My Next Dumb Question......

[homeguy]

DC systems are not the same wiring as AC. AC uses black for hot and white for neutral. DC uses Red for hot and Black for negative. My guess is they did not have red wire and used white. Not unusual for an assembly line.

[brenkco]

Bob,
Google hooking up 3-12v batteries in parallel. There are several YouTube videos and several articles.

You hook all 3 positives together and all 3 negatives together. Your converter (this is the battery charger and supplies 12v to your rig should ideally be connected at opposite ends of your battery bank.

This can be dangerous work as you are dealing with a lot of amps. Remove all jewelry, use insulated wrenches. Be careful not to ground your tools. Remove negative 1st. When reattaching, attach positive 1st.

Ken

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by homeguy

DC systems are not the same wiring as AC. AC uses black for hot and white non-issue sameDC uses Red for hot and Black for negative. My guess is they did not have red wire and used white. Not unusual for an assembly line.

Thanks... it is starting to make some since. I suspect everything is fine and it really is a non-issue.

[johnboytoo]

Is it possible not all three are in parallel ?

Maybe there are two circuits ?!?
one for the residential fridge and one for the rest of the coach ????

I really don't know, just posing the question as I know enough only to know our 38gk is not necessarily wired like any previous rv we've had

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by brenkco

Bob,
Google hooking up 3-12v batteries in parallel. There are several YouTube videos and several articles.

You hook all 3 positives together and all 3 negatives together. Your converter (this is the battery charger and supplies 12v to your rig should ideally be connected at opposite ends of your battery bank.

This can be dangerous work as you are dealing with a lot of amps. Remove all jewelry, use insulated wrenches. Be careful not to ground your tools. Remove negative 1st. When reattaching, attach positive 1st.
.
Ken

I will check it out. This has given me some good info. As I indicated previously I think everything is good and I am sweating a non-issue. These post have been really good in helping me understand this system and what I am looking at. Feeling much better now. Although now because of your warning and a huge desire not to get knocked in the dirt I am a little less gang ho about grabbing those wires......

[brenkco]

Jb2 has a good point as it sure is possible to have one battery isolated. Wouldn't make a great deal of sense, after all, there are 2 converters in my rig. I never saw how the factory installed mine as I had the dealer pull and replace them with my 4-6 volts.

Sure would far more amp hours if the were together.

Ken

[Dave&Ginny]

Bob, do yourself a favor. While you have the batteries out, follow where the ground connects to the frame behind the battery boxes. Take that connection off, sand it down and make sure you're getting a good ground. This can save a whole bunch of heartache later.

[johnboytoo]

like I said not sure it's separate circuits...
but since it's a residential 'package' maybe the third battery and second inverter/convertor is part of the pkg ???? since most rw's don't have a third battery?

[Rhilton284]

Gentlemen,

Thank all of you very much. I have been doing the recommended research, and studying your responses and it has helped a great deal in my understanding of what is going on in my coaches 12V Battery hookup. Next time I look at them I will finally understand what is going on.

When I get back out to the storage lot I will check to see how the batteries are ultimately wired, (3 in parallel, or 2 in parallel and 1 stand alone), and report back to the forum.

I will be taking them back to the house to put a full charge on them after which I will have them load tested before putting them back into the coach. It may take me a little while to get back with you but I will let you all know how RW has hooked up my 38RE for future reference.

Thanks Again. You all have been most helpful.

[Rhilton284]

Gentlemen,

Thank all of you very much. I have been doing the recommended research, and studying your responses and it has helped a great deal in my understanding of what is going on in my coaches 12V Battery hookup. Next time I look at them I will finally understand what is going on.

When I get back out to the storage lot I will check to see how the batteries are ultimately wired, (3 in parallel, or 2 in parallel and 1 stand alone), and report back to the forum.

I will be taking them back to the house to put a full charge on them after which I will have them load tested before putting them back into the coach. It may take me a little while to get back with you but I will let you all know how RW has hooked up my 38RE for future reference.

Thanks Again. You all have been most helpful.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Rhilton284

Atom Ant - He supposedly was a technician. Do you know something about these systems as I am admittedly ignorant about 12V DC and I have been trying to understand what is going on here. I have posted a pic of how the batteries are hooked up and I am no closer to being sure whether this is correct or not. Nothing seems to be damaged, or destroyed as far as I can tell.

The Technician apparently did not tell me right. Can you shed some light here? So far I have not had any luck with Redwood/Crossroads as their answering machine says they are closed....

Bob,
I would hate to try to tell you something from a keyboard and have it be wrong, especially because we don't have the residential fridge and I would be guessing about the design. I would feel terrible if I was wrong. I just wanted to point out that reverse polarity wouldn't blow a fuse and maybe the guy you were talking too wasn't that knowledgeable.

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Bob,
I would hate to try to tell you something from a keyboard and have it be wrong, especially because we don't have the residential fridge and I would be guessing about the design. I would feel terrible if I was wrong. I just wanted to point out that reverse polarity wouldn't blow a fuse and maybe the guy you were talking too wasn't that knowledgeable.

Atom Ant - I totally understand. I am holding no one here responsible for the information that is provided here. I understand that you guys are owners just like me, admittedly you have more experience. I am the one that is responsible for doing my own homework and that is the way I look at it. It is nice to be able to pick a few brains that might know something that I don't.

I do appreciate very much the input that you all have shared but when all is said and done I need to look carefully at the system to confirm what is in-fact happening. All of the input that I have received has for the most part confirmed that I am most likely OK. Just sweating something that is not an issue.

Please rest assured I am proceeding with extreme caution and if I hit something that does not look right to me I will simply leave it alone and let an RV dealer handle it. I am a cautious kind of person and when it is to much for my pea sized brain, I won't mess with. No since getting knocked in the dirt.

Also I will be trying to find a good tech support person to talk with at Redwood to finalize anything I might do. If you know of anyone at Crossroads/Redwood Tech support that would be good to talk to please pass the name along. It always helps to have a specific person to talk to, plus you guys have had more experience dealing with the folks at RW.

Thanks again for you help and concern. Very much appreciated my friend...

Bob

P.S. You guys have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable.. Thumbs Up!!!

[Rhilton284]

HI Everyone,

I said I would report back when I found out what is going on with my battery hookup on my RW 38RE with the residential refrig. Well here it is, I have 2 batteries, (Labeled D29HM), in the electrical compartment wired parallel and 1 battery, (D27DC), in the basement that is separate from the other batteries. I can't tell what runs what but I may talk to Redwood/Crossroads for help here.

All 3 have been on the Battery Tenders since yesterday afternoon with no visible sign of a charge yet. I will be giving it some time to make sure they are not taking a charge. Yes I have the feeling they are toast....

Bob

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Rhilton284

HI Everyone,

I said I would report back when I found out what is going on with my battery hookup on my RW 38RE with the residential refrig. Well here it is, I have 2 batteries, (Labeled D29HM), in the electrical compartment wired parallel and 1 battery, (D27DC), in the basement that is separate from the other batteries. I can't tell what runs what but I may talk to Redwood/Crossroads for help here.

All 3 have been on the Battery Tenders since yesterday afternoon with no visible sign of a charge yet. I will be giving it some time to make sure they are not taking a charge. Yes I have the feeling they are toast....

Bob

A battery tender might not have enough power to charge the 3 batteries at the same time. You might need something with more power to complete this job.

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

A battery tender might not have enough power to charge the 3 batteries at the same time. You might need something with more power to complete this job.

I have 1 each Battery Tender Plus per battery for a total of 3 Battery Tender Pluses.

Do you think that will charge them?

[Dave&Ginny]

I don't know how much power a battery tender produces but I thought they were intended to maintain a battery with very low amps. Charging a dead battery should be around 14 volts.

[piper guy]

At this point, the only sure way is going to be to take the batteries out of the coach, try charging them with a good commercial charger, and then have them load tested. If they are stone dead and have been for a while, they're probably done for.
The two batteries up front are the coach batteries, the third one in the basement is for the Residential Fridge and the inverter for the fridge.

If you are planning on traveling, if you need to replace the batteries, I would spend the $$ and get the biggest ones that will fit in the boxes. I changed mine to Group 31 Deep Cycle Marine batteries. Just barely fit in the boxes but a lot more reserve amps capacity. Unfortunately also a lot more $$$. Lol

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

I don't know how much power a battery tender produces but I thought they were intended to maintain a battery with very low amps. Charging a dead battery should be around 14 volts.

The Battery Tender Plus will charge them but I calculate that it will take 100 hours for the each battery. So you are correct. I need to have them fully charged at the local auto store and basically keep them maintain over the winter with the Battery Tenders if they are any good tot start with.

The local Advance Auto Parts store can only charge one battery at a time. Will that be a problem with unequal charges?

[Rhilton284]

Originally Posted by piper guy

At this point, the only sure way is going to be to take the batteries out of the coach, try charging them with a good commercial charger, and then have them load tested. If they are stone dead and have been for a while, they're probably done for.
The two batteries up front are the coach batteries, the third one in the basement is for the Residential Fridge and the inverter for the fridge.

If you are planning on traveling, if you need to replace the batteries, I would spend the $$ and get the biggest ones that will fit in the boxes. I changed mine to Group 31 Deep Cycle Marine batteries. Just barely fit in the boxes but a lot more reserve amps capacity. Unfortunately also a lot more $$$. Lol

Yes you are correct. Me charging them by means of BT+ will not work. My local auto parts store can only charge one battery at a time, will that be a problem?

I am looking at the Optima D31M as a replacement. Any other battery suggestion will be appreciated......

[Dave&Ginny]

Bob,

I recommend everybody carrying with them in their RV a powerful battery charger/jumper and a heavy gauge extension cord.

A few years ago I was at a state park and we must have been at the end of the power line on a very hot day. I didn't have the amperage needed for the Redwood and the batteries were going dead. There was enough amperage though to run a battery charger so I ran a extension cord to another power panel and the charger up to the batteries. This kept everything operational

The more powerful battery chargers will also "Blast" the battery which will help with the life of the batteries. I had read where something builds up on the batteries that are maintained within the RVs and their charging system. A couple times a year, I'll hook up the charger and "Blast " my batteries.