Class C Motorhome Battery

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Bozopolis

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Posts
23
Location
Kingman Arizona
I'm new to the RV thing. We bought a Class C Fleewood Tioga this past April and we've used it a few times but unfortunately it sits most of the time. I have a BatteryMinder hooked to the engine battery and up to now it's worked fine. I thought I'd give it a crank today just to make sure and as luck would have it the engine would not turn over. I hooked up my big battery charger and put it on Engine Start and it did turn over. What in the motorhome would be draining the battery so that the BatteryMinder wouldn't keep it sufficiently charged? Is it enough to use the BatteryMinder of should I unhook the battery as well or something else. Help!  I'll charge the battery overnight to make sure it's back to full charge. I was told that starting it up and idling wasn't good and that the BatteryMinder was the way to go. But evidently I'm doing something else wrong. I do have some fans running inside for ventilation but I'm plugged into a 30amp outlet so they shouldn't drain the engine battery right? Nothing is plugged into the lighter sockets. Can't even guess what would drain it.

Thanks
 
There are some small parasitic loads on the chassis' electrical system, but unless something was left on, a Battery Minder that's hooked to the chassis battery "should" be able to keep it charged. You didn't mention how old the battery is, nor did you mention if the water level in the battery's cells had been maintained. Either of those could cause a battery to no longer be able to hold a charge.

By the way, not all RVs have charging systems that will charge both the House AND Chassis batteries. Many will only charge the House batteries when plugged into shore-power.

Kev
 
If your battery is good then you could also use a simple battery disconnect switch like this one.

https://1stwebsales.com/battery-disconnect-switch-knife-blade-top-post-terminal-safety-drain-low-profile.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20Ads(BSC)&utm_term=1101700102543&utm_content=All%20Products
 
I have a 2008 Tioga 31M Class C. If your motorhome is equipped with the BIRD, like mine is, it should charge the house and engine batteries when on shore power, generator, or engine.  You need to have a good battery to start with. Have your battery load tested. A good battery should not drain over night. Check the date code on your battery. If it is over 3 years old, it might be time to replace it.
 
The engine battery is a maintenance free battery...no water to deal with. Not sure how old it is. I charged it overnight and the RV started this morning. For now I put the BatteryMinder back on. My house batteries are charged by the converter which has one of those smart things attached to keep it from overcharging. Once a month I check and add water as necessary.
 
cgmartin said:
I have a 2008 Tioga 31M Class C. If your motorhome is equipped with the BIRD, like mine is, it should charge the house and engine batteries when on shore power, generator, or engine.  You need to have a good battery to start with. Have your battery load tested. A good battery should not drain over night. Check the date code on your battery. If it is over 3 years old, it might be time to replace it.

Not sure what that is. I tried a Google search for BIRD and just got stuff about birds.

The battery isn't draining overnight. The last time we used the RV was in July. I don't start it that often so it's been sitting for a at least 6 weeks but with the BatteryMinder constantly running which I thought would charge the battery as well as prevent battery desulfation. I'm still curious what could be causing such a drain?
 
Kevin Means said:
There are some small parasitic loads on the chassis' electrical system, but unless something was left on, a Battery Minder that's hooked to the chassis battery "should" be able to keep it charged. You didn't mention how old the battery is, nor did you mention if the water level in the battery's cells had been maintained. Either of those could cause a battery to no longer be able to hold a charge.

By the way, not all RVs have charging systems that will charge both the House AND Chassis batteries. Many will only charge the House batteries when plugged into shore-power.

Kev

Yeah, I don't think my RV charges the engine battery; only the house batteries. They've always checked fine. They're fully charged now. After being hooked to the battery charger overnight the RV started today. I guess I just need to check it more often and start it.
 
HueyPilotVN said:
If your battery is good then you could also use a simple battery disconnect switch like this one.

https://1stwebsales.com/battery-disconnect-switch-knife-blade-top-post-terminal-safety-drain-low-profile.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20Ads(BSC)&utm_term=1101700102543&utm_content=All%20Products

I checked that link and it's not available. I will look for one however.
 
What house functions or load would be connected to a C class chassis battery?

Thank you Bozopolis for the Firesign Theater reference. Happy motoring and back to the freeway which is already in progress.

 
NewmanRacing said:
What house functions or load would be connected to a C class chassis battery? ......

The steps, if they extend, come to mind. Might not in all cases though.
 
I have a 2004 Ford E450 and the chassis battery lasted 6 months last winter supplying the parasitic of my vehicle. The house batteries were off line via a disconnect switch.
 
The wiring system acts (somewhat) like a capacitor which put a very small load on the battery. Plus the clock in the radio is a very slight drain which can also make a difference over several months.
 
Bozopolis, a BIRD is the acronym for Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay, made by Intellitec. This device allows the house and engine batteries to be charged at the same time when either one is being charged by either the engine or the generator. My Fleetwood motorhome Class C came with this device.
 
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