New Batteries not lasting

[nighthawk87]

I switched to two 6v Costco batteries and they don’t last. I’m at 12.0 volts after 2hrs on generator. I was at 12.4 before and ran the TV during generator. Furnace ran about 3 Times. Generator is off now and I’m at 12.0 volts. Makes no sense. I’ve got 4 lights and a radio on. I think the lights are led.

Anyone know what’s going on?




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[wwt]

At 12.4 volts I don't think the batteries are fully charged. Should be more like 12.7.
Try fully charging them without putting a load on them. It sounds like your pulling power out of them as your charging and they simply haven't reached a full charge.

[Isaacs]

It sounds to me like the generator is not charging the batteries or supplying any 12 volt power to your TV etc. Bad fuse? Does the voltage at the batteries go up when the generator is running?

[RoyBraddy]

I have done alot of camping off grid over the years and I will never start using my batteries under load until they are at the 90% charge state. When camping off-grid i watch the 50% to 90% charge state very close. If it falls to the 50% charge state I stop using the batteries until I get them charged back up to the 90% charge state.

In my case I have found I can do a good 10-12 charge cycles from 50% to the 90% charge states which takes around three hours generator run time without losing performance of the batteries. After that I have to do a full 100% charge state which will take around 12 hours or so of full charging. I usually do this at my house after the camping trip since running my generator at a camp site for over 12 hours is not a good idea to me...

If I don't start out with at least a 90% charge battery setup at 6PM it always gets dark on me around 9PM... Short charge cycles does not do much for me...

I monitor my Battery bank DC Voltages with my Battery Monitor Panel using this chart to tell me my approximate charge status...



This is my Battery Monitor Panel


I'm sure others do it differently but this is what has worked great for me over the years with three 85AH 12VDC GP 24 Interstate batteries on my off-rod popup trailer. I started doing this in 2009 and my GP24 Interstates just last season 2015-2016 started not holding a good charge... Working on a new battery bank now and hopefully will get me up to the 450Ah capacity.

Roy Ken

[rodro123]

You stated these are replacements did the battery's before act the same way? If so maybe other issue at play hear.

[John from Central Florida]

Nighthawk, to answer your second question, yes, that definitely looks like an LED light fixture.

[nighthawk87]

Update....

So we noticed the outside led porch light was on. After turning that off the battery again showed 12.4. This morning after keeping the trailer at 69 degrees (outside at 37) I’m at 12.2.

To clarify I bought and charged both batteries at home till fully charged. I topped off all day the day before leaving. I was at 12.6/7. I did have to move slide in/out twice as the first time we weren’t level enough to our liking.

I’ll update as the trip progresses.


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[nighthawk87]

So I am running the generator again and show I’m getting 13.3 volts now. I assume that means it’s charging but I’d think it would be better to be at 14+..? Here are some pictures of my power center. I also can’t find the charge wizard button and light....



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[WinnieView]

Originally Posted by nighthawk87

I also can’t find the charge wizard button and light....

The charge wizard pendant with button is an optional add on for the Progressive Dynamic converter/charger.
We purchased one for ours, it was under $20 from eBay.

[nighthawk87]

Originally Posted by 2008Seneca

The charge wizard pendant with button is an optional add on for the Progressive Dynamic converter/charger.

We purchased one for ours, it was under $20 from eBay.

Does that mean mine doesn’t have the “wizard “ function?


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[Mustang65]

A few more questions...
- What is the mfr date on the batteries (see date code)? Are they both the same?
- How old are they? (Shelf life)
- Have you ever let the battery voltage drop below 10.5VDC (dead battery)?
- If so how many times?
- Have you had to add water?
- Was the water level low enough to show any of the tops of the plates?
- Is the battery ground connection at the frame tight? Corroded?
- Are the battery terminals clean and tight? No signs of corrosion?
- Are the connections between the batteries clean tight?
- Is the main 30 Amp fuse connections clean? Corroded? Good connection the battery?
- Are all your lights LED's?
- Are you charging/using any of your toys (smart phones, tablets, laptops...)

I know I ask a lot of questions....

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[nighthawk87]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

A few more questions...
- What is the mfr date on the batteries (see date code)? Are they both the same? Yes same, 10/2017
- How old are they? 3 months
- Have you ever let the battery voltage drop below 10.5VDC (dead battery)? No, they were at 12.2 when I got them home and hooked up to charger.
- If so how many times?
- Have you had to add water? No
- Was the water level low enough to show any of the tops of the plates? No I checked before I bought.
- Is the battery ground connection at the frame tight? Corroded? Need to check.
- Are the battery terminals clean and tight? No signs of corrosion? Clean
- Are the connections between the batteries clean tight? Yes, tight with wrench
- Is the main 30 Amp fuse connections clean? Corroded? Good connection the battery? Clean. Trailer is a 2016
- Are all your lights LED's? Yes
- Are you charging/using any of your toys (smart phones, tablets, laptops...) yes but voltage doesn’t change when connected.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

Answers above.


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[WinnieView]

Originally Posted by nighthawk87

Does that mean mine doesn’t have the “wizard “ function?


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At least not the ability to override the current charge level.

[RoyBraddy]

For what ever it is worth I have never had any good luck whatsoever using one of those WFCO 8900 series CONVERTERs getting them to go into BOOST CHARGE MODE (14.4VDC). I replaced mine back in 2009 with a Progressive Dynamics PD9260C Converter/Charger which gives me all of the SMART MODE charging DC voltages... The PD9260C will read my batteries and go the right mode or I can force it into BOOST CHARGING using the remote control.

I tried everything I could think of to make the WFCO WF-8900 series converter to go into BOOST CHARGE mode without any luck...

Charging my batteries with 13.3VDC would literally take days to get a 100% charge using my WF-8945 WFCO Converter/charger unit... Now I make 90% charge state in around three hours of charge time and a full 100% charge in around 12 hours of charging running my PD9260C Converter plugged into my 2KW Generator setup.

I do the three hour generator run time every morning when camping off grid during Breakfast. This is also the time I make my fresh ground and brewed bean coffee for the day while the generator is running... My coffee is kept in a thermos carafe... I can easily make more coffee using the generator when needed. My coffee maker only takes five minutes of generator run time and stores the hot coffee in the thermos carafe. No other power is needed to keep hot to warm coffee all day long.

Roy Ken

[SkyBound]

Yes do yourself a favour and get rid of the WFCO converter. As Roy said, it doesn't give the batteries what they are asking for. I had the same WFCO converter you have, and when I upgraded to dual 6Vs I also bought the PD4655 which is a direct replacement of your current converter, utilizes the original mounting box, easy install, gives the batteries exactly what they're looking for, and has the Charge Wizard option which allows manual manipulation of charge mode. It also has an Equalization mode which throws 14.4V at the batteries every 21 hours for 15 minutes to prevent sulfation which occurs when the batteries are sitting at storage charge (13.2V) for a long time.

[Siamese]

WFCO is the acronym for Whiff-This Converter Stinks, Company. If you're spending any time camping without an electric hookup, and are relying on charging with a generator, you need the Progressive Dynamics converter that others have suggested.

We bought our 26BH in May of 2017, and had a list of mods we intended to do immediately. Because we plan to boondock a lot, and want to efficiently charge with our Briggs & Stratton inverter generator, the Progressive Dynamics unit went in first.

[nighthawk87]

So can I use my stand alone charger and connect directly to the batteries while it’s connected to the trailer?


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[Vicr]

[QUOTE=nighthawk87;595310]So can I use my stand alone charger and connect directly to the batteries while it’s connected to the trailer?


I had Costco 6V batteries on my TT for several years and never had the problems you are having. However I might note a few differences:
I always used a separate battery charger to maintain my batteries and when I did I removed the positive battery lead so I wouldn't feed charge voltages into the TT.
I would trickle charge them once a month while in storage in the winter.
When dry camping in cold weather I didn't try to maintain the inside of the TT in the 60's when outside was 37 degrees. The heater motor will run your batteries down in one night when subjecting the TT to 37 degrees and trying to keep the inside in the 60's.
I installed a battery disconnect and used it every time the TT wasn't being used or stored. This way my batteries were never subjected to parasitic loads running them down.