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Re: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
Interesting follow up note. After racking my brain and trying everything I could think of I still had the same problem. Then we got to Colombia and headed for the mountains. The entire system began acting as it should no sooner than we hit cooler temps. I'm not sure how other brands or types of batteries do in the heat, but the lead acid Wally World batteries in our van don't play well with constant ~100 degree heat. It's been 4 months now in S America with no issues.498Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
Landyacht, my panel is a 30 volt panel with a 5a output. I purchased it not really knowing what I was doing and ended up needing a special charge controller able to take 30 all the way down to 12 whereas most controllers will only take 30 to 24v. Without the controller, will I still be able to equalize considering the voltage mismatch? Everyone, I mentioned yesterday that I used a wire brush and grinder to fix the corroded chassis ground. Well, there was such a noticeable difference in the system following that that I opted to forgo further testing and see how the system did overnight, off the grid with a supposedly full charge. I played the stereo, charged a phone and iPad, ran the fridge at a cold temp, and ran my fan for 12 hours without tripping the 50% cutoff! This is very close to what I would normally expect from my system. It's still seems a touch low and I think maybe equalizing the batteries would help breath a bit more life into them, but for all practical purposes, I think I may have found the primary issue. Booster had mentioned earlier that a bad ground could cause resistance that would translate into the charging devices putting the batteries on a float charge before they were truly charged. Is that correct and what likely happened here? I'd like to fully understand this moving forward to help with future issues and whatnot - it's a long ways to Argentina! Thanks again everyone! Cold drinks and a fan made for a good nights sleep last night in Panama!497Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
MEXICOWANDERER wrote: Square Wave tester - better than a cheese grater. Hydrometer confirmed your batteries are discharged. Your batteries are SULFATED. Read up on the process of EQUALIZATION. You cannot "standard charge" a sulfated battery. The battery must be equalized. This is a common problem and no (affordable) battery charging/maintenance system on the face of the earth can prevent a deeply cycled battery from sulfating, sooner or later. Two questions: What would you consider a deeply cycled battery? Mine are about 5 months old and I do not discharge them past 50%. Regardless, in my readings it appears doing this once or twice a year is a good idea or when batteries start displaying behavior similar to mine. Can I take them to a battery shop and have them equalized on one of the high end chargers? I do not have equalization on my chargers.497Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
landyacht318 wrote: One possibility is the compressor on the fridge is failing and sucking way more juice than when it was new. Do you have a clamp on Ammeter? I'm beginning to wonder. If we assume the Bosch test was accurate, it really has to be the fridge. We're in the hottest place we've been to yet now and I can hear the compressor kicking on almost constantly during the day. But, that alone would not kill them this quickly. I could even see going from 3 days to about 1 day with it working overtime, but not less than 12 hours - unless it's broken. It's not THAT much hotter than places we've been. Here's the thing, my dash volt meter shows lower voltage than I would expect. When driving, rather than 14.3-14.6, I see 13.9-14.2. Same with the solar when not driving. I rarely see 14 and when the batteries should be about halfway discharged (the cutoff activated) it seems more like they're almost completely discharged. That is usually when I see lower voltage than I would expect. Handbasket had mentioned checking the grounds. I had forgotten to check the actual chassis ground. I did, and it was pretty corroded and crappy looking. I took a wire brush and grinder to the issue just a few minutes ago and have already noticed an improvement in the system. I'm not convinced (yet) that my problems are solved though. Could that really have been it? Hopefully tonight I will be able to charge, remove, and test the batteries in the manner Mena661 mentioned. Landyacht318, all I have is a standard voltmeter, can I effectively test the fridge with that? Could the compressor be malfunctioning so much that its drawing that much energy? I feel like between driving and solar I can't really fully charge the batteries. I suppose I could fully charge everything, then turn the fridge off and see if things return to normal... Thanks for the help everyone. This is a puzzling issue and horrible timing with respect to climate and temps.497Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
mena661 wrote: One or both batteries are bad. Unless you have a bad fuse somewhere, you pretty much eliminated the charging systems. I would put one battery at a time on the chargers (use the inverter/charger it's quicker). Fully charge it, disconnect for 24 hrs then note the voltage. Repeat for the other battery. Post the results If bad it will lose voltage even while disconnected correct?497Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
CloudDriver wrote: One additional thing to test - make a note of the voltage at the chassis and house battery terminals, then start the engine and check the voltage at the chassis and house battery terminals again. The voltage at the chassis battery will rise if the alternator is working. If the voltage of the house batteries doesn't rise to be close to the chassis battery, you aren't charging from the alternator while driving. Our Class C has a relay that connects the chassis and house batteries together when the ignition is on. In 11 years, I have replaced this relay three times because charging of the house batteries became unreliable. I have a volt meter wired from the house batteries to my dash so I can see it while driving. Soon as I fire up the van I can the see the voltage increase. Lately the batteries have been so deadened that they only show 13+ for a bit before getting to around 14.3, but I've checked with the volt meter and the alternator is definitely sending 14. (My dash volt meter is cheap so the numbers aren't super reliable but it's clear the relay opens).106Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
DavisK wrote: Your charger is not on while you're on the inverter is it? It will drain the batteries trying to charge them. Yes and no. It's a combo inverter/charger. It can charge while acting as an inverter. Tonight I'm charging them charge only setting rather than the both setting, though the both setting has worked prior till now.107Views0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical system discharging WAY too quickly
Handbasket wrote: Have you checked both ends of the ground cable for clean & tight? You know, I checked every single cable and connection except for the actual ground to the frame under the van. I will check that first thing tomorrow. Good thought.106Views0likes0Comments
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