Search the Community

Hello All Interested Folks, I'm implementing a Solar system on a MCI coach. This conversion was implemented in 2000 with a Trace/Xantrex SW4024MC2. The chassis/engine batteries are 2 standard 12V 8Ds, and the House batteries are 2 standard 12V AGMs GPL8DL, rated at 255 AmpHrs each. The chassis/engine batteries are supported by the standard MCI battery charger and the house batteries are charged through the Trace. Additionally the coach has an on-board PowerTech 20KW generator. The solar system objectives are to substantially reduce the generator use and increase boondockinig possibilities. We are planning a X-country trip in Feb 2025. I've done a power consumption assessment and have summertime usage of about 45K watts or 3.8K AmpHrs. The roof A/C units are ~85% of this total. My current forecast is for 4-6 600+watt roof solar panels and a battery upgrade to 4 AGMs at the 255+ AmpHr rating. What can folks recommended here for the 2 system components, solar panels and house batteries? Also, the Trace/Xantrex SW4024MC2 is original, and while operating well, I'm considering replacing it with a comparable Xantrex unit. There are complications to this upgrade, wiring to a new driver's control panel, PowerTech generator integration/linkage, etc. I'm interested in folks perspective on replacing the inverter and working through the complications, value and worth the effort? And, what might I be missing here that might cause added implementation/operating complications/disruptions? Thank you for your help and interest. --- Jon

I have a 2015 Fleetwood Excursion, I am needing to swap out my house batteries that are standard 6V 215 AH and would like to go to replace with AGM type of batteries. Any issues that I should be aware of?

recently had some problems with my house batteries discharging too quiclky. i took both to my local parts store and one tested fine, but the other tested bad. should i replace both or just the bad one? they both are not too old, with a sticker from 2019. if it matters, this is a 2003 Dolphin on the Workhorse chassis. thanks, chris g.

I have a good set of 4 house batteries all AGM 6volt style. I have been offered a set of good 6Volt Wet cell batteries and I am not sure if my charger can handle mixing batteries.. Can I mix them on the same bank?

Hello, I recently purchased a 1992 Trek Safari Pathmaker. I was able to drive from the seller to home but the next morning she would not start. Called AAA and they jumped her and she drove great, today she won’t start. What am I doing wrong and why are my batteries draining. Batteries are new. She has Isuzu 4BD2-TC intercool engine, a HF12-1200U heart interface inverter with a power switch (automatic transfer switch), a generac np-52G generator and I think that’s it. I am sorry if my specs and/or questions are something I should know but I have no clue what I’m doing and I think my head might explode at this point. I have an appointment at 3:00 tomorrow 5/25/2020 to have an estimate on roof replacement and paint and I’m not sure I can get her started. Thank you, Myf

Inverter charger has 120v power in, no charger power for batteries, no ac power out on 1 and 2. How can we tell if we need a new inverter or batteries?

We have a 1997 Coachmen Mirada with a Renogy solar panel kit with the following: 2 - 100 watt PV panels, 1 - 40ARover MPPT charge controller, and 2- 12v 100Ah deep cycle pure gel batteries. Both the panels and the batteries are wired in parallel to maintain the 12v voltage, but increase the Ah capacity. The panels are charging the battery bank, but I cannot my interior lights, fans, etc. to run off of the battery bank when I am not connected to shore power or when the engine is not running (or the key is not in the run position). I have an Intellitec dual battery disconnect switch that appears to work, but only when the RV engine is running (or when the key is in the run position). See pic below. > ignition key in run position or engine on: red LED light of the battery disconnect switch will turn on, the house lights and fans work, and all is well with the world. When I push the COACH rocker switch to "STORE", then I hear the battery disconnect motor make a soft noise for a second and then the red LED light goes off, and the house lights and fan go off as well. When I push it back to "use", the red LED comes back on and the house lights, etc. work. Nothing happens when I press the CHASSIS rocker switch to "STORE": I do not hear the soft noise made by the disconnect motor and the CHASSIS red LED light always remains on. > ignition key not in run position: Chassis red LED light is on, but nothing happens when I press the COACH rock to "USE" position. The house lights and fans will not work. In what may or may not be a related problem, the Onan 4000 generator will not start unless the RV engine is running or the ignition key is in the run position. Once the generator is running, it will stop running when the ignition key is moved from the run position. Any help would be appreciated. Ken O'Brien

In the 2001 movie, Rat Race, Kathy Bates tries to sell a squirrel to Whoopi Goldberg and her daughter. They defer but ask Kathy Bates for directions. Being a race, they are traveling at breakneck speed down one road after another following the directions. Finally at one point, hurtling down a gravel road with dust billowing behind they pass a sign: "You Should Have Bought a Squirrel." That is followed by a scene of them going over a cliff, landing on a pile of rusted and wrecked cars. It is one of our favorite moments in a favorite movie. It is also a quote we use frequently as we travel, not only on the road but through life. One or the other of us will turn to the other and say, "We should have bought a squirrel." Our travels this spring have brought back that saying frequently. It starts with a problem that I've been trying to get fixed all winter. Repeated visits to repair shops still yields no solution. We have no taillights. The turn signals and brake lights work. The emergency flashers work. We still have no taillights. So we are restricting our travel to daylight only. For the most part, that isn't a problem since I have avoided night travel for the last several years. Given that condition, we departed early on the morning of April 18 to attend the Lone Star Chapter of FMCA rally in Johnson City, TX. Arriving there just after noon, we parked. I went to step out of the coach and found that the electric step hadn't opened fully. After stepping out of the coach carefully, I examined the step to find that a link from the motor to the step was missing. Not broken, it was gone! I carry a separate step for those days when the front of the coach is raised well above the ground. So we used that step for the rally. I used zip ties to fasten the disabled step in the retracted position for travel to our next destination, Austin. Monday I had an appointment to get two new Michelin tires mounted on the coach. I have adopted the practice of replacing the front tires every two years and then moving the used front tires to the rear, both tires replace the oldest pair of rear dual tires. In this case, the coach wasn't in a shop, the work was done outside the shop so I had complete access to the coach and could talk with the workers. An aside, I have yet to find a tire tech who knows how to properly torque a lug nut. As they were mounting the tires on the rims, I inspected the brake rotors and gave the underside of the front of the coach a good looking-over. Peering into the area behind the drivers-side tire I noticed something strange. There was a large object dangling there in the center of the coach. I recognized this as the supplementary air compressor which is part of the HWH air leveling system. It maintains our level position when we are parked and it was still working. The pump and it's mounting plate weighed at least 30 pounds and they were hanging by the air hoses (2) and the electrical supply and control wires. Had this dropped off en-route, who knows what would have been destroyed in the process. After bouncing along under the coach, it would have encountered our GMC Acadia! I considered myself very lucky, fortunate to have found this dangerous condition. I found a large C-clamp in my tools and was able to clamp the remaining mounting plate to the frame. I've added a second clamp to help secure the assembly just to be sure. I have an appointment at the factory service center to get this properly remounted but we will travel at least 1500 miles before that happens. I'm not going to turn over welding on the frame to just anyone. What had happened to the original mounting plate? It had cracked, all the way across a 3/8" steel plate that was about 10" wide. Apparently 170,000 miles of highway travel had vibrated it to the point that it broke! The piece that was welded to the frame is still there and it matches the piece that broke off. Metal fatigue had nearly done us in. I ordered a rebuild kit for the Kwikee Step, new motor, linkage, control center, it was all different since our step was new. I was able to successfully install that at home before we left for the summer on May 5. Our second day out we stopped at an RV park in eastern Louisiana. The next morning, Louise cranked the engine to air up in preparation for bringing our slides in before departure. She turned the key, the engine answered, "Uggg." I stopped my disconnecting process to go inside and jump the engine battery with the house batteries. Successful, I went back outside to finish getting us road ready. Before leaving we decided to run the generator but the house batteries didn't have the umph to crank the generator! So with the engine now running I jumped the house batteries with the engine battery. The generator started. Now with everything running, I got on the computer and then the phone to call a RV shop along our route. With luck, I called Billy Thibodeauxs Premier RV Inc. near Lafayette, Louisiana. Finding the shop was an adventure, if you decide to follow in our footsteps, check their website for the best route to get there. Ashley was very friendly and efficient. By the time we arrived just before noon I was informed that the batteries would be delivered to the shop by 1:30 p.m. and they would install them as soon as they arrived. Believe it or not, we were back on the road by 3:00 p.m., $1900 lighter but with good batteries. Leaving I-10 for I-59, we left the heavy traffic behind and pulled into a truck parking area just before sunset (remember our coach turns to a pumpkin after sunset). Our final adventure for the initial trip occurred in Chattanooga, TN. Passing through town on I-59/I-24 to get to I-75, we were in the center lane of rush hour traffic. Coming down a hill I applied the brakes as traffic came to a stop. The fuel in the fuel tank sloshed to the front and the engine stopped! Yes, I knew we were low on fuel, a station was just up the road on I-75 and we planned to make that stop our night stay at Walmart. I tried to restart the engine, no luck. Whoever was behind us on the right side must have realized our situation because they stopped to allow us to coast down the hill through the right hand lane to the shoulder. I came to a stop just before an overpass but on level ground. Now on the level, the engine started. I wondered how long that would last but pulled back onto the highway and we continued on. Now I stayed in the right lane. Looking for the Walmart and the accompanying Murphy station, we came up empty. It wasn't where the GPS led us. I had established several years before that Murphy isn't a subsidiary of Walmart and there are stations that are located at separate locations. It turned out the station was there but Walmart wasn't. As we passed it later, I looked and it would have been a difficult in and out for us. Passing the location, we noticed a small station on the opposite side of the street. They had diesel and at the same price as Murphy. We frequently patronize small stations but I do approach them with extreme caution. The canopy has high enough, the in and out route was do-able so we looped through a large parking lot and returned to that station. Louise got out to scout for the diesel pump as I idled on the road in position to pull up to the diesel pump wherever it was. She signaled a location and I pulled in. I put 109 gallons of diesel in a 127 gallon tank. I had to laugh when I retrieved my credit card and got the fuel receipt from the clerk in the Citgo station. We had refueled at the "Save a Ton #2" in Chattanooga! I thought, "That little station saved us a lot more than a ton!" By the way, I think I made the foreign clerk's (owner?) day when he handed me my card and receipt for $291.34. What a big smile. And no, he didn't furnish his house with my credit card. Good people are everywhere! I love it when trust is rewarded. During the winter we had the coach in the shop several times. The Aladdin system monitors our fuel very accurately but this time it was off by more than normally expected. We had run the generator quite a bit, that might account for some of the difference. So maybe I should have bought a squirrel.

I'm a newbie RV owner. I live in Ohio and we've had a bitter cold winter as you may know. Our coach is stored outside, a 2007 Beaver Contessa 400HP CAT. It has 2 12V chassis batteries (group 31 Interstate, dated 4/14) and 4 6V house batteries (Lifeline AGM's dated 6/12). The last time I tried to start it, the chassis batteries cranked but the coach did not want to start so they ran low. The house batteries were also low due to not having the residential refrigerator unplugged, thats another story. Anyway, I brought all them home to charge and they seemed to take the charge ok. I then re-installed the chassis and house batteries. I turned on the battery disconnect switch for both chassis and house. Normally when the house switch is turned I'll hear a little beep indicating there is power. This time I did not. The coach has a door handle keyless entry and with no house power, it does not work, hence I cannot get into the coach to even try to start it. Its one of the fancy door remotes that is a part of a handle that is screwed into the side of the coach to the left of the entry door. Is it possible there is a non battery issue going on? I have all 6 batteries out and being tested at a battery store just to rule out it being a battery issue. I'm not confident that it is a battery issue as the house batteries were all reading around 6.25V when I put them back in the coach. Any ideas is much appreciated as I am at a loss.

Recently someone advised me to change my tires every six years for safety.... tread looked OK, but, I changed them anyway....you don't want a blowout in a 10 foot tall Sprinter... Does anyone else follow this advice? Also, changed my vehicle starter battery and two house 6volts.. after the vehicle wouldn't start recently... Figured might as well so it doesn't fail on the road.. Had Centennial 224 deep cycle batteries installed....has anyone had positive experience with these?

After 11 years, my 4 - 6V Interstate house batteries finally died (i'm one of those strange ducks that takes care of his batteries). Found a heck of a deal on four new 12V Interstate Marine/RV deep cycles. They will fit as they are almost the same exact size as were my 6V's. I realize I can hook them in parallel and still have 12V, but will increase the amps, which is my concern. Will my Xantrex Invertor need to be reprogrammed or will it handle the amps as is? I would not even conside this, but the deal I got on the 4 Interstates was too good to pass up

My starting battery dies when the main house battery switch is on, whether on shore power or unplugged. With the switch off the start battery stays charged. All batteries charge with the engine running. All batteries are about three years old. I suspect the isolator, but cannot locate it, not sure if it even has one. On top of the start battery are two small boxes ( Hi Amp.,Buss 150 amp,. 181150F) I suspect they are circuit breakers, but have found them called isolators, circuit breakers or diodes ??? If they are circuit breakers and faulty,(open) I would have no power. ..... Where would an isolator be located? Any suggestions would be welcome.

We own a 2004 Safari Panther, a 42 footer. Overall a wonderful motorhome, but the previous owner put in a residential reefer, which, of course, will only run on 120V I have four 6V Golf cart batteries (226 Amp Hour each) and I have two 100W Solar panels on the roof. I am finding that this setup is not sufficient for any real dry camping/boon docking. Switching to the inverter will run the reefer overnight, but drains the batteries to 30% by morning. The two 100W solar panels will not re-charge the batteries during the day. I looked at adding more batteries and going up to 600W solar (the max I can add to the current system), but was told (reputable RV Solar company) that that setup will still not do what I want and will still require me to run the generator, PLUS, it is quite costly. So my other option is to replace the residential reefer with one that can run on Propane. So my question is has anyone had a similar experience and how did YOU solve it. And, does anyone have any recommendations on reefers? Thanks for your ideas/suggestions. Albert and Linda

My coach is a 2006 HR Vacationer diesel. The house batteries on board are 2 INTERSTATE GC2-XHD-UTL. My first set of batteries (same brand and model) lasted 4 years and they died suddenly while we were in Charlotte N.C. I replaced them on 7/19/2010 with the ones I have, and they are now almost 5 years old. We are planing a trip and extended trip, so I am going to replace them next week. They are not showing any indication of failure, but I don't want to have a problem during our trip. My questions is, I plan to replace them by installing 4 INTERSTATE GC2-RD-UTL from COSTCO, I have the room in my bay and they have a great price on them. The only difference that I can see on the Interstate website is as follows: GC2-XHD-UTL has CAP-20: 232.00 ReserveCapacity -25: 475.00 (The 2 I have now) GC2-RD-UTL has CAP-20: 208 ReserveCapacity-25: 415 (plan to purchase) Should I purchase the same two I have now, or get the 4 at COSTCO and have more Amp capacity? Has anyone use the COSTCO battery? They are all the same size and have the same warranty.

Well, after 3 months of owning this thing I just figured out that the after market Siemens Solar setup is not charging the house batteries. I thought it was working because the Siemens regulator panel looks like it is working. It shows battery condition and current charging status, but the brand new house batteries are not being charged by the system. In full sun it says it was charging @ 4 amps. Dumb question#1 Does the voltage from the panels go through the regulator and then right to the house batteries? Dumb question #2 Does the inverter have to be on all the time for the solar to charge the house batteries? The house batteries charge fine on shore or genet power.

After several trips of constantly turning on the generator so that the kids could watch TV or my wife could charge her laptop while driving, I finally decided to install an inverter to power the coach with the house batteries. After some research this is what I came up with: * Disclaimer - I am not a mechanical engineer. These are the rantings of an ex Master Mechanic who has spent hours doing his research. Please if you consider doing this, do your own do diligence. Pure Sign Wave Inverter There are many articles out there that detail the differences between pure sign wave and modified sign wave inverters. Simply put, pure sign wave is safer for sensitive electronics like cell phones or laptops. I chose a Samlex America SSW-2000-12A 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter for both its price and 2 year warranty and the Rep at Samlex was very helpful in answering all my questions. The Install According to everything I read it was very important to keep the inverter close to the batteries, but not exposed to the elements. My house batteries are just behind my right front tire but are not protected from the elements. So I went with the closest storage box and ran 2/0 Gauge AWG battery cables with a 300 amp inline fuse. Then I ran a 30 amp power cord to the rear storage box and connected it to a 30-Amp outlet. The final step was to install the Samlex inverter remote. That was easy enough and now the whole system works perfectly! Next up - Let's add some solar!! What do you guys think? - Ryan

In my coach I have a Magnum Energy ME2012 charger inverter with inside panel. Every so often I would glance at the readout of the panel and usually it maintained a charge of about 13.5v. I seen several charge rates but mostly at float charge. Today I saw a charge rate of 15.5v and 45 amps and the word equalization on the readout. As expected I checked the batteries and the house batteries are bubbling as they are being overcharged. I shut off the charger at the panel. I checked the owners manual and it has a one paragraph that states it is to break up deposits. I tried doing a soft factory reset to cancel as I don't like overcharging batteries but it continued when the charger is switched back on. It's still on after a couples of hours and I think way too long. I'm thinking about shutting it down overnight for it is already causing corrosion on the terminals. I don't want them to catch fire but they don't feel hot yet. Anybody else have problems like this? I have 4 6v CG2200P 220ah batteries wired to give 12v. They are only 1 1/2 years old so should not be bad. I'm thinking of doing a hard reset but that means removing all power. Setup seems correct for flooded batteries set to 400 amp hours.

I have four 6 volt AGM house batteries that are 5 years old. Recently two of the batteries in the same series line have bulged significantly and test BAD. The other two batteries in the other series line test good. Is it just bad batteries or is the charger overcharging. I have an Airpax Dimensions Inverter/Charger which has a three stage charger with the switch correctly set for battery type.

I am as lost as a "redneck dropped in the middle of China". I can tell you story why I bought an RV - but maybe later. I bought my RV -class A, gas v-10 Ford, (2) AC's and bunks for my son. One for him and the other for for all his gaming stuff. I was told what to push, when to pull, where to connect and I made a check list to do just that. NOW,,,,,,,, I felt like i was getting the hang of it when I started noticing things. If I wanted to be cool - before dropping anchor I had to kill the AC's, then the Gennie, Then connect Shore power, then I could turn the cool back on ( OR the reverse IF we were Leaving) I think an Auto changer switch for SEAMLESS power switching and to keep the cool going - IS THIS Right? I'm asking is this right here to all the pros!!!!! Second - I have Dometic RV refer. I wanted to get a residential refer in there but is that a big deal? I am handy with tools but never done this. I'v seen other folks try this online and they talk about air vent, ice maker lines, securing it so stays in place, dedicated inverters, What do I Do??????????? DO I buy new batteries or more batteries? DO I buy a pure sine wave inverter-- just for the refrigerator or if I'm buying should it be for the whole coach? I'll say I love my RV but its not a high dollar one where alot of the "bells and whistles" are already on there. It sounds like a lot of questions but if I know the first step I could then move on to the next step. Right now i have 110v outlets that don't run with out gennie or shore power, A refer I don't care for but 50f coke is better than 85f coke. I don't have enough batteries I know but I can get more but want to get off to a good start. My dream world is to be able to run off grid efficiently as possible and have enough batteries to do it; have solar panels on board; have enough batteries and inverters to run a residential frig and the 110v outlets BY the way does anyone where to get a sofa bed mattress with or without air coils so i don't have to feel the bars? I See all you guys and Ladies with so much knowledge I know you can help with some "Experienced pro advice". If not then thanks anyway. Happy Trails

We upgraded our Class A 3 weeks ago from a "88" Winnebago Elandon 32ft to a "02" Winnebago Adventure 35U. The first couple weeks we spent moving from one into the other and took our first trip last weekend to work out any bugs and get use to it before our big 2 wk trip coming up in 6 days..... After loading all the groceries, dogs, etc. it wouldn't start, but I had started it 1 time each week and it started that morning 6 hrs before I was pulling out. I was able to cross jump it, but once in our spot, leveled, slides out I turned it off. Thinking the 45-1 hr drive would have gotten a good charge done. I hooked up shoreline, water and sewer and when I went to get the awning out, my steps wouldn't work, the awning wouldn't work...basically nothing worked...house batteries and engine battery was dead.... I didn't get a manual with it, so I printed one from Winnebago and since found that there were a couple things that shouldn't be left on or they will completely drain the batteries. I have turned those things off and the solar charger light is on saying it is trickle charging, but all batteries are still dead.....I again crossed jumped it and let it run for about 40 min. and still nothing... Going from an "88" to a "02" with 2 slides, heat pump etc. I know I have a high learning curve going on, but I could really use some help from anyone in our RV community !!! Can anyone out there give me a hand to try and figure this out and get it fixed?? Thank you so very much in advance Sisterblue

Recently went to check the condition of the batteries and found the starting batteries almost dead. I found that there is a digital echo charger made by Xantrex that quit working. Unfortunately if it get a little damp it will fail and is not repairable. It supposed to have a solid green LED light lit when charging, flashing means a fault exists and no LED means it is fried. I have another one coming and it will be here Friday. I like to spray the batteries once a year with cleaner and hose off then coat the terminals with sealer so I may of caused it to a certain extent. Other cause is the batteries are in a area where salt spray can get to it and corrode it. I'm going to see if I can relocate it near the inverter where it stays dryer and has a fan and filters to keep it clean and cooler. I will keep you posted what I do.

My original house and engine batteries are seven year old, but are still working find. However, as proactive move I want to replace both house and engine batteries before I have a problem. Currently I have 4 deep cycle 6 volt house batteries and 2 engine batteries 12 volt. Both banks are wet cell. I have a Magnum Energy pure sine wave charger/inverter, magnum battery/combiner monitor system and power pulse battery maintenance system. I also have a residential refrigerator which put little extra requirement on the system. I am looking at Sam's Club batteries at a Mississippi store which are branded as Duracell but are made by East Penn Battery Company in PA. The same company that makes Deka brand batteries. Sam's has both AGM and wet cell batteries. As a side note batteries sold by Sam's West of the Mississippi are made by another company (Johnson Control ??) and are branded Energizer. I have had good service from the wet cell batteries, but they do have a higher level maintenance requirement. Which bring me to the AGM batteries which seem to require little to no maintenance. However, the AGM is rated about 40 A/H less (190 A/H) than the wet cell batteries (230 A/H) sold at Sam's and the AGM cost is about 60% more than wet cell. I have been told that AGM batteries charge quicker than wet cell. Does anyone know if this is correct? If a person is willing to deal with the maintenance requirements of wet cell butteries are there other advantages to AGM? Do AGM last longer? Do AGM batteries perform differentially even though they are rated at a lower A/H? Which ever way I go I will need to be 100% AGM or wet cell because my charger/inverter would need to be set accordingly for both battery banks. Comments/thoughts are welcome.

I have a 1999 Four Winds Windsport RV. The coach batteries are not being charged when I'm connected to shore power. I've verified this by measuring the voltage at the battery terminals when on shore power. There is no change in voltage when I connect to shore power. I have checked the 120VAC to 12VDC inverter that I assume is supposed to charge the coach batteries. It produces 13.5 VDC (with no load) and powers all of the 12V components in the RV. The RV uses an Intellitec battery disconnect system. Inside the door are two switches to disconnect the chassis and coach batteries (see photo below). Also below photos of the Intellic disconnect relays inside the power distribution box that's in the engine compartment. I'm an mechanical engineer and I have spent a huge amount of time trying to fix this. So I will be immensely grateful if anyone has suggestions. Best regards, Frank

I have a 1988 Beaver Marquis, with a 6.3 Kw Onan propane generator. The coach monitor panel shows half the VAC even when plugged into a land line or the generator. All the receptacles have 117VAC when plugged or when the generator is running, The batteries are not fully charged. I am charging them with a trickle charge right now. We did run out of propane with the ACs running once. Any thoughts will be helpful. Thanks Franke