ramsaymike
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Re: Norcold 12cu Drains Battery on LP
2112 wrote: Thermoguy wrote: Please get a volt meter - one better than the $15 one... Or get one of these: LCD Display LMAO You're saying buy a $17 panel mount monitor with external shunt rather than buying a $15 handheld DMM for troubleshooting? Really The monitor and DMM do not have the same application. That LCD monitor should be standard in every RV. No use guessing what is going on when you can have the real data - accurate DC voltage, current and energy flows. The OP would have seen the real cause of the problem immediately.900Views0likes0CommentsRe: Solar panels and lithium batteries
I think your first step should be to conduct an energy audit to determine your needs. It is understood that you have already replaced anything you can with low wattage equivalents (like led lights). You need to be able to measure your actual energy flows. A simple current monitor on the battery bank can be added at little cost that will give you lots of useful information. Once you know what is going on you can made an informed decision as to the equipment needed to meet your goals.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: House battery charging by alternator
As it happens, I monitor and record battery voltages continuously. This is what I got on the last drive. On start, the chassis batteries go to (about) 14.2 and slowly drift down to 13.6 over the 90 minutes of driving. The house batteries are at 12.0 and slowing increase as solar builds in the morning. After 20 minute break, the chassis batteries go to 13.7 but soon settle at 13.2 where they stay. The house batteries continue to build and are at 13.2 at engine off. It appears that at this point the solenoid is activated. From this point on the voltages of both sets of batteries are the same and it is obvious that they are connected. It now appears that the solar charge controller is controlling the voltage as both sets now start increasing. It is difficult to see what is going on as solar is variable but both are held at around 13.6. At the end of the drive the solenoid is deactivated - can't be sure exactly when but before final switch off. Trying to understand what is going on.....maybe just faulty solenoid?726Views0likes0CommentsRe: House battery charging by alternator
As far as I understand, it uses a solenoid to join the batteries. I have 2 chassis and 2 house batteries. I do not know anything about the logic it uses to control the solenoid - it has 4 control inputs as far as I can see. I assume one is the dash switch.203Views0likes0CommentsHouse battery charging by alternator
I am trying to understand how the charging system works on our 2007 Coachmen Concord. It seems that the truck alternator charges the house batteries at different times. For instance on a recent day trip, the alternator was not charging on the first 1 hour driving segments. On the third start, it started charging the house batteries. I have no idea how it determines when to charge. I do have a solar system as well so not sure if this is causing some confusion but it seems clear that alternator charging is not consistent. Any ideas?3.9KViews0likes19CommentsFuse location - 2007 Concord
I managed to blow the fuse that powers the radio on our 2007 Coachmen Concord (Ford E450). It also affects the operation of the power mirrors. The fuses in the Ford fuse block all seem to be good. I suspect that Coachmen may have added a fused circuit somewhere. Any ideas where to look for this fuse? Thanks.1.4KViews0likes4CommentsRe: Lithium battery as starter assist
Thanks for the feedback. As background, the RV has the Ford 6l diesel and it takes a long crank to start cold due to a 'standplug' issue if I understand it correctly. Cranking speed is critical so if the starter batteries are not fully charged a little help makes a big difference. It is not an every start thing but is does come in handy. I am disappointed with the performance of the cheap house batteries and want to replace with 1 100ah lithium but don't really want to completely lose the battery assist.645Views0likes0Comments
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