2 Dead Relion's - Here's how that happens

[Wes847]

Sell the RV now.

Half of RV ownership is fixing things and modding things to make it better.

Most dead house battery stories are due to operator error.

What Year/Make/Model RV do you have? My crystal ball is kinda cloudy.

Is it? So it's normal to be constantly fixing things on a brand new RV. I get modding, but not fixing. Sorry but I'm going to disagree with you there.

I can guarantee it's not user error. Just because I don't want to DIY fix manufacturer's errors and corner cutting does not make me an idiot. As a motorhome and yacht owner for 15+ years I know how things work and how to properly use and maintain these machines.

If you look at the original thread started by Ron and his previous posts, we're talking about the same system. My unit is a 2023 Thor Tellaro 20J with the relion batteries and Balmar regulating system.

The alternator for the house batteries has already burnt up once within a few months off the lot and had to be replaced. Now after a few weeks after it was replaced, I'm experiencing these issues with normal use. It's frustrating to say the least.

If you want to help, great, but there's no need to be condescending here.

 

[16ACE27]

Is it? So it's normal to be constantly fixing things on a brand new RV. I get modding, but not fixing. Sorry but I'm going to disagree with you there.

I can guarantee it's not user error. Just because I don't want to DIY fix manufacturer's errors and corner cutting does not make me an idiot. As a motorhome and yacht owner for 15+ years I know how things work and how to properly use and maintain these machines.

If you look at the original thread started by Ron and his previous posts, we're talking about the same system. My unit is a 2023 Thor Tellaro 20J with the relion batteries and Balmar regulating system.

The alternator for the house batteries has already burnt up once within a few months off the lot and had to be replaced. Now after a few weeks after it was replaced, I'm experiencing these issues with normal use. It's frustrating to say the least.

If you want to help, great, but there's no need to be condescending here.

You are free to disagree, but if you researched the RV industry before purchase you would have known the state of poor craftsmanship and QA/QC across the board. The RV industry has never been at the same state as the auto industry, fixing things on a brand new RV has been a thing for decades.

And yes, there are dozens of threads on this and many other RV Forums about RVs with dead batteries due to operator error. Heck, the RV salesman can't even get it right. So although your "dead battery" issue may not fall into this category, it is still an RV fact.

Decide what you want to do with your RV and if you decide to fix some things yourself there are many people here with experience in your, and similar model RVs, that will be more than happy to answer your questions and assist you.

 

[fourthgear]

Since TMC owns most of the RV manufacturers , it will be hard to find an RV that is not made with some poor QC , there always seems to be something . You will also have a hard time finding a RV dealer who has competent staff to trouble shoot the LI battery systems .

I was told when I went to pick up my 2022 Sanctuary , I asked about the system & they said "your on your own , no one knows anything about them ", quite the statement from a dealer selling many of these units & not inspiring the new owners . What's my fault is , they could not get SP or any 120vac when we were doing the walk through & they had to drive it to my house the next day , it was an Oman , I wished I would have settled it then !

I have since been glad I don't have a Genset , one less engine to maintain , even with the issues I had the first two years of LI system & I am really happy with he Sanctuary , the system is all inside . The only reason I can think of of why the Buss bars are outside under the Van is , in case of electrical fire , better to melt or catch on fire out side the Van . If you have ever seen a 12VDC wire burn , it kinda makes sense .

My system has been working great since I replaced the Inverter (Xantrex )myself ,over a year ago ,because I could not get any help from MV or the dealer who admitted they know nothing about them. My wife has even started talking about going on the road again after the issues with the Inverter, two years with ruined camping or road trips with the MV & worthless dealer.

 

[Wes847]

Fair enough. I suppose I just have a more complicated and expensive toy/project on my hands than my 2007 Thor Outlaw that gave me the same amount of headaches at a third of the price

Status update: I brought it to an approved dealer and sure enough, both ReLion batteries are cooked. They haven't said what the cause could be and have only offered to replace them for just north of $1,800. I'm still trying to find out if the batteries are covered under warranty (it looks like ReLion covers a minimum of 3 years on their batteries here: https://www.relionbattery.com/resource-center/warranty). Thor was kind enough to provide their number and basically just wished me luck lol.

My main concern is preventing this from happening again in the near future. I'm trying my best to encourage the dealer to find the root cause of the issue and provide additional preventative measures.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Fair enough. I suppose I just have a more complicated and expensive toy/project on my hands than my 2007 Thor Outlaw that gave me the same amount of headaches at a third of the price

Status update: I brought it to an approved dealer and sure enough, both ReLion batteries are cooked. They haven't said what the cause could be and have only offered to replace them for just north of $1,800. I'm still trying to find out if the batteries are covered under warranty (it looks like ReLion covers a minimum of 3 years on their batteries here: https://www.relionbattery.com/resource-center/warranty). Thor was kind enough to provide their number and basically just wished me luck lol.

My main concern is preventing this from happening again in the near future. I'm trying my best to encourage the dealer to find the root cause of the issue and provide additional preventative measures.

Well there's your answer. Skip the dealer and use your expertise from working on older RVs to correct the flaws in the DC system.

Buy new batteries yourself... there's excellent ones at 1/3 the price. Research the DC charging setup and rewire/replace components as needed. Document your progress and you'll have your own reference manual for future use.

I'm an old fart... I completely revamped the DC side of our class C. Solar, lithium, inverter/charger, cabling... FAR cheaper than any semi-competent dealer, and I KNOW it works.

 

[Mark54]

Yep...very similar situation. I saw one of your posts, refugee from the catty FB group...me too. I found a couple of good ideas, and a ton of noise over there.

I almost was willing to wait for the LiTime group 24's with Bluetooth, they have been announced but are not shipping. I know I can jam 4 of those in, 2 under passenger headrest (after rat nest of wiring cleaned up), and another 2 on a shelf over the inverter on the drivers side and keep consistent length runs.

I heard that the Epoch's 200 or 300's fit in the carriers under the coach, they are pretty pricey and take forever to get.

Yeah, I have a 60x32 Morton building, just wish it had a 10 or 12ft door.

The breakers are a must, pulling fuses, un-hooking wires to safely work on stuff is nuts. I couldn't believe there were no breakers or fuses from the solar to the controller...breaker fixed that. I put a breaker on batt 1 output and another on batt 2 output (coach and chassis). I also just bit the bullet and cut a 1ftx1ft hole in wall with the ladder (black plexiglass covers the hole). It is so much easier with that access hole to get at the solar controller and the BMPro controller. Solves tons of issues.

Yeah, at 67 (still working) I'm starting to want more travel and experience time vs. projects. EE/Comp Sci by education, spent first 10years designing machine tool controls, last 40 or so in software engineering and IT. While I love this stuff, I'd rather not have to deal with it, I just want it to work consistently.

Once I get past the battery issue, hopefully tonight (waiting for everything to balance), I have a new toy (just arrived, still in the box) to share with all you Class B owners.

Keep cool ideas coming...I have a busy week, but definitely would find it fun to share stories.

Ron

You have a 2023 and I have a 2022 20L. Almost identical. Two other 20L owners in Michigan too I converse with. I still have Rialta friends too...
Solar without switches or way to turn off was solved this way- I made a 'door' for the water tank drain, and carries all I need to monitor- added two breaker switches to the solar battery/PV B+ lines. The MPPT controller also added. Not hard to do.
PM me thru 'conversation' to get my email and I can send you details on how I did that. Pics show most of it.