House Batteries Rapidly Draining

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Thanks for the quick responses....our inverter is a WFCO 8895, which according to many threads I’ve read, is not a very well built unit....appreciate the sharing of knowledge on this forum!!

Keith

No, your CONVERTER is a WFCO 8895. Inverters and converters are not the same thing.

In regards to replacing your rocker switch with a rotary switch:
The rocker switch is just a remote operator for a latching relay that connects/disconnects your house batteries to the DC buss. That latching relay is likely behind your breaker/converter/fuse panel so as David said; some major rewiring needs to be done to make that modification. You could just leave your latching relay latched and install a battery disconnect at the positive post of your house battery bank if that would make things easier for you.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by Ovation12s

I've had my RV plugged in to shore power at home for probably a month now. Its a Thor Quantum RC25 since our last camping trip. Everything seemed fine on that last trip while driving, and generally we're hooked up to shore power always at the camp site. I went to disconnect from power and found the house batteries were completely dead. So I used my trickle charger to charge them up. I got the RV to power up on batteries, but the battery meter was showing a sharp power drop over time with the power on. Any idea on what might be happening. When I checked the voltage on both marine batteries, one was only showing 10.8v which seemed kind low, and the other about 11.2v.

Here is what your latching relay looks like.. It is easily placed as Ted says. It is behind the power center on most coaches. Mine became intermittent last year and I replaced it.

[CHS]

When people buy units that have been sitting in the yard for a while, the batteries are recharged before the new owner picks them up. At that point they are most likely shot due to not being kept up in the first place. That happened to us. 4 months after purchase I had to buy new batteries. Yes, they were under warranty, but I wanted to get AGM (sealed) type batteries so not to have the fumes under the steps eating away at the steel. Plus the dealer is a 1890 mile round trip at 8 MPG.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by CHS

When people buy units that have been sitting in the yard for a while, the batteries are recharged before the new owner picks them up. At that point they are most likely shot due to not being kept up in the first place. That happened to us. 4 months after purchase I had to buy new batteries. Yes, they were under warranty, but I wanted to get AGM (sealed) type batteries so not to have the fumes under the steps eating away at the steel. Plus the dealer is a 1890 mile round trip at 8 MPG.

Truth. Our coach sat on a dealers lot for a full year before we bought it. We got a terrific price but all three batteries failed within the first couple of months. The two house batteries rather catastrophically on our first trip. We had to buy and self install replacements on the road. Fortunately the manufacturer sent us a check for the full cost and it was waiting for us when we got home. It was a nuisance but all’s well that ends well. I think manufacturers get blamed for using substandard batteries when really it is the dealers who don’t take care of them. It only takes a week or so of a light left on or a month of sitting to do irreparable damage.

[16ACE27]

We got lucky. During the PDI of our "used" coach 8 months out of the factory with only 2300 miles on it I went to start the generator with SP disconnected and the house batteries wouldn't even turn it over. The PDI tech didn't bat an eye and installed two brand new group 31 deep cycle batteries that are still going strong 5 years later.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

We got lucky. During the PDI of our "used" coach 8 months out of the factory with only 2300 miles on it I went to start the generator with SP disconnected and the house batteries wouldn't even turn it over. The PDI tech didn't bat an eye and installed two brand new group 31 deep cycle batteries that are still going strong 5 years later.

That’s how it should work! When mine failed on the road I first called the battery manufacturer (interstate) and they laughed out loud because they were more than a year old. Never mind that I’d only had the coach for a couple of months. Then I called the dealer and he also refused to help unless we brought it in - which at that point was about 1000 miles away. So I found a local source and replaced them myself and then called the coach manufacturer and asked for reimbursement. They agreed almost before I finished asking - although I got the impression that they might be holding the dealer accountable. All told it only took a couple of hours and wasn’t a very big deal.