Background - 2016 Redwood fifth wheel with residential appliance package whic included the 1000 watt pure wave sine inverter, and 2 group 31 batteries. The trailer stays plugged into 50 amp service during camping season.Left the house all was 100%Arrived 3 hrs later at camp, could not finish auto level due to low voltage, i plug into 50 amp and all is fine..inverter huge showes status - float, 14.4 V, dummy meter shows fullI check all wire connections and all seem to be tight . Home trip- all starts off at 100%Drive 3 hrs and get out, inverter shows at 12.9, dummy gauge shows 3/4 full..I start auto level and inverter gauge shows 11.5 V and dummy meter shows 1/4 to 1/2 . I plug in, and dummy meter goes to full, and inverter shows 14.4 after 1-1/2 hrs

Have you checked the battery water level?Have you checked that the truck connector is supplying 12v power while in transit?

Two good questions.Add to them:Are you leaving the inverter on while driving?If so, what 120 VAC things are on? Said another way, what is the draw on the batteries (in amps) times time driving. That will tell you how many amp-hrs you drained from the batteries.

time2roll wrote:Have you checked the battery water level?Have you checked that the truck connector is supplying 12v power while in transit?Gel cell, no checking the water levels...I did check that, it is supplying power

wolfe10 wrote:Two good questions.Add to them:Are you leaving the inverter on while driving?If so, what 120 VAC things are on? Said another way, what is the draw on the batteries (in amps) times time driving. That will tell you how many amp-hrs you drained from the batteries.Inverter is on, only 1 outlet is powered by it, that is for the residential fridge... I can drive from PA to FL with no battery issues last year, not the case now.

OK is it really GELL or more likely AGM?GELL is not that common and could be overcharging at 14.4 volts and they often have limited acceptance amps.AGM charging at 14.4 is fine but is too high for float mentioned early in the post. High amperage charging is actually good with AGM.I speculate the battery could have diminished capacity.Best to post the exact battery make/model along with the converter model to verify the charging profile matches the battery.

Possible dead batteries - | Good Sam Community

BFL13
Explorer II
May 09, 2017
ISTR Northstars are what landyacht has. He reports they are really good for what we all do. Good choice.

Suggest reading his posts on how to keep them up to speed, as there is a trick to it--doing the occasional controlled overcharge--but requires some technique and a charger that will do it.
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
May 09, 2017
CA Traveler wrote:
ford truck guy wrote:
I had my maintenance guy stop by today with his battery load tester...

My front battery tested on low end of yellow . . The rear battery tested on the upper end of red - dead. . . Joe
Were they fully charged before the test?

Why are 1+ year old batteries bad? Bad batteries, abuse on your part or?

Yes, fully charged... see respons above, don't really know anything about these batteries, no signs of anything on them... they are kept on battery tenders for the winter months, i do my best to keep them in good shape... 30+ years of camping, this is the first set that went early... BUT I have heard of others also
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
May 09, 2017
BFL13 wrote:
If he was in charge of your batteries and now they are dead or worse, isn't it obvious?

OTOH if he is only on call, then who is in charge of when to call him?

Anyway, too late now. At least lesson learned for next set of batteries? I (and others I suppose) had my first set of batteries go bad, so that was my "learner's set." You are not alone! :)

Let me clarify something - -

He is my maintenance guy at work, he has nothing to do with my fiver... he just happens to live close by and offered to stop by with his load tester .

But thanks for assuming . . the bats are in a 2 year old fiver, they have NO markings and could be 7 years old for all I know... No name, no nothing, I am sure they are bottom of the barrel ... soooooo, like stated, upgrading to Northstars in the coming days...
BFL13
Explorer II
May 09, 2017
If he was in charge of your batteries and now they are dead or worse, isn't it obvious?

OTOH if he is only on call, then who is in charge of when to call him?

Anyway, too late now. At least lesson learned for next set of batteries? I (and others I suppose) had my first set of batteries go bad, so that was my "learner's set." You are not alone! :)
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
May 09, 2017
BFL13 wrote:
ford truck guy wrote:
*** UPDATE ***

I had my maintenance guy stop by today with his battery load tester...

My front battery tested on low end of yellow . . The rear battery tested on the upper end of red - dead. . .

Off to buy 2 batteries this week, got a good price on 2 Northstar AGM group 31's .. ..

I checked all y connections again, and put a turn on all to be sure .. .

Thanks for all the responses . . Joe

You need to fire your "maintenance guy" and get somebody who has a clue on the job. :(

Care to share why ??
BFL13
Explorer II
May 09, 2017
ford truck guy wrote:
*** UPDATE ***

I had my maintenance guy stop by today with his battery load tester...

My front battery tested on low end of yellow . . The rear battery tested on the upper end of red - dead. . .

Off to buy 2 batteries this week, got a good price on 2 Northstar AGM group 31's .. ..

I checked all y connections again, and put a turn on all to be sure .. .

Thanks for all the responses . . Joe

You need to fire your "maintenance guy" and get somebody who has a clue on the job. :(
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 09, 2017
ford truck guy wrote:
I had my maintenance guy stop by today with his battery load tester...

My front battery tested on low end of yellow . . The rear battery tested on the upper end of red - dead. . . Joe
Were they fully charged before the test?

Why are 1+ year old batteries bad? Bad batteries, abuse on your part or?
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
May 09, 2017
*** UPDATE ***

I had my maintenance guy stop by today with his battery load tester...

My front battery tested on low end of yellow . . The rear battery tested on the upper end of red - dead. . .

Off to buy 2 batteries this week, got a good price on 2 Northstar AGM group 31's .. ..

I checked all y connections again, and put a turn on all to be sure .. .

Thanks for all the responses . . Joe
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 08, 2017
1. Buy a $10 digital voltmeter.
2. Turn off the inverter, disconnect shore power and with the truck in high idle what is the battery voltage? Measure at the battery terminals.
3. If the batteries are being charged by the truck then have the batteries load tested as they may be bad.
4. Learn how you can check battery voltage to determine the battery charge state.

FYI Your battery monitor serves one and only one purpose. The salesman can impress you with the great battery monitor that you have. So ignore it learn how to interpret the voltage to determine the SOC.
wkamper
Explorer
May 08, 2017
mvas wrote:
An AGM battery can be Load Tested - disconnect the batteries and then fully recharge them. Typically, discharge at 1/2 the CCA Rating or 3 times the 20 Hour rating. The mfr will specify minimum holding voltage after 15 seconds discharge. Now, you will know if the batteries are good or not.

x2

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