We have a 09 Adventurer. While on shore power, I noticed the coach losing power when the lights began to dim. I found the house batteries dead. They are new. I found the inverter switch had been turned on with the electrical water heater and TV on. Would the inverter on in this scenario cause me to drain the batteries and lose power while on shore power? Would running the engine to charge the house batteries through the alternator be OK?
Winnebago electrical problem
- Thread starter flyingbie
- Start date
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Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
What make & model of inverter is it? Many of them automatically detect shore power and do not supply power even if turned on. In any case, your water heater is not ever powered from the inverter.
More than likely, your house battery charging system has failed and is no longer providing 12v power, so your 12v needs, e.g. lighting, was supplied from the batteries until they were exhausted.
Running the engine will charge the batteries, but it takes quite awhile. Think in terms of several hours to get a 70% or so charge. You should get some power, enough to run things again, quite quickly, though.
If the charging system has failed, running the generator will NOT help. The generator does not charge batteries directly - it merely provides power to the house charging system.
More than likely, your house battery charging system has failed and is no longer providing 12v power, so your 12v needs, e.g. lighting, was supplied from the batteries until they were exhausted.
Running the engine will charge the batteries, but it takes quite awhile. Think in terms of several hours to get a 70% or so charge. You should get some power, enough to run things again, quite quickly, though.
If the charging system has failed, running the generator will NOT help. The generator does not charge batteries directly - it merely provides power to the house charging system.
Ken & Sheila
Site Team
Some inverters that have a charging system have an on/off switch for the charger. It could be off or the charger could be bad.
If your inverter does not have a charger, then your coach also has a Converter and it could be the problem.
ken
If your inverter does not have a charger, then your coach also has a Converter and it could be the problem.
ken
John Canfield
Site Team
Your lights are 12V operated.flyingbie said:
That would explain why your lights went dim.
Not sure how your inverter operates. With our Xantrex inverter, the inverter will only operate with no shore power (or gen set). If you had no AC power to your coach and your inverter was operating, it will for a fact run your house batteries down, with the coach on shore power, I don't see how that could happen. You need to determine if your battery charger/convertor is working - that would be my primary suspect in your situation.
Absolutely okay - this would be the equivalent of you running down the road with the engine alternator charging the house and chassis batteries. My alternator is (I think) rated at 140 amps, yours is probably 100-120 amps. Like Gary said, if your batteries are completely discharged it will take several hours of running the engine to bring the batteries up.
As an alternative, you can put an external battery charger on your house bank until you figure out why the batteries aren't being charged.
John Hilley
Well-known member
You have a 130 amp alternator.
Jerry0312
Member
I have an 09 Itasca Latitude and on a couple occassions the converter has become unplugged from the electrical outlet just above the converter. Might check that in your troubleshooting.
Jerry
Jerry
