Power issues

[cfoard]

So I had my 2018 Quantum LF31 hooked in to 110V shore power when a snow blower severed the line. Now my cab has no power and the inverter isn't turning on. I still have power to the house when its plugged in but can't turn over the engine.

Any help getting this figured out?

[JamieGeek]

Did you have your use/store switch in use while plugged in? If you didn't your batteries are dead. (The snowblower incident is probably unrelated.)

The only time you should have it in "store" is when its in storage and not plugged in.

[cfoard]

I didn't have it in store mode while it was plugged in. I had just plugged it in a couple days before while we where inside getting things organized.

[mcr1010]

Check your breakers? Cutting, shorting will trip them.
Good luck.

[cfoard]

I checked my panel and nothing was tripped. I also had it connected to shore power all night and the batteries are still dead and the inverter panel still won't come on. Are there separate breakers for the inverter that aren't in the panel?

[halfprice]

Check the fuse buses in the battery compartment

[javelin]

Hi, sounds like all your batteries are dead (chassis/engine; coach/house). If that is correct then operating the use/store switch will not operate the latching relay that typically connects the converter (power supply that is powered by either shore or generator AC power) 12vdc output to the coach batteries......and once it charges to a certain voltage another relay (called interconnect relay) closes to then also charge the chassis battery on many coaches. I don't know if your coach does this though.

I would suggest getting yourself a vehicle style battery charger and charge your chassis and coach batteries first. Some chargers will not output if the battery they are charging is totally dead (must sense some voltage or they don't turn on). The other alternative is boost start your coach or engine batteries from a vehicle. If you are not electrically inclined.....you might want to ask for assistance from someone who is, as charged batteries can do much damage if you are not careful with cables etc.

[cfoard]

Thank for all of the help, I have a battery charger on it now.

One other question, my house batteries are pretty corroded. They have corrosion on the connections and some down the straps used to hold them on the tray. This is new over the winter as I checked all of this last fall before winterizing. This is a new RV bought last Feb so the batteries are only a year old.

Thanks again for any advise, I appreciate it.

[Trkyte@msn.com]

Just to make a point,
Whether the batteries are new or old, every time you kill them they will never recharge to 100%.

[Ford1]

What Javelin said!! He's right on the mark. You should be fine after using the charger.

[javelin]

Regarding battery corrosion, it can be cleaned off with a baking soda and water mixture which neutralizes the acid (corrosion)......but.....DO NOT get any baking soda mix into your batteries. Ideally you should remove the batteries and wash them off with water and use neutralizing solution on the battery tray and battery straps. You can soak the straps in a small plastic tray and then rinse and dry. While the batteries are out, if you can pop the maintenance caps off (if equipped) make sure water levels are up above the plate tops and use only distilled water to top them up. Also do not get battery acid or corrosion on your clothes or it will look like moths have been visiting your closet.... in a few days; (skin and eye protection is a must). Also clean the battery posts with a post cleaner you can buy cheap at any automotive supplier. Clean all the battery cable terminal ends too.


By the way you may find that fairly soon after the car battery charger was applied to the coach batteries (while still in and connected to the coach)....you may be able to engage the use/store latching relay (should hear the clunk when it operates or releases) and then continue charging with the coach converter plugged into shore power. You need a cheap multimeter to ensure that the coach batteries are actually charging (13.1vdc or higher). If voltage is less than that when charging you have a problem somewhere in the coach charging circuit (latching relay open; 50 Amp resettable breaker open; 100 amp fuse near batteries open where equipped etc).

[Popfla]

Might be a silly question, but gotta ask - - After the snow blower severed the power cable, did you repair it or replace it ? If you repaired it, did you then test it to make sure power was actually flowing to the RV end ? If the cable got caught up in the blower's auger or impeller, there could have been unseen damage other than the actual break.

[cfoard]

Okay, so I was able to charge the batteries enough to get the engine started. The house batteries are reading 12.5 volts through a multimeter which is exactly what the inverter is showing on the display. I've been told and its noted above that they should be reading 14 but I don't think I ever saw my inverter display above 13.5 last year while using the RV. Have my batteries always been bad, is a reading of ~12 okay?

Thanks

[javelin]

Hi a "fully charged" wet cell battery is about 12.6 volts unloaded (no loads and not charging). When charging a wet cell battery normally you should see at least 13.1 volts or higher with your voltmeter across the batteries.

Sounds like your coach batteries are almost back.....you should be able to disconnect the car charger and disconnect the shore power and try to operate the latch relay with your use store switch. If it closes properly you should have DC lights and DC coach power now. If you don't hear the latch relay operate then you have a problem. If the latch relay closes and you don't have any DC lights of fans then you may need to find where the 50 amp resettable breaker (typical) is located and reset that. If DC coach loads start working normally then plug into shore power and check the coach battery voltage to make sure the voltage is now 13.1 or higher.