12 Volt Electric Problem

[COLJDM]

All thx for the advice. Went to Auto Zone this morning, batteries charged. Bought fuzes. Spoke with Leonard at Crossroads, very helpful. Told me about fuzes on converter located in storage or behind storage wall. Will check when I return from Auto Zone. To all, thanks againJohn

[RollsRoyce]

When you guys get your deep cycle batteries charged they need to come up to approx 13.8...When you charge them at Autozone or Oreilly this dowsn't usually happen...I charged my interstates at both places and they both called me and told me there was a bad smell which generally indicates bad cell...So I called Interstate and they had me bring the batteries to them here in Ft. Worth...They charged tjem for 24 hours on their dep cycle battery charger and showed me they werre both good batteries and they actually were up to 13.9 Apparently they need a deep cycle battery charger to get a deep cycle charge...I have charged several times and have never been able to get past 12.7 at home

[COLJDM]

Installed one new battery and one recharged battery. On the road to Hanscom AFB, MA. Spoke with Leonard at Redwood/Crossroads, very helpful gentleman. Told me to check some other breakers that control the converter. Will do that when I get to Hanscom. He also stated that there was an upgrade to a mini breaker panel from a 3 breaker system to a 5 breaker system and sent me a diagram. I will look to see if i have the upgrade. He also provided a crossroads dealer close to Hanscom AFB. I contacted that dealer and their Service Rep was extremely helpful and understanding. I have an appointment for 10AM in the morning. So, hopefully by tomorrow, all will be checked out and fixed.

[RollsRoyce]

By the way both AutoZone and Oreilly told me 1 of my batteries only 5 months old were bad...After calling Interstate they told me to bring them by and they would properly charge them and if they were bad they would replace under warranty......I marked the bottoms of both my batteries and took them in.. One showed bordrline on a specific gravity test and both showed needed charging...They charged them on their dep cycle battery charger for 24 hours and I picked them up...They tested both specific gravity and volt test again in front of me and one was at 13.9 the other 14.1....Before I left I checked for my markings and they were the batteries I had taken in....No problems since

[Blenhardt]

John, just curious, what did you find out about your electrical problem??

[COLJDM]

All, we had a bad converter. Leonard Nielsen at Crossroads was extremely helpful. Coordinated with Macdonald's RV in MA, they took us in quickly diagnosed the problem, got with Crossroads/Redwood had the warranty work and replacement converter authorized within an hour and the part delivered late the next day. We scheduled installation for 11 July, dropped the coach off at 0830, went for breakfast and before our meal was finished the Service Manager from Macdonalds called us to tell us our coach was ready to go!!! Great service by all, most professional, quick and friendly.

[Adamsvr]

COL, glad to hear everything is fixed! I'm extremely pleased with the warranty service Redwood and Crossroads have given us! Wish it would continue into the future, alas it won't. There needs to be some type of insurance that takes of us like Crossroads did for us!

BTW, I Haven't bought an extended insurance policy yet.....

[RCAircraft]

The converter output can be checked at the battery terminals. Check the battery voltage prior to turning on/plugging in your AC power cord. Record the value. Then plug in your 120 VAC power cord from the RV to a suitable source and turn on the battery disconnect switch.

Measure the voltage again at the battery terminals. If all is working, and some battery usage has occurred previously (and with a bunch of DC lights turned on) the battery terminal voltage should be about two volts higher with the AC applied. If the battery terminal voltage remains unchanged there could be an issue at the converter, a loose connection in the charging circuit or with an over current protection device located between the converter and the battery/batteries.

For my RV (with sealed batteries also) I look for the two volt (approximately) bump up using my digital volt/ohm test meter. As an retired EE I feel good if the battery terminal voltage is about 13.6 - 13.8 volts DC, when charging. I would have a bad day if the battery terminal voltage was at or near 12 volts DC. The battery terminal voltage (in case one ask's) needs to be high enough to overcome the internal resistance of the battery thus the need to reach about 13.8 VDC so charging will take place. Lower terminal voltages will result (most likely) in dim lights and dead batteries.

I have inspected my battery box terminal strip (with great caution) as there are many DC connections. A loose connection on those copper buses (located on the back wall of the battery compartment) could cause battery charging problems. It does not take much of a loose connection to drop two volts.

[medic1368]

We also had the same problems and all was fixed with a new converter. Must of got a bad batch. ours happened the night of our daughters wedding but we survived!

[RCAircraft]

Failures seem to occur at the worst times. Glad to hear it was an easy fix.

[RollsRoyce]

Bob Morley....When you said you could check the Battery voltage change...You said to connect 120 VAC to a suitable source...Are you talking about the rigs power cord?
Edited by: RollsRoyce

[RCAircraft]

Yes. Plugging the camper's power cord into a 120 VAC source should do the trick.

Thanks - Bob

[lcary]

I have put in two 12 volt Optima gel cell batteries in, hooked up in parallel. Will the batteries charge when trailer in plugec in to 50 amp and/Truck. Will it charge both batteries?

[lcary]

I had a bad experience with a dealership and deep cell battery. The dealership keep my new Redwood for one month to fix a few things that didn't work when we picked up the trailer. When we picked the unit up the hydraulics didn't work. The service tech had me plug the unit into the truck to get it to work. Took the trailer to RV park and again no hydraulics, auto leveler would not work. Took battery into a optima dealer who checked the battery and concluded a bad cell. Also, learned that the optima batteries needed a special battery charger to charge these batteries. Now my question is will the charger in the unit charge these batteries? ThanksEdited by: lcary

[johnboytoo]

I'm not really sold on the optima's --- I mean to each his own - but they've just not performed well for me...

and last time I checked I could buy a bunch of 'regular' batteries instead of the optimas

[Dave&Ginny]

I know a guy that owns an "Interstate" battery franchise and he said the only real advantage is the lack of gases and you can mount them laying down. He didn't recommend them to me for the RV.

[Blenhardt]

I agree. I use them when building hotrods because they can be mounted on their side or end where space is minimal. I don't really need them on the RV.