Tuesday, November 15, 2016

It's A Long Story

So grab a coffee!

When Norma started getting the motorhome ready for the trip she noticed a damp smell inside. To dry it out she plugged in a 1500 watt electric heater. She did not realize I was using a 14 or 16 gauge 50 foot extension cord. The voltage drop principle kicked in and the net voltage getting to the RV was about 95 - 100 volts! This screwed up the converters ability to charge the batteries properly which leads us to part two.

When we pulled out of the driveway Saturday the battery voltage was about 11.5, a very bad situation but we had a long drive to Victoria to charge it up. We got to the ferry and the batteries looked great but just using the lights dragged them quickly down to 12 volts. The generator charged them back up but again, they dropped back down to 12 volts much too quickly when we shut it off.

We decided to get an RV park for Monday night and see if plugging in the RV's converter could charge the batteries but it didn't. My mind was envisioning various scenarios as we boondocked last night and still could not keep a charge on the batteries. I came to the inevitable conclusion that the batteries that we bought in April just before we got home, were fried! This was confirmed by an RV repairman who we consulted in Oregon City. It turned out that I understood 12 volt systems better than he did but we both came to the same conclusion, fried batteries that were only holding a surface charge. We decided to buy new batteries, stay in an RV park Tuesday and Wednesday nights to allow them to fully charge and then test the system hoping to prove the converter was not fried as well.

We pulled into the very busy Costco in Wilsonville, Oregon and bought two $90 six volt batteries. They install car batteries but nor RV batteries. I asked the service guy if he would pull the two heavy batteries out of the compartment under the stairs and then to lift in the new ones if I did all the electrical work. He was pleased to do it.

The new batteries showed an acceptable 12.6 volts right out of the store and started charging with the truck running. We pulled into a convenient RV park and booked for two nights in order to make sure the batteries get a proper initial charge. Tomorrow afternoon we will disconnect from the park power and pretend er are boondocking, checking the batteries.

It was an unfortunate lesson costing us almost $400 Canadian after the batteries, two nights in a fairly expensive RV park and a Costco pizza to go.


12 comments:

  1. Well... at least you had pizza (and presumably a few beers) after all that.

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    1. I am saving my beer for when we get to Hope. AZ to visit you and Dee!

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  2. It was the pizza that raised the total cost. In Norma's defense, why were you using an inadequate extension cord? We women have to stick together. Also, I'm saving my wine allowance for when we get together. Let me know.

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  3. You and Norma have to be the unluckiest RV'ers I have ever known..come down to get some Mexican sunshine cheers Les

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  4. But how did the new batteries get fried? I thought you had a solar panel, no? Wouldn't that have kept them topped up when you're not using the RV?

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    1. We have a small 120 volt bar fridge in the overhead that we run all summer so I used a small gauge extension cord to plug in the motorhome. Adding the 1500 watt heater to this cord caused a huge voltage drop to around 95 volts going into the converter. So yes, I see that you are right, even if the converter was unable to charge the batteries, the two solar panels should have kept them topped up. I had the inverter turned on to power the two StarChoice receivers and TV's which draw power even though they are not turned on. I wonder if this was enough to drag the batteries down over the few days or a week that she had the heater plugged in?

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    2. Also, we had literally no sun for the last month so the solar panels were not providing much.

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  5. Yes how did the Batteries get fried like Kevin said.
    Shoulda had a few beers...

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    1. George, see the answer I gave Kevin. I am getting more confused all the time. Also, I can't really remember how long before we left I checked the voltage (AC or 12V). I did run the generator about two weeks before and it started fine which I don't think it would do with only 11.5 volts in the batteries. I just can't help but think the small extension cord was somehow to blame.

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  6. The typical power converters in RV's are designed to provide DC for the lights, water pump, etc, and are not intended to be battery chargers, as they put out very limited amperage. Deeply discharged batteries would take many days to be recharged. I always carry a serious battery charger (at least 10 amps) when traveling.

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    1. The Iota DLS 55 I just bought has an optional "smart" module I can add later. It converts the charger section to a four stage charger. It is fairly cheap and just plugs in. They didn't have one but I may pick one up and try it.

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  7. Cute! What a tangle. Sounds like things just got totally fouled up. It happens sometimes even with the best of intentions. Glad to hear you got it sorted out even with the added cost.

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