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RVMommaTo6

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Rochester, NY
I've been searching the manuals and am coming up blank. Hopefully you can help. Everything was fine when we went to bed. No hookups. Weren't using generator, AC, heat, etc.  Woke up this morning the "pilot out" light is on, the lights don't work, battery power shows we have power, can't turn on generator. Flipped all the breakers and turned them back on. Checked fuse for lights, no problem there. Battery disconnect is on use, not store. What am I missing?
 
That would be the HOUSE battery, have you tried to start the engine? If the engine starts and runs you could try and start the generator using the Aux Start function (or whatever it is called in your particular RV), it works both ways!
 
It doesn't look like the battery is dead because on the panel it shows they still have 50% power. I guess I'll drive a ways and check to see if recharging them helps. We're leaving soon anyway and have about a 45 minute drive ahead of us.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
It doesn't look like the battery is dead because on the panel it shows they still have 50% power. I guess I'll drive a ways and check to see if recharging them helps. We're leaving soon anyway and have about a 45 minute drive ahead of us.


50% on those little panels probably means you're in the mid 11 volt range, which is essentially dead. If it is dead a 45 minute drive might just get you back to "very low", but if you're plugged in or able to start the generator you should be good. If you're relying on the generator it will take upwards of 5+ hours to fully recharge, again those little battery lights are borderline useless. (If they indicate 75% you're probably closer to 50%, and 50 is as low as you should go.)
 
But at 50%, the lights should at least be dimly lit, they're not turning on at all.
After the 45 minute drive, we have a 4+ hour drive so if it's the battery, I guess we'll find out. I just don't think that's it.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
It doesn't look like the battery is dead because on the panel it shows they still have 50% power. I guess I'll drive a ways and check to see if recharging them helps. We're leaving soon anyway and have about a 45 minute drive ahead of us.
That battery monitor only checks voltage. It does not check for a dead cell. Your symptoms indicate a dead cell.
 
Is a dead cell something fixed by charging it or is that a worse problem? I also do have a battery charger.
 
Hi RV Momma,

I'm sure others will be around to help you but usually a bad cell, means the plates have sulfated and the battery is damage beyond repair. I think there are ways of reviving the cell but ultimately you will need a new battery. If you have a couple of house batteries, it is usually best to replace them at the same time. We'll let others chime in on this that have more knowledge.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
Is a dead cell something fixed by charging it or is that a worse problem? I also do have a battery charger.
Usually it needs to be replaced. Take the battery out and take it to Walmart and ask them to test it. Testing is free.
 
We've been boondocking since Friday, so a low battery would make sense, I assumed the battery was fine because it said 50% 
I'll have Wal-Mart test them next time we're in a city. When we turned the ignition on, all the lights turned on lol, so I guess it was the battery!
 
If you got 2-3 days of boondocking on your single (or two?) battery(s), you did well. Not at all surprising they re dead.  Those voltage gauges are terribly inaccurate, plus a weak battery (one or more cells in poor condition) may show OK voltage but discharges rapidly under any load.

Let's see what happens with todays driving and maybe a few hours of generator use if you won't have shore power tonight.

Also, it would help to know how many batteries and the type & size, e.g. "two 12v marine/RV batteries in the Group 24 size".  If you can't find all the info on the battery case, whatever you can figure out will help.
 
I certainly agree it sounds like a bad battery.  But it certainly could be just really low as well.  Autozone also tests batteries, just sayin, and they will put in a new one at n/c, not sure wallyworld does?  I certainly would grab a rag, go to battery (s) in question, grab top cables, give a generous twist right and left to make sure it is a good snug connection.  Let us know after a few hour charge. Good Luck.  'It's not always about the Destination, but the Journey as well.'  :)
 
When is the last time you checked the water level in the battery? If the water level is low that will also contribute to your problem.
 
You have hit on the #1 issue for RV'ers when boondocking. It's critical to monitor battery power and not push it too far because what you just experienced is the result.  One of the related issues can be your refer can stop working without battery power. Even if it's running on propane, it still takes a minimum amount of 12 volt power to run the circuit boards that control the thermostat.

An inexpensive volt meter (around $10) can be your best friend.  As already said, your batteries should not be taken below 12.0 volts, as that is roughly a 50% discharge.  Go below that too many times and they will die a quick death.  As 12.7 volts is a full battery and 12.0 is considered mostly discharged, you can see the importance of monitoring the status of your available 12 volt power.
 
As a general rule of thumb, when boondocking run the generator every night before quiet time to charge the batteries fully, for example from 6-9pm.  Then again in the morning to make coffee and breakfast and to replace what you used over the night.
 
I'm not sure when.....But I know at some point......I Told you to quit breaking stuff ;D

I with the others.....Dead batteries.

7 people using lights, water pump, phone chargers and other electronics chargers

And don't forget the refrigerator and the water heater uses 12 volts to run the boards and igniters.

You did good to make it though the weekend.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
But at 50%, the lights should at least be dimly lit, they're not turning on at all.

Not necessarily if they're LED lights.  LEDs put out good light until the input voltage gets below what's needed to fire the LEDs, then they stop dead.
 
As already mentioned those 25% increment LED lights found on  most RV panels are nearly useless,  A digital voltage monitor like this is a big step up https://smile.amazon.com/LinkStyle-Digital-Voltmeter-Waterproof-Motorcycle/dp/B0787QFQ5N    though even this does little to tell you the condition of your battery, if you want to have a good idea of how much power you actually have available in your battery bank you need something like this Victron battery charge monitor https://smile.amazon.com/Victron-Energy-Battery-Monitor-BMV-700/dp/B01BVQR0V8/  which actively tracks power going into and out of the battery bank.

Now for the simplified version, batteries loose capacity as they age, this partly depends on how you care for them, if you drain the fully, they may only last a handful of discharge cycles, if you drain them half way they will typically last about 500 charge/discharge cycles, if you drain them only a little bit they may last 5,000.    Abuse like deeply discharging and not maintaining battery water level (using distilled water) will shorten their life.

Picture a battery as like a gallon jug which holds electricity, how much it holds depends on its condition, over time it looses capacity, sort of like filling a gallon jug up with gravel, the more gravel you add the less room there is for water, so soon that gallon jug may only hold half a gallon of water, and soon after that it may only hold a quart.  There are also things that can kill a battery nearly instantly, like a shorted cell, the voltage may still look ok, but it nearly instantly looses its capacity when you try to discharge it.

If the water level is low in the batteries you can try adding more, but this is sometimes at best a temporary measure, batteries normally loose a little water under normal operation, and should be checked and topped off every month or two.  Note only fully fill batteries when they are charged, as the water expands with the charge, if you fill a discharged battery it will overflow acid/water once it is fully charged.  If the water is very low then partly fill it, charge, and top off to the grid plates once the battery is fully charged.  There are you tube videos that show how to do this, note don't let battery acid get on your skin, and wearing safety glasses is a good idea.

p.s.  the type of battery currently installed in your RV may not be the best option for boondocking, before you buy new ones consult us on what type you should buy.    Many RV's have the cheaper lower capacity dual use batteries in them, not true deep cycles
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
We've been boondocking since Friday, so a low battery would make sense, I assumed the battery was fine because it said 50% 
I'll have Wal-Mart test them next time we're in a city. When we turned the ignition on, all the lights turned on lol, so I guess it was the battery!

Like the others say...thats your problem. If you hook a charger to it make sure it is on slooooow charge until it starts to come up.
 

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