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Old 01-16-2019, 10:34 PM   #1
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THOR #14070
Everything Is Dead

Ugh. New coach. Got it home from the dealer and plugged it in. It’s been on my driveway for three weeks; haven’t had a chance to take it out. Figured I’d fire up the gen to keep things working. Turns out everything is dead.

While plugged in the batteries show “100%” on the panel. When I unplug, the panel goes dead and all house stuff is gone. House batteries are now at 3.5v. Trash.

Where do I start to look to see why the system is not maintaining the house batteries while it’s plugged in?

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Old 01-16-2019, 10:36 PM   #2
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Need to switch the use/store switch to use. Especially when plugged in leave it in use.

Only put in store when you're storing it without it plugged in.
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:38 PM   #3
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When plugged in or on gen power you need to have your use store switch on use for it to charge batteries

Now if the switch was in the use position then i cant help you

Also check the water level in your batteries. Mine were very low when i got my mh

Jerry
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:38 PM   #4
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what year/make/brand/model/number coach do you have??
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:52 PM   #5
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When you are plugged in, dc volts come from converter or inverter charger. And you have power..
However if use/store switch is off the batteries are not connected to the coach or charger and discharge.
If they are down that low, check water levels and charge with a battery charger. Not good to discharge batteries below 50% or 12.2 volts.
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by motofabio View Post
Ugh. New coach. Got it home from the dealer and plugged it in. It’s been on my driveway for three weeks; haven’t had a chance to take it out. Figured I’d fire up the gen to keep things working. Turns out everything is dead.

While plugged in the batteries show “100%” on the panel. When I unplug, the panel goes dead and all house stuff is gone. House batteries are now at 3.5v. Trash.

Where do I start to look to see why the system is not maintaining the house batteries while it’s plugged in?
When plugged in you are reading the output of the converter, not your batteries. Charge your batteries plug in the coach, switch your USE/STORE switch to USE, Turn on your house lights, unplug the coach and verify your house lights still work.

Plug the coach back in with the USE/STORE switch in USE to keep the batteries charged.
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:54 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by halfprice View Post
When plugged in or on gen power you need to have your use store switch on use for it to charge batteries

Now if the switch was in the use position then i cant help you

Also check the water level in your batteries. Mine were very low when i got my mh

Jerry
Yeah, mine too. Very much a learning experiance about changing the batteries, cleaning the compartment, tying them back down making sure of which cable goes where. Cost and weight of each battery was high too.
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Old 01-16-2019, 11:37 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Need to switch the use/store switch to use. Especially when plugged in leave it in use.

Only put in store when you're storing it without it plugged in.
Yup!
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Old 01-17-2019, 01:36 AM   #9
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THOR #14070
Everything Is Dead

2019 ACE 30.2

I thought that was the MAIN POWER switch near the steps with the red light. Is that not it? If it’s not it, where is this Use/Store switch?!
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Old 01-17-2019, 01:52 AM   #10
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This is that I have at the steps. The main power light stays on when plugged into shore power regardless of the switch.

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There’s this one by the batteries...

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...and this one in under the hood...

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Old 01-17-2019, 02:03 AM   #11
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First go look under the bed for the power center and verify the main circuit breakers are on - 50 amp if you have two A/Cs and 30 amps if you have one A/C. Next verify the charger's 15 amp circuit breaker is on. If you are plugged in, you should have interior lights. If not you have a bad power cord, bad transfer switch or bad house plug. What they are referring to as the salesmanr switch is labeled in the "STORE" in the bottom momentary position and "USE" in the momentary top position in the 2011-2018 coaches. The main power switch simply removes battery power from the 12 volt fuses and does not let converter power charge the batteries in the store position. It does not keep the converter from supplying all the 12 volt power needed to operate the coach's entire 12 volt electrical system. Now if all goes dead when you remove the shore line, then the latching relay next to the power center under the bed is not working (improperly hooked-up or it has failed)
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Old 01-17-2019, 02:26 AM   #12
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Here’s my Power Control Center. All looks good.

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I have this bank of fuses next to it, it doesn’t appear that any of these would be the issue.

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Old 01-17-2019, 02:29 AM   #13
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The battery check on the panel goes 4/4 because I’m plugged in. When I unplug, literally the entire coach dies. No LED readings on the panel, no interior lights, nothing.

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Old 01-17-2019, 02:32 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Beau388 View Post
Now if all goes dead when you remove the shore line, then the latching relay next to the power center under the bed is not working (improperly hooked-up or it has failed)

I suppose I’ll have to tear the bed apart in the morning. If anyone has a photo of this relay, that’d be a big help. Also, is there any way to test this relay?
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Old 01-17-2019, 02:47 AM   #15
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[QUOTE=motofabio;162933]This is that I have at the steps. The main power light stays on when plugged into shore power regardless of the switch.

The switch with the light is the Use/Store switch and it will always be illuminated when plugged into shore power, unplug shore power and then hit the switch, if you have any battery power at all the switch will turn on when in use and turn off when in store mode.
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Old 01-17-2019, 03:17 AM   #16
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Well lots of good info flying at you on this one. Tfryman's post was a concise route to getting you back in business assuming your coach (house) batteries are not damaged and will take a proper full charge. There are many battery control systems out there, but I "believe" that if the coach (house) batteries are dead you will have issues operating the latching relay (the relay that connects your converter (battery charger) output to the coach batteries to allow them to be charged normally). So if you have a standalone 12VDC battery charger......use it to fully charge the coach batteries first then remove that charger and operate the use store switch (the red light switch - one by your door). You should hear a clunk as the latching relay operates. Follow Tfryman's posting.....it should work for you.
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Old 01-17-2019, 03:46 AM   #17
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the exact thing happened to me in my brand new coach
the batteries worked when plugged-in, but went to 0 when shore power or genny was off

then someone on this site said "have you checked the battery water levels?"
so i checked the battery water levels, only to find that they were dry-dry-dry.

i then purchased two new COSTCO Interstate Deep Cycle flooded batteries ($75 each), topped off with water and they have been great for the past 6 months.
i now check the levels frequently as i'm usually always plugged into shore power

keep your COSTCO receipt close by
if the batteriaes begin to fail on you, just return within 36 months for free replacement.
no questions asked at COSTCO (vs the dealers and auto shops that try to convince you that there's nothing wrong or it's your fault)
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Old 01-17-2019, 01:11 PM   #18
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Batteries

The batteries in my new 2018 Thor Compass 23 TB area already toast. I checked the water level and topped up , took them out and put them on a professional charger and will not hold a charge, the voltage was also showing under 10, so will replace with Costco batteries in the spring and see if Thor will compensate me for the new ones. The batteries have no label on them so cannot determine who make them other than Thor says they are made by World Wide Batteries and their warranty is 13 months from date of manufacture but cannot find anything on the batteries to show that. Anyone else out there with the same problem. The units sit on a dealers lot not being charged and run down so the batteries fail.
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Old 01-17-2019, 01:57 PM   #19
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some notes:

- the red light at the switch indicates that you have 'shore power', which will flow thru your Converter and to your 12v lights, fans, etc, and will also power the Main panel for your 120v outlets, air conditioners, and water heater, etc., as well as your Converter, which houses an internal battery CHARGER.
Unless your coach is really being 'stored' without external power, I would ALWAYS leave this switch 'ON', so that charging power can pass thru to the batteries - which may be why you are not seeing the batteries being charged, even though the 'readout panel' may be saying otherwise.

it's also quite possible that your converter's internal Charger is not working - a possible quick check is to pull off the Main panel's cover(4 screws), and while you are UNPLUGGED from shore power, check the tightness of the bottom of each BREAKER - these wires sometimes move after initial factory installation, or may have never been tightened correctly.

- your have a 50amp coach, because you have TWO roof air conditioners, though probably an 'rv' fridge, which is why you don't also have an Inverter, since residential fridges work on 120v power.
While your 50amp double-pole breaker is all the way to the left of your panel, it's two 'hot legs' of power, with 50amps each, serve every other set of tandem breakers.
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Old 01-17-2019, 02:45 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by motofabio View Post
This is that I have at the steps. The main power light stays on when plugged into shore power regardless of the switch.

Attachment 15172

There’s this one by the batteries...

Attachment 15173

...and this one in under the hood...

Attachment 15174
Leave it to Thor to take an already confusing issue (USE/STORE) switch and make it more confusing in the class Cs with the MAIN POWER switch/light, and then move it to the class As as well.

That is not "MAIN POWER". It simply connects/disconnects your house batteries to the 12 VDC buss.
The light just indicates there is power on the 12 VDC buss; the light doesn't care if the 12 VDC is coming from the converter or the house batteries - same with your STATUS CENTER battery button. That's why you will always get 4 lights when plugged in.

The bottom 2 pictures show breakers, not switches. If no flag is showing they should be closed and good (no reset required).

Follow my previous post; I say charge your batteries first because they may not have enough voltage to "turn on" your MAIN POWER switch if they are completely dead. Your converter is working as demonstrated by the 4 lights when testing your battery on SP, but it may not be able to charge a completely dead battery even if you did get the MAIN POWER turned on before charging the house batteries.
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