Battery problems in our new Redhawk

[johndeschamps]

We are two days from departure on our very first trip (ever) in our new-to-us 2016 RH 31xl. This morning the house battery was inexplicably dead. Can always tell when the main power button fails to turn off. I was connected to shore power, albeit via a 15 amp connection with nothing running except a plug in glade room freshener and the main power switch turned on. On the chassis side she started right up and I took her out to top off the gas and propane, which did help charge the house battery.

Oddy, I noticed the two overhead truck cab lights just above the windows would not turn off. I have since learned that the dial to the left of the steering column is not just a dimmer, but an on / off switch for the cab lights. Not sure if this is related in any way to the house battery being dead.

The house battery is a newer MDC purchased earlier this year. Again, she was plugged in to shore power, so I am not sure what the hell is going on. it should have been trickle charging, right?

I charged up both batteries, and removed the lamps from the map light fixtures. Why? Because the dimmer slide causes my head unit to flicker when in any position but fully dialed up, which also leaves these lamps on when the chassis / driving lights are turned on. Sliding the dial all the way down turns off the lamps, but as previously noted causes the main head unit screen to flicker.

[Stavman]

Did you test the battery for volts

Plugged in it will charge the battery unless u have an issue

[pconroy]

AFAIK - those map lights will NOT kill your house battery. I've left something plugged into the lighter socket and killed the chassis (Ford) battery and the house battery was untouched.


You may want to load-test the house battery.
It's possible that it was faulty, or accidentally killed.


You're right - staying plugged in will charge the battery. You can see this by looking at your Xantrex-----------oh wait, you said Redhawk? If it doesn't have an inverter, you'll need a voltmeter. On the GH, the Xantrex panel will show me 13.2, 13.4V when plugged in which means the battery is getting a charge.

[pconroy]

If you're going out to someplace with electrical hookups, you can still camp with a suspect house battery. Just stay plugged in when you get to the campsite.

[JimD]

Voltmeter, voltmeter, voltmeter. I can't stress it enough that all RVers should carry one. Without it you have no idea on what is really happening until it is too late.

Measure the voltage across the battery. When plugged in it should be mid 13s to mid 14s depending on what charging cycle it is in. If you only read mid 12s or less you are not charging.

Did all 12 volt items work normally when plugged in but died when unplugged? This would tell you the converter was putting out 12 volts and should have been charging the battery.

There are a few possible failure points but hard to narrow down until some voltage readings are taken.

[ALJO]

List your unit, so people can help you better.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by JimD

Voltmeter, voltmeter, voltmeter. I can't stress it enough that all RVers should carry one. Without it you have no idea on what is really happening until it is too late.

Can we get this bronzed?
Please???


Jim's soooooooooooooooo right.
They're so cheap, no reason to not have one.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by ALJO

List your unit, so people can help you better.

He said "2016 RH 31xl."


I'm guessing that means 2016, Redhawk 31XL.


My 2016 Greyhawk 31FK would be it's kissin' cuzin.

[Scoutmaster253]

Originally Posted by pconroy

He said "2016 RH 31xl." I'm guessing that means 2016, Redhawk 31XL.

If your battery is the original it's four year old, so you might now have the opportunity to replace it. RV use is tough duty for the low-priced (cheap) batteries that the factory put into them.
I replaced my house battery with an AGM unit and have never regretted it. No more watering, and nothing to change in the electrical system setup. There are many many threads here which talk about what folks like in a replacement battery.

[JimD]

This came to me last night. I'll be using it many times in the future.

[Mahatnmacoat]

Hi Jim, the attached photo is the battery monitor/volt meter I installed in one of the cigarette ports in our MH. The MAIN display is the chassis battery and the AUX is the house battery. I started a thread on it that generated a good bit of attention. You guys might want to take a look. Happy Holidays!

[JimD]

How does it measure the aux voltage when plugged into the main socket?

[Mahatnmacoat]

The monitor isn't plugged into the socket. The lighter female side is removed and it's two conductors abandoned. Light gauge wire, in my case 18 gauge is run from the respective terminal on the battery link relay under the hood to the monitor. There are three terminals on the monitor, Main, AUX and negative. I ran a wire from a handy nut under the dash for the negative conductor. The monitor is powered by the battery labeled Main on the monitor. I didn't put an off/on switch in the negative conductor since I have a disconnect switch at my chassis battery. I use that switch religiously. I found a dead or seriously drained chassis battery several times. Considerable time and many cups of coffee went into tracking down a parasitic draine. No joy. I even ran the radio power conductor directly to the battery. Nope, no joy. Then someone on this forum told me the little switch above the mirror control is a heater for those mirrors. PRAISE HIM!
Best regards Jim.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by pconroy

Can we get this bronzed?
Please???


Jim's soooooooooooooooo right.
They're so cheap, no reason to not have one.

To be honest I do not know how anyone operates without a volt ohm meter. Even the simplest jobs like battery voltage and the more complex like amp draw. They are simple to learn and operate and a necessity with anything you own that runs or uses electric.



I have a Fluke at home but a simple little $5 job from Harbor Freight in the RV.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by CAG

I have a Fluke at home but a simple little $5 job from Harbor Freight in the RV.

Similar, also have the HF one in the RV. I should have learned the "Cry Once" lesson at home, as I've burned thru three cheaper multimeters. I didn't go $$Fluke$$ but I did decide to finally invest in a good one for home.






The other thing I finally decided to *invest* in was a soldering iron. Yes, I do believe "it's a poor craftsman who blames the tool" - but doggone it, having a nice Hakko iron really makes soldering a lot more fun!

[johndeschamps]

Originally Posted by pconroy

AFAIK - those map lights will NOT kill your house battery. I've left something plugged into the lighter socket and killed the chassis (Ford) battery and the house battery was untouched.


You may want to load-test the house battery.
It's possible that it was faulty, or accidentally killed.


You're right - staying plugged in will charge the battery. You can see this by looking at your Xantrex-----------oh wait, you said Redhawk? If it doesn't have an inverter, you'll need a voltmeter. On the GH, the Xantrex panel will show me 13.2, 13.4V when plugged in which means the battery is getting a charge.

I have a 2016 RH 31xl which does have a xantrex 1000 inverter and self leveling jacks, probably added options by the prior owner, who purchased the rig new. The morning this happened the xantrex was reading 11.8. I charged both batteries. I just ended my 1200 mile plus road trip from NY to Florida yesterday and the electrical system worked like a champ, so who knows what the hell happened that day. I assumed it might be the cab map lights, so I removed both lamp bulbs prior to departure.

Now I have my RH parked in an RV storage facility, so I have a another question. Is is enough to simply disconnect the house battery via the switch near the base of the door, or do I need to physically disconnect the battery itself? We do plan on using our Hawk periodically through the Florida "winter," with trips to the Keys, etc.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by johndeschamps

Now I have my RH parked in an RV storage facility, so I have a another question. Is is enough to simply disconnect the house battery via the switch near the base of the door, or do I need to physically disconnect the battery itself? We do plan on using our Hawk periodically through the Florida "winter," with trips to the Keys, etc.

It depends.


That switch by the door disconnects *most* but not all devices. And, over time, the unit can still drain a battery. (If you want the battery 100% disconnected, then yank a lead off the terminal.)



It depends on how often you'll be out to exercise the generator and recharge the battery. Or, plunk a solar panel up top and keep the battery topped off.

[johndeschamps]

I have one. This one, to be precise: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-E...ded/1000860316 Still learnin how to use it.