House Battery Main Breaker

[mcole9]

Hi, I have a 2017 Redhawk 26X1. Just started to look at the battery cables and feeds. It looks like the house battery has a 50 amp auto reset circuit breaker. This breaker through the battery disconnect solenoid feeds both the 1000 watt inverter and the 12 volt distribution panel. I'm thinking this is way small and maybe one of the reasons for low voltages occurring in my coach. Has anyone had similar problems or fixes??

[kurv]

My greyhawk 31fs has 125 amp. I actually replaced it with a manual reset.

[mcole9]

I think in my model they upgraded the inverter, but didn't bother to upgrade any other part of the electrical system.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by mcole9

Hi, I have a 2017 Redhawk 26X1. Just started to look at the battery cables and feeds. It looks like the house battery has a 50 amp auto reset circuit breaker. This breaker through the battery disconnect solenoid feeds both the 1000 watt inverter and the 12 volt distribution panel. I'm thinking this is way small and maybe one of the reasons for low voltages occurring in my coach. Has anyone had similar problems or fixes??

I believe you are talking about the 12Volt voltage level, and not the 110VAC inverter output.. Your breaker is not going to alter your voltage level under normal conditions. The breaker only limits the amount of amperage that it can pass. If you are encountering low 12Volt levels, I would start with your batteries and the loads that you have on them. What do you have connected to the 1000 watt inverter? What is running on the 12VDC side of the house. You may have a cell going bad in your battery? If you are not tripping your breaker, then the breaker is the correct size.

Have you ever killed your battery(s)? Run them down to 10.5 volts?

Going to a bigger breaker will not increase your voltage.

Don
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RVing with SOLAR

[mcole9]

Don, Yes it is the 12 volt side of things. The 50 amp breaker is the auto-reset type. Momentary trips and resets can happen without you noticing them. I run the fridge off of the inverter periodically. With a 300 watt load the inverter should be pulling just under 30 amps. Our batteries drop their voltage, but I have never gone much below 12 volts. I usually run the engine and the engine alternator should be able to easily handle its normal loads plus the inverter loads and give the batteries a good charge, but this does not seem to happen.

PS I have just replaced the house/chassis disconnect solenoid because it did not stand up after 2 years of use.

[Mustang65]

Which fridge do you have in the RV? Residential?

Sorry, just noticed that you mentioned you run it off the inverter periodically.
Don
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RVing with SOLAR

[Mustang65]

I know that this will be a pain, but when you are not using the RV, charge the batteries up to 100% then disconnect all the cables and let it be in a REST mode for 24 hours. Take the voltage reading, then let it go another 24 hours and take another voltage reading. The voltage should be around 12.8 volts and it should sit there for a long time. Mine sat at that voltage for about 3 months. If it continues to drop each day, you may have a bad cell or one that is going bad.

If you can take the battery(s) out have them load tested by a reputable battery distributer. Don't trust the local auto parts store.

Don
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RVing with SOLAR

[mcole9]

Don, just the standard Norcold fridge that comes with the RV. If the 1000 watt inverter was used to the max it would pull 113 amps as per the Magnum manual. There is no way the stock 12 volt system could handle this with the 50 amp breaker. It makes me wonder what the Jayco designers were thinking??
Marty

[Mustang65]

What is your battery rating (Ah's)

How do the batteries look when the fridge only runs on LP?

Recheck all your cable connections to make sure they are tight, and double check the frame connection from the negative battery terminal.
Don
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RVing with SOLAR

[mcole9]

Don they are AGM's and the rating is 90Ah (20hr). I added a 2nd battery to double this. They are both new this summer from Cabela's. I think the batteries are good, but the power distribution design is bad.

[Shakedown St.]

Originally Posted by mcole9

Don, just the standard Norcold fridge that comes with the RV. If the 1000 watt inverter was used to the max it would pull 113 amps as per the Magnum manual. There is no way the stock 12 volt system could handle this with the 50 amp breaker. It makes me wonder what the Jayco designers were thinking??
Marty

I’m assuming your Redhawk is similar to my Greyhawk. My refrigerator runs on 12V propane or shore power, and is in no way connected to the inverter. My inverter, when on, only powers the TV area outlet above the cab (though some models may power other outlets too).

Any chance you are powering your inverter, thinking it operates more than just an outlet or two? This would certainly explain your 12v low voltage issues. The inverter will drain your house battery in short order. I use mine all the time, but only while driving to keep my battery charged.