Lauren Report post Posted May 3, 2009 We just purchased our 2002 Holiday Rambler Endeavor. Brought it home yesterday. Today we noticed that the coach batteries were boiling over during charging by the inverter/charger and still not at 12 volts. Is this indicative of bad batteries or overcharging? The inverter charger was set for gel batteries. We are stumped as to what to do? Plus, are batteries ruined? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted May 3, 2009 Your description would suggest that the batteries are bad. BUT, it is difficult to evaluate the status of a battery unless it is fully charged (i.e. a deeply discharged, WILL test bad). Your converter or inverter/charger should put out 13.2-14.0 VDC. If all you see is 12.0 VDC, either the charger is bad or indeed you have one or more dead cells in the battery. If you have a small automotive type charger, connect it and see what voltage you get. If in the range above, leave it on overnight, while keeping an eye on the batteries. If one gets hot, it indicates a problem. STOP IMMEDIATELY. If after overnight charging, disconnect the batteries and load test. Most any place that sells batteries will test them for free. Another option is to start the engine and see what voltage the alternator puts into the batteries. It is unlikely that both converter and alternator would both be at fault. So if you read 12.0 with the engine running, that would be another sign that the batteries are bad. BTW, I am NOT a fan of gel batteries for house batteries. If you want high end batteries, AGM batteries such as LIFELINE are better-- have used them for decades on our boats and RV's. http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/ Brett Wolfe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rvtrax@gmail.com Report post Posted May 28, 2009 Most converters are not capable of properly charging gel batteries properly, therefore it is not recommended to use gel batteries, unless you inverter/converter has a mod to recharge gel batteries. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garykd Report post Posted May 28, 2009 Hi Lauren, In addition to the previous posts, take a look at the sides of the batteries. Is there even the slightest bulge (outward) in any of the batteries? If so the batteries are bad. Basically, there are flooded (must add distilled water from time to time) batteries and AGM (sealed, no water to add). Based on a lot of different personal factors (budget, how long will you keep the coach, etc,) the choice is yours as to which technology to invest in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren Report post Posted June 3, 2009 Your description would suggest that the batteries are bad.BUT, it is difficult to evaluate the status of a battery unless it is fully charged (i.e. a deeply discharged, WILL test bad). Your converter or inverter/charger should put out 13.2-14.0 VDC. If all you see is 12.0 VDC, either the charger is bad or indeed you have one or more dead cells in the battery. If you have a small automotive type charger, connect it and see what voltage you get. If in the range above, leave it on overnight, while keeping an eye on the batteries. If one gets hot, it indicates a problem. STOP IMMEDIATELY. If after overnight charging, disconnect the batteries and load test. Most any place that sells batteries will test them for free. Another option is to start the engine and see what voltage the alternator puts into the batteries. It is unlikely that both converter and alternator would both be at fault. So if you read 12.0 with the engine running, that would be another sign that the batteries are bad. BTW, I am NOT a fan of gel batteries for house batteries. If you want high end batteries, AGM batteries such as LIFELINE are better-- have used them for decades on our boats and RV's. http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/ Brett Wolfe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
