Battery test?

Mariposa

Well-known member
Was checking the other day. Pushed the battery level test switch and noticed the markings. I have not found any instructions in my stuff.
What is the letters C,(green light) G,(yellow light) F, (red light) L (red light), on the battery test panel mean?
Bob
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Bob,

Here's a link to KIB.

I'd say this is what those designations mean:

C = Fully Charged
G = Good Charge
F = Fair Charge
L = Low Charge

These are my guesses. I'd say call KIB to be sure.

Jim
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
Don't expect the green light to stay on for too long a time. Seems that just running a light a minute or so will bring 'er down to yellow.
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
We came back from a 4 day trip to Desert Hot Springs last week and today I went to the rig, and there was zero power. Not one sensor was on and it was totally dark. Hooked up my 7 way electric cord to my truck and everything worked, including lights, sensors, etc. I did a thorough walk thru and found no lights or anything that was left on. Shouldn't the batteries still work after a week? I have no clue where the battery switch is, nor do I have a clue if the battery is dead, and it looked difficult to remove the covering plate with the black hose vent. I suppose since I hooked up my electricity everything worked, so I shouldn't worry about going on another trip this sunday where there are 50 amp hookups. However, I would like to know how to check this problem out, fix it and/or find out if I have a dead battery. Is there more than one battery? Any suggestions and please be specific as I am not only unmechanical, but also unelectrical. Also if it is a dead battery caused by some leak I cannot find, does the Heartland Warranty cover it? What is the process?
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Larry,

My first guess is that you left something on. One culprit that often gets overlooked is the power booster for the TV. You need to get the battery charged back up so that when you get ready to hit the road again, things work, like the refrigerator and the water pump. Get it hooked to an electrical source so the battery will charge. It doesn't need to be 50 Amp. 15 Amp will be good, you just need a dog bone (adapter) for your power cord.

John
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
You need to buy a battery cutoff switch from any auto supply store, Camping World, Wally World etc. Easy installation and should solve your dead battery problem.
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
Once I could not get any battery power. Absolutely nothing would work. Hook up the generator and all would work. I almost went nuts checking everything. Batteries were fully charged. Then in my search I found an itsy bitsy button on the side of a circuit breaker that one of the battery cables routed too. Pushed it and all started working. Its the first time I have seen a resettable circuit breaker. Check yours out.
 

Uncle Rog

Well-known member
cRASH, you might want to keep an eye on your battery also. The 12v's, once you run them down too low, 10v's I think, will not take a full charge any more and will not last as long. The 2 6v system will cycle many times with the same kind of use......
 

htneighbors

Unbelievably Blessed!
Battery Cut-off Switch

Larry,

The Cyclone came with a battery cut-off switch. Mine's located on the wall behind the battery, near a bunch of breakers & terminals. It's red and about 2" square with a dial on the front for OFF/ON. I'll take a photo of it and post when I get back to the CG, if you'd like.
 

dieselengineer

Charter Member
Larry
Another good tool to have is a small volt meter, harbor freight has them for 2 to 3 dollars. First thing to do is take the cover off the battery and check the voltage on the battery terminals. If there is 12 volt there, have someone turn on a few lights. If the voltage is still there and has not dropped, then there is a wiring, bad connection at the battery, or ckt breaker issue. If this is the issue, power is not leaving the battery, and also more importantly, power is not entering to charge the battery.
 
I had this problem when I first picked up my Bighorn. We where traveling and had the fridge on gas. Most if not all fridges run a dehumidifier that runs of 12v and is an energy hog. some refrigerators have a switch to shut it off when you aren't plugged in to save the battery. Our trailer is snow bound and been closed since Nov. but I believe ours was a black rocker between the fridge and freezer door. Wish I could be more specific but this fixed my battery killing problem.
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
Thank you everyone for your suggestions as the problem hopefully has been solved. I personally with my exquisite tool set removed that Centennial RV/Marine battery and lugged it over to the trailer repair shop. He tested it and although the CCA was supposed to be 565 mine was rated one. It was wierd as when I tried to turn on the lights, the carbon monoxide alarm went off, and it would only stop when I tried to turn the lights on after turning them off. They didn't work anyway, and the tow yard went crazy where we are storing it and almost evacuated and called the cops.
Instead I called Chris in warranty at Heartland, he gave Centennials phone number and I drove 40 miles to Santa Ana for a replacement, wishing I had a taser gun, or a 38 as it was a real bad neighborhood. I picked up the BH on Valentines Day and the battery lasted less than a month. Poor Quality Control I would think. Also there is no shut off switch so he told me if I store it for long periods to disconnect it. Maybe I should get 2 6 volt batteries when this one breaks down. GRR! What a day and that thing was frigging heavy.
John it looks like u were off base this time as it wasnt pilots error.
 
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jbeletti

Well-known member
Larry,

Count the replacement battery as a gift as the first one was not likely defective - jut killed. Something was likely left on in the coach in addition to the detectors. Check all the lights in the storage compartments and UDC too.

Two 6 volt batteries wired in series makes one 12 volt battery. You have a 12 volt system in the coach so there is no splitting up of the 6 volt setup. Still, it will give you a much longer run-time.

While your coach is at the service center, have them install a battery cut-off switch. There are many brands and types. Just have them put on whatever they have in stock.

Here's one I used in another trailer:
//heartlandowners.org/attachments/701s.jpg
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
I have two U2200 Interstate 6 volts and was thinking about installing a big 12V, like a 30H, and wire it into my 3 position battery shut off switch. One 6 volt goes bad and I am dead in the water. Can switch to the 12 volt and continue camping. Is that what you (UR and B&P) are doing?
 

Uncle Rog

Well-known member
Exactly Bill, the T-105's have a reserve of 450ah, with the auxillary of ? I forget now, I think 175 or 150ah, what ever the original size was. The inverter seems to bring them down pretty fast, but hey, that little blue Yamaha and 100a charger brings them right back up............We have never had to resort to using the auxillary, I do use it periodically just to make sure it is still good..............
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
Ok guys,
I checked everything out and there wasn't any light or switch left on. Only 3 days had passed since we had returned. When I pulled the old battery out, it had a puncture, how deep I don't know right through the C in Centennial but it was still full and didn't leak.
Secondly Rog, you are speaking Greek to me. There is no battery cut off switch now, and for mine please just tell me what model to get based on my coach and truck named below.
Third, Jim, I am glad it was a gift but even if there was a light left on which I dispute, 3 days is a real short time to deaden the battery. Is it possible I just had a defective battery as my repair shop said?
When I put the new one in tomorrow, I will check the whole coach from top to bottom, easy with the corrugated underbelly sagging so low, to make sure all electrical systems are off, including the UDC. If I wanted to add 2 6 volt batteries, couldn't i place them in the front storage dept next to the gen prep? I have to figure out some sort of system to use my sleep apnea machine which eats up 9 amps an hour if I want to dry camp,once i get a genny.
 
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