Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

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Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

February 01, 2003, 07:34:43 pm

Just purchased BRAND NEW gel batteries this past summer---so I don't think its JUST junk batteries. It seems to be a flaw in the system. We also have solar panels (but they are snow covered).........Very frustrating.....
Paul Eno

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #1 – February 01, 2003, 08:39:59 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 3964

Paul, did you reprogram your system when you purchased Gel Batteries?

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #2 – February 02, 2003, 10:12:00 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3969

What a shame! It seems that this is a common problem and none of the posts mention assistance from the factory.
I haven't done any research on this problem since my batteries have to be fully charged to even reach the heights of "junk" status. I would think that with the disconnect switches off, schematic in hand and a decent digital multimeter one could start checking fuse/breaker boxes, junction points, etc. to find voltage where there should be none. Has anyone taken that approach?

Maybe I'll try if I have time..... I'm very busy being retired and doing nothing right now.

Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #3 – February 02, 2003, 12:51:02 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 3974

My email on Friday went to the factory and I do hope for a reply...I will share with the group once I get news...I plan on starting the search with my digital multimeter once the weather gets warm enough. In the meantime I would like to find out about all the cables coming off the disconnect switches and the pos post of the battery banks. As I said before only one cable from each switch goes directly to the pos posts. What then is the purpose of the disconnect swithces? Additionally, does anything HAVE to be on? Mandatory like the ECM??? If not perhaps the problem of leakage could be handled by adding a second disconnect switch at the POS posts and reattaching all cables at the post to this new disconnect. By disconnecting that switch all loads should hopefully be removed...Will keep you all posted.

Mike Lewis Allure 30493.

On Sun, 2 Feb 2003 10:11:37 -0500 "Dick May" maymr@...> writes:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #4 – February 02, 2003, 09:07:15 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 3986

Yes, Dick May, I'd agree with you on minor items that should not plague a Country Coach level RV. After owning three other lower priced motorhomes, over the past 22 years, before buying our used (1-1/2 year old) "Luxury" MotorCoach, We've been plagued with trivia problems that we never experienced with our other lower priced units and should not experience with a Country Coach quality unit.. I'm becoming quickly disillusioned with the luxury being better notion.. Sorry, but that has been my experience in our short six months of ownership of a "Luxury" unit. I definitely will consider a less than Luxury Unit when we down size to a weekend unit in the future... Have we been "Hood Winked" by Mr. Lee

Look at the price of his INDY and Balloon Rallies cost! ! ! ! I'm starting to think why the previous owners traded it on a new BEAVER, was it bitter Lemon they chose to dump?

Only more time and money will tell.
Unfortunately yours with a '01 Intrigue 36 ft @11219 Lee Casebeer

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #5 – February 02, 2003, 11:17:12 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 3988

We bought a 96 Magna in January 2002 to FT. We researched this purchase for several years. This coach had 30K miles and was in very good condition. I wonder if some of the current problems stem from the National operation of CC. I am not sure I would purchase a coach that has been manufactured while National is operating CC. Just a thought. Judith Magna 5625

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #6 – February 03, 2003, 01:58:27 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3990

Mike, could it be that one cable from each battery comes from the battery to the master on/off switch and then several cables from the switch out to the various loads>??

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #7 – February 03, 2003, 08:54:00 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3992

On Sun, 2 Feb 2003 21:07:06 EST lcasebeer@... writes:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #8 – February 03, 2003, 09:57:17 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3993

We purchased a new Intrigue in 2001, after National purchased CC. We could not be happier with CC or our coach. We have had few problems, most small and/or traced to my own inexperience. Once I was trained, the problems went away. CC has supported me beyond my expectations. The technicians, especially John Bickel, have helped me everytime I called. They have researched every problem, even the ones I caused.

We have found the coach to be well-engineered, and well-built. I do not know what CC could do beyond the product and service they offer.

The problems people talk about, are they real, self-inflicted, or myths? Can you be more specific?

Steve 11294

--- JUDTH HOLTON jamholton@...> wrote:

Quote

We bought a 96 Magna in January 2002 to FT. We > researched this purchase for several years. This > coach had 30K miles and was in very good condition.
I wonder if some of the current problems stem from > the National operation of CC. I am not sure I would > purchase a coach that has been manufactured while > National is operating CC. Just a thought. Judith > Magna 5625

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #9 – February 03, 2003, 11:06:14 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3994

Steve: Hiding the Electical Hot Water Off-On Switch behind the drawer in the bedroom under the forward Closet, when the manual states it is on the outside panel next to the other Hot Water Heater controls in NOT self inflicted (except for me buying a Country Coach) and not a myth for taking so long to find and remove the drawer each and every time we choose to change the electic heat option. Hopefully the design person with that illogical placement of the switch is no longer with CC so as not to spread that silliness into other coach designs.. Anybody Else have fun finding that Hidden switch in the 2001 Intrigue 36 ft Cook's Nook Unfortunately ours

Lee '01 Intrique #11219

Steve Herring s2herring@...> wrote:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #10 – February 03, 2003, 11:55:55 am

Yahoo Message Number: 3997

Hi--We own Intrique #11238--different floor plan but with similar equipment I'm sure--I just turn the appropriate circuit OFF. The breaker is clearly marked on our breaker panel.

Don Krahling

lcasebeer@... wrote:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #11 – February 03, 2003, 12:50:50 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4000

Lee,

When I want to disable the electric side of the water heater I just turn the

breaker on the electric panel to the off position. Any reason you wouldn't

want to do that?

Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #12 – February 03, 2003, 01:26:11 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4002

Lee,

You are reffering to the switch on the water heater, which Atwood installed. I have made it a point to inform my customers that there is a switch on the water heater itself. My recomendation is to them and others is to leave that switch on and use your "circuit breaker" to activate the electric water heater, which is easier to do each time.

Damon

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #13 – February 03, 2003, 01:46:22 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4004

Thanks Damon, Dick May offered the same suggestion, that We will use..
Lee '01 Intrigue #11219

"damonrapozo damon.rapozo@...>" damon.rapozo@...> wrote:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #14 – February 03, 2003, 02:22:35 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4007

Have you read the emails Steve? Draining batteries, hurricane heaters that do not work properly...are these myths? Be happy for your own good fortune. You state that you had a few problems some of which were traced to your own inexperience. What were these problems and what were the solutions. That is exactly what we are accomplishing on the group site.
Mike. 2000 Allure #30493.

On Mon, 3 Feb 2003 06:57:15 -0800 (PST) Steve Herring s2herring@...> writes:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #15 – February 04, 2003, 01:51:50 am

Yahoo Message Number: 4015

steve, i have to echo what you said. I also don't think CC could have been any more responsive or helpful with my '01 Intrigue #11262. On the whole the help and support has been 100 times more and better than what I experienced with fleetwood on my southwind. I got absolutely zero help from them, (fleetwood) even when the bin doors started falling off from dry rot created by their shortcut production techniques or complete lack of awareness of electrolysis. Thats why I dumped my southwind and started looking for quality instead of quantity.

it has to be impossible to put together something with this many systems and advanced technological devices without some small mis-matches somewhere. At least CC will fall over backwards the first year or two to make sure they are fixed.

Ron and Molly '01 Intrigue #11262 san diego

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #16 – February 04, 2003, 10:49:21 am

Yahoo Message Number: 4019

I'd agree with Ron & Molly on the good Helpful Response from CC Service Tech's. It is the small on going problems (both in design and parts quality)I keep hearing from others that should not be occring in a Luxury Coach of the CC caliper. The Big one I keep hearing over and Over is Coach battery life challenges. Seems like CC would have spent a little more and installed truely quality deep cycle batteries.. The defective parts on systems like the Hydronic heating is beyond their control, other than tell their suppliers to get it right or they'll buy elsewhere... I suspect these coach are much more complex than the Std. Class A Rig that the possibilty of defects is higher... Here hoping for the best....
Lee '01 Intrigue #11219

Bodie6413@... wrote:

Re: was: Draining batteries ...now: quality

Reply #17 – February 05, 2003, 07:07:00 am

Yahoo Message Number: 4033

I am new to owning a Country Coach. So, I walk on this thin ice very softly. I have to concur to some extent with comments being made on this and other quality topics. There is no excuse, especially those problems that are associated with installation errors. However, I do not care what you own and how much luxury there is, SHIT happens and components break and systems fail. There are no perfect coaches, airplanes, automobiles or any other consumer product that is not without some defect or design flaw. We and all the products we buy are all part of the law of statistics.
Having worked in the production and engineering side of the areospace industry for the last 37 years provides some interesting insite to the laws of chance and the statistics of failure modes. A desiner develops his or her ideas on paper and takes the theory proven design to prototype for a validation and verification of functionality and reliability. The product may get a "shake and bake" test to determine cyclic failure or have the failure points predicted by the laws of physics. In any case, the product is designed with a known failure point. All the reliability data is then used to drive the operation and maintenance cycles to a point of determining a mean time between failure. At the two extremes there will be a few products that will failure sooner and more than others. Also, there are a few products that will out perform all others.

Whether it is the end product, the coach; or, the raw material used to manufacture the component or part, they all share the same potential for failure. It is up to the manufacturer to manage the frequency of failure to maintain the end product within certain quality controls to provide a reasonably quality product. Otherwise, designs are changed. The controls are balanced with overall costs.
Tighter controls will increase product cost.

Maybe it is a smoke and mirrors game with Country Coach, but what I have experienced and seen so far is a company that is geniunely interested in what problems the customer is having and what the customer wants to see in the new products. When compared to the other manufacturers, I think Country Coach is at or near the top for responsiveness overall to its customer base.

While, this is my first coach that I have owned, I have rented and looked at many over the past 30 years to know what is junk and quality out there. Yes, I have some of the same problems with my coach that are shared by many of you. I am learning as much as I can about the design and functionality of each system and where I can make improvements. I am constantly on the phone with the folks at Country coach bouncing off ideas on my observations and proposed changes. The technicians and designers there provide valuable feedback. Whether they use any of my observations is unknown. All in all, the coach is a quality built coach and I would consider owning another when it comes time to trade.

Jim Hughes

Jacksonville, FL
2000 Allure #30511

Re: was: Draining batteries ...now: quality

Reply #18 – February 05, 2003, 02:39:28 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4046

I vote YES, Jim.

This is my second Country Coach, admittedly, a lower QC than my first one but would still look at CC for my next one... if and when that decision has to be made. I still reserve the right to vent.... my wife just doesn't understand me :-)

And in support of your discussion on problems, failures, etc., it is a well known fact that Murphy was grossly misquoted when his Law was first published.

Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

Re: was: Draining batteries ...now: quality

Reply #19 – February 05, 2003, 05:00:08 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4047

Right on, Dick. I subscribe to O'Toole's Rule which states that Murphy's law is conservative.
Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on ...

Reply #20 – February 05, 2003, 06:57:18 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4049

We have a 2001 Magna and we couldn't be happier with the coach. We have had our share of problems but this is a complicated machine. It takes a lot of reading to learn everything and it takes time to work out the bugs. Some of the items on this site are from a lack of knowledge and not poor design. Re: the notes about the hot water heater switch.
We are

currently at a KOA in Key West and our site is on the entrance road. People arriving like to leave their diesel engines running in front of our site while they check in which can take 20 minutes. I have told them to turn off their engines but they tell me that diesels should be left running so I now have copies of the manual to give them when they idle in front of my coach.
Is it the engine companies fault they do not know that you don't idle the new diesel engines?

Much of what I see on this site is a lack of understanding which is blamed on CCI. I also wonder why we just don't call CCI with some of our questions, or come to a rally where you can get someone to check your batteries and get the problem solved, in many cases free. And if we think Bob Lee is the problem, come to the rallies and tell him. He is usually there. I also noticed that someone thought the $1000 was a lot of money for the Indy rally. Seats for the Indy can cost about $150 each, and from what I have heard this is a first class rally with things the public can't get to do. First class is not cheap but it's the only way to go.

Bill G. 2001 Magna #5998

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