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RV Doctor ColumnRV Doctor #319 Dear RV Doc, I am a true RV beginner with a Chinook Class C motorhome. I've tried to take the time to become knowledgeable about my new vehicle, especially regarding the LP, plumbing and electrical systems. I'm reading as much RV literature as I can get my hands on. I've talked with many RV owners and have read every article on your website. As a new RV owner, I realize there is a lot to learn and so far it has been a good experience, except I am not an electrician and deep cycle batteries have never been too friendly with me. Converters, inverters, battery chargers, circuit breakers, voltage etc., where do I begin? As a new RV owner I just can't seem to keep my batteries charged when I use my RV. The problem with dead batteries seems to occur after using the unit at a regular 30-amp shoreline campsite for three or four days. During hookup all appliances, lights, etc., work great. When I get home to clean the unit without AC hookup, everything is dead. I can't start my generator. Monitors and lights don't work. Everything is dead. Fluids in the batteries are at proper level. All circuit breakers (that I can find) are okay and have not tripped. My unit has a converter. Attempts have been made to charge the batteries with the adapter for the shoreline connection at home without success. Only after the engine is running for about five minutes can I get power to the TV/VCR and lights and can start the generator. With the engine on, everything works great. When I rely only on my batteries (no shoreline or generator power source); DC life is dead. This unit is brand new - what am I or the unit doing wrong? How good is the "built in" converter for charging the batteries? Do I need to purchase a separate multi-stage battery charger? If so, what brand charger do you recommend? Mark Nartatez, ( Philipsburg , PA )
Mark, battery problems seem to ever nag us. The first step in finding out why batteries seemingly discharge quickly is to analyze the battery itself. Sulfated batteries simply will not hold a charge. The degree of sulfation is proportionate to its ability to hold a charge. All batteries self-discharge, but sulfated plates quicken the rate. Find a shop in your area that has a carbon-pile battery load tester. This test will provide insight to the internal happenings of the battery. Clean and tight electrical connections are also extremely important. Corrosive terminals and faulty butt splices and other connections all lead to early battery loss. Don't overlook the negative side of circuits as well. Also, determine if the battery has been fully charged. Chances are your battery has not been given a chance to become completely charged. Many RVs are notorious for employing mediocre or even inadequate charging systems. Some alternators and converter/chargers do not have the technical algorithms available today for proper and complete automatic battery charging. Rarely do the batteries ever reach full charge. A fully charged battery is one that, during the charging process, maximizes the specific gravity reading and then plateaus, (the specific gravity refuses to rise any higher). After two hours in that state, the battery is then, fully charged. Tests should also be performed on the battery circuits to determine if any drains exist. Some small, parasitic drains are normal, but when current drains approach 700-800 milli-amps, something needs to be rectified. Obviously, a larger drain on a battery is even worse. Any professional technician can easily perform this test for you, but if you have a good, quality multi-meter, you can even do it yourself. There is good news, however. Today there are aftermarket alternators and chargers that increase the RVers ability to extend the electrical life in the batteries. Also, newer battery technology has improved battery performance and has minimized over-charging risks. It should be a consideration for all "serious" RVers to upgrade to high-tech batteries, sophisticated three-step chargers and high output automotive alternators. Electrical woes will certainly be minimized and under proper usage, completely eliminated. Personally, I favor the multi-step charger/converters produced by Statpower. In your case, I would use one as an add-on to your stock converter, allowing it to still be the "converter," and utilize the Statpower as a battery charger only. As mentioned above, only rarely and under close monitoring does a battery bank ever approach the 65 to 70% charged level. A true, "fully charged" system is even rarer. Optimizing the 12-volt battery systems has become one of the most important challenges RVers face. We fear overcharging the batteries yet are confused when the battery bank is rarely charged properly or fast enough to suit our needs. Unfortunately, many of today's charging converters have been designed in a manner that achieves, at best, a compromised balance between the overcharge/undercharge extremes. The result is that many auxiliary battery banks never attain full capacity during the charging cycles, nor are they ever 100% fully protected from being overcharged. Each result minimizes the useful life of the battery bank and in some cases drastically shortens battery life. Adding a sophisticated charging converter will most assuredly help.
Dear Gary, our bedroom slideout failed to close completely and then would not move at all. The motor was taken apart and found that a holding pin was broken. This was replaced and the slide moved out when the power button was pushed. All of a sudden, a large thump was heard, then the slideout would not move in or out. Could this be a broken tooth on the gear? It is taking us a very long time to get an appointment to have this looked at for repair. Do you have any idea what has happened to the slide mechanism? Pam Park, ( Franklin , NC )
Pam, unfortunately, without actually inspecting the slide mechanism and drive unit, it is impossible to tell exactly what happened. And a lot depends on the manufacturer of the slide mechanism. There are quite a few variations out there, produced by different makers using different types of slide mechanisms. If you could identify the manufacturer of the slide out unit, not the RV, it may be possible to ascertain some information as to what may have broken. But the best diagnosis can only be made after a visual inspection. Wish I could be more helpful. (This is the most frustrating part about this job).
Dear RV Doctor, I have purchased a used consignment motorhome. Do dealerships that do this type of sales business have a responsibility to safety check the vehicles before selling the units? In my case the salesman had noticed the brakes where not to his liking, so I was told that they had the unit sent to a shop to be serviced. I was told that the brake calipers were froze and that the shop repaired them. Upon picking up the motorhome I had the oil system, transmission, cooling, and brake system serviced. Visual inspection of areas such as the cooling system showed it had been doctored to appear to look in good shape. Inspection of the engine included a compression test, which showed that the engine would need extensive work. At the present time the motorhome is again in the shop having the motor replaced. Since I have purchased this RV, it has been in the shop more than on the road. My understanding is that dealers selling a vehicle have them inspected before selling them. My dealer claims work was preformed. If so I feel that problems should have been found, fixed or at least reported to us buyers. I am kicking myself in the butt for this purchase, due to hindsight and not listening to the warning bells that went off before purchasing this vehicle. I realize there is probably very little I can do except continue to pour money into this rig to make it road worthy and livable. R.D. Kelly, ( Salinas , CA )
R.D., so sorry to hear about the problems surrounding your motorhome purchase. Buying used can be a tricky acquisition. My first question would be; how reputable is the selling dealer? Most up & up dealers will always inspect used RVs and list the problems. There is a greater risk when buying a consignment coach. Typically the dealer will not put any money into the unit before a sale citing the fact that this is the responsibility of the selling party. A reputable dealer, selling consignment units, will still PDI the coach, make a list of the discrepancies and estimate repair costs to the seller. The seller can make the decision not to fix anything (typically) since he's trying to get out from underneath the rig for some reason. However, the dealer should still make the repair list available to the buyer and that then becomes a negotiating tool between buyer and seller. The dealer would still make money on the repairs. Now if the coach was listed "As is" then the buyer assumes all the responsibility and all bets are off. In those cases the buyer would be wise to have an independent professional come in and PDI the rig, make the discrepancy list and approach the seller. The buyer alone would pay for this service (about four to five labor hours), but it could be considered cheap insurance. Was there any warranty offered by the dealer or did he state "As is?" From a liability standpoint, many dealers will fix the safety related items; brakes, LP leaks, etc., and than bill the seller for those costs. If the selling dealer is not willing to work with you on making the coach useable, perhaps a consultation with an attorney is in order. You may or may not have a legitimate course of action, but it would take an attorney to sort through all the applicable laws to find out for sure. I wish you luck!
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