only run my vehicle radio and starting the generator.

OK, your cab radio should be running off the engine battery. This is just like any automobile - if you turn the engine key to the Accessory mode, then your radio should work. This should be running off of your engine battery.

If your house lights only work on shore power or generator, then your house batteries are either dead or disconnected. Your converter is converting the 120VAC to 12VDC. When you are not hooked up to a 120VAC source, your converter should automatically switch over to the 12VDC source (house batteries), assuming they are hooked up and not dead.

Depending on your RV, your generator might start from the house battery or the engine battery. In my RV, the generator is started by using the engine battery.

What you should do is disconnect your engine battery at the battery and then discover what does and does not work in your RV anymore.

I suspect you will find with the engine battery disconnected your dash radio no longer works, and your generator no longer starts, and your steps no longer work.

My suspicion is that your house batteries were disconnected from the converter.

Steve

[2oldman]

our?

[BFL13]

Not as simple as I first thought then. So check all other 12v things to learn what other 12v things work on battery and what don't. Fridge, fans, WH, furnace.

Check the positive wire for the "lights" circuit where it goes from its fuse. They have moved it so it runs from the converter connection but not from the battery connection.

I am not clear how they could do that, but maybe somebody else here can suggest how?

I don't see what that was supposed to help you with. If you don't want the lights on, you just turn them off!

I don't understand about the radio. What is it that you are calling the accessory power switch?

With no shore power, so no lights, turn on the engine so now you have alternator charging to the house battery bank. Do the lights work now? (this might help learn what they did)

[ewick58]

water pump does work on battery.

[BFL13]

How about anything else 12v just on battery with no shore power, such as fans, fridge, water pump? Or is it just the lights?

The radio, steps, and gen are likely to the house battery bank direct without going through the DC fuse panel, so they could work even if no DC fuse panel connection.

[ewick58]

The house batteries I just replaced were purchased in 2012 so they are recharging. On house batteries, generator will start, radio and steps both work. Just no coach lights.

[wa8yxm]

2008 Were they the OEM batteries? That would make 'em 10-11 years old which is EXCELLENT Life. Mine lasted only 9 Just so you know.

My car's battery (next to the last one) did not make it out of warranty.

[BFL13]

ewick58 wrote:
Thanks for the reply. My house batteries were toast. I purchase two 6 volt yesterday and installed. My MH dash radio runs off the house battery. I must have the house batteries on before the dash radio will work. I will check the DC fuse panel.

Thanks!

Ed

I missed the generator starting, so that does need house batteries.

On or by the fuse panel will be lugs for the wires from the converter and also the lugs for the wires from the house battery.

The converter will recharge the house batteries by going through the fuse panel, so if batteries not connected there, the converter can't recharge the house batts, which will then go flat after not very long, and then the generator won't start.

[ewick58]

Thanks for the reply. My house batteries were toast. I purchase two 6 volt yesterday and installed. My MH dash radio runs off the house battery. I must have the house batteries on before the dash radio will work. I will check the DC fuse panel.

Thanks!

Ed

[BFL13]

Sounds like they disconnected the house batteries from the DC fuse panel so now the 12v house things will only work from the converter (which gets its 120v from either shower power or generator).

I don't know why they would then leave any house batteries in place since they cannot run anything or be recharged from the converter (if disconnected at the fuse panel like I imagine. They might get a recharge from the alternator when driving. If there are any house batteries, they are probably toast.

The MH dash radio works from the engine battery. If you want an entertainment set- up that runs from the house battery bank, that is something you can arrange if there is not one already.