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My wife’s daughter has a 2005 Forest River Sandpiper fiver. It has been connected to shore power for approximately 2 weeks. Battery is a Marine Everstart 12V that was new when she bought it about 1 month ago. Yesterday I discovered it was boiling over so I disconnected it, but unsure of how to fix the problem or what steps to take to resolve the issue. Thanks in advance for any help.
Jerry
The trailers converter maybe malfunctioning and stuck in bulk charge mode.
Most have a 3 stage converter to charge the battery with Bulk , Absorption and Float mode with voltages of 14.4 13.8 and 13.2.
Once the battery is fully charged it should be in float mode and be at 13.2v just to maintain the battery
If the converter is bad it may be stuck in a higher mode and over charging the battery making it boil over.
I’m just offering a guess, as in 2005 rig who knows what may have been modified. 😉
Hi Jerry, like Ray said, I bet it’s your converter is stuck in bulk charge mode. I had that happen to us with our 1989 Terry Resort TT. I cooked two batteries before I figured out what was going on. Make sure to check the water level on the batteries and fill if needed with distilled water.
Happy Trails!!!
Jerry also check your voltage with the converter running, this may give you a idea of whats going on. If the batteries are full and its still charging 14.4 or so then you found the problem.
Happy Trails!!!
Hi, first take the battery to a auto parts store, they will check it for free.
But, the converter/power box (where all the fuses are) inside the trailer has a built in charger, what you are describing is a failure of the charger to step down. The trailer is 10 – 11 yrs old, so it may have broken (stuck in high charge) or it is not a “smart charger”.
A smart charger has 3 or more levels of charge rate and off. Some companies built trailers without a proper smart charger, and sometimes they just quit. I think you have 2 choices,
1) Replace the unit like this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrj7mGp-n7g
2) Disconnect the actual charging part and go to auto parts store and buy a smart charger and connect it directly to the battery. But you will need an outlet to plug it in.
hope this helps! :exclaim:
Thanks for the advice. Most likely I will replace the converter/charger. Sounds like the smart thing to do. When that time comes I’ll probably be asking for help on how to do that lol.
Jerry,
Before replacing that charger, Check the battery, 12 volt batteries only last 3-4 years. I’ll bet it’s the battery. If you replace the convertor and the battery is actually bad you will damage the new convertor. Easy way to test the battery, just turn on all the ceiling lights and notice how bright they are, then unplug the trailer. The lights should stay nice and bright for at least 1 hour. A bad battery will drop off quickly in about 15 minutes. You can confirm it when you take it to the battery store, they can test it for you.
RvMajorMudd
After owning 3 RV’s I’ve finally figured out that the Converter/Charger they put in RV’s from the factory are for the most part JUNK! The absolute best advice I can give anyone is to upgrade the Converter to a (American made) Inverter/charger. I just put a Magnum Energy (USA) (http://goo.gl/fOjiqR) in my camper and you’ll be amazed how much better the batteries get charged. I also wired in all the AC outlets and the fridge AC (So i can run the fridge on AC/DC while driving down the road to eliminate an open flame) into the Inverter so when I want I can run any plug off the batteries rather than depending on shore power.
Batteries should never be pushed below 50% of capacity. You shorten the life of the battery significantly. Also, those Converters they put in from the factory don’t charge the batteries properly. Call the manufacturer of your batteries and request what they recommend for charging their batteries. Most batteries require 14.8 Â to 15.5 Volts for bulk, 14.8 Absorption & 13.2 for Float.
Most factory Converters won’t charge (Bulk) that high. The end result is that the battery never actually get fully charged. You think it is because you flip the switch on the panel and the green light lights up. Well, keep in mind that that switch is reading voltage from wires away from the battery and is VERY inaccurate. In fact, most RV’s are running around with batteries that are only 60-70% of capacity. And then are pushed way below that 50% drop dead level every time. That is why most RV batteries only last 1-2 year at best. If you properly charge and maintain your batteries you should get at least 8-10 years out of them.
Good advice Dave. My solar controller does so much of a better job charging up the batteries than the OEM converter. The cheap converter is way too far away and they used undersized wires. I plan to add a premium charger right next to the batteries for when we are boondocking and to cloudy for solar and charging off the generator.
[quote quote=14035]After owning 3 RV’s I’ve finally figured out that the Converter/Charger they put in RV’s from the factory are for the most part JUNK! The absolute best advice I can give anyone is to upgrade the Converter to a (American made) Inverter/charger. I just put a Magnum Energy (USA) (http://goo.gl/fOjiqR) in my camper and you’ll be amazed how much better the batteries get charged. I also wired in all the AC outlets and the fridge AC (So i can run the fridge on AC/DC while driving down the road to eliminate an open flame) into the Inverter so when I want I can run any plug off the batteries rather than depending on shore power. Batteries should never be pushed below 50% of capacity. You shorten the life of the battery significantly. Also, those Converters they put in from the factory don’t charge the batteries properly. Call the manufacturer of your batteries and request what they recommend for charging their batteries. Most batteries require 14.8 to 15.5 Volts for bulk, 14.8 Absorption & 13.2 for Float. Most factory Converters won’t charge (Bulk) that high. The end result is that the battery never actually get fully charged. You think it is because you flip the switch on the panel and the green light lights up. Well, keep in mind that that switch is reading voltage from wires away from the battery and is VERY inaccurate. In fact, most RV’s are running around with batteries that are only 60-70% of capacity. And then are pushed way below that 50% drop dead level every time. That is why most RV batteries only last 1-2 year at best. If you properly charge and maintain your batteries you should get at least 8-10 years out of them. [/quote]
Ah…. be careful what you read on the internet. A lot of bad generalizations can lead to bad advice. Yes, some OEM convertors are junk, Your better RV’s may have Progressive Dynamics convertors with the smart charger controller that does an excellent job of charging and has a great feature for boost charging off a generator. But remember charging a battery by running a generator for 1-2 hours does very little. Batteries love to recharge the same rate that they discharge. Deep cycle batteries recharge over 24 hours. That’s why people think their batteries go bad. Please don’t use the charging voltages listed above, they are for a specific battery. RV boondockers should be using 6 volt batteries, there is no substitute, and Solar panels are fantastic repeat fantastic to recharge the batteries, nice slow charge over the entire day rather than wastefully running a generator for 2 hours.
Invertors are a great idea and Magnum makes a nice one and Dave you did Great by installing that one. Don’t waste the money on a true sine wave invertor, modified sine wave is perfect for anything you are running in an RV (I know a bunch of people will have a hard time with that fact) I would suggest only using Magnum or Xantrax invertors, don’t use the cheap one, You get what you pay for.
I disagree with running your refrigerator on AC/DC while driving, It is perfectly safe to use your propane while driving, also your charge rate from the truck will never keep the batteries up if the invertor is running the AC heating element, just do the math
Also batteries will never last 10 years, just plain never. expected life span of 12 volt lead acid deep cycle is 3-4 and 6 volt lead acid is 6-8 years when properly maintained. AGM’s are great for not adding water but don’t last longer than Lead acid, been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
RVMajorMudd
RVDA-RVIA Master Cert.
I’m sure our 2001 Holiday Rambler could use a charging update, but my question is, just exactly how do you tie into the existing system with a new converter?
That’s a hard question to addressed. Each RV is different. And depending on what inverter you go with. Mine is hard wired, but a lot if them have outlets That you plug into. Your breaker box has two sides, one is AC (breakers) and the other should be DC (auto type fuse). Attached is a rough sketch of how I did mine.
As for Dave, I clearly said to call the manufacturer of your batteries to get the charge rate THEY recommend. I didn’t give the spec’s as gospel for everyone. I think most readers can take what I said and apply what they can to their needs. It’s some generalization and I’m sure that anyone reading it can figure that out.
As for the fridge, it is fine to do on shorter trips and yes it is safer. Why do you think California won’t allow RV’s to drive down the road with an open flame. Can you drive with and open flame? Have I done it 95% of the time…….yes. But most of the time we camp relatively close so it isn’t an issue.
I’m sure the more expensive manufacturers put in Converters that are better, however most people can’t afford those huge coaches that cost more than my house. Besides, I’m sure anyone reading this post in search of help regarding their charging issues is probably in the majority and has a converter that is junk.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by
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This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by
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This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by
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Hey Ray, my wife came through and got me two 100 watt panels for me for my B-day (http://goo.gl/vyfL4K). I have a few questions for you. 1. On you guide when you installed your solar panels you link the some Z-brackets on Amazon. They offer 3 sizes and I’m not sure what size to get. 2. you said you pre-drilled into the roof. What size pilot hole did you drill?
Thanks
Dave
Before condemning the converter, go through the wiring carefully. Often on older units, corrosion has occurred on key points in the system, so check converter output at the converter vs voltage at the battery. If there is any difference, you have a wiring problem a new converter isn’t going to fix.
General rule of thumb for deep cycle batteries, maximum charge rate shouldn’t exceed 10% of your amp hour rating, ie 230 amp hour battery bank = 23 amps max charge rate. Putting to small a battery on a large output converter is a recipe for short battery life. Deep cycle batteries are designed to discharge slowly, and have to be recharged slowly as well.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by
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