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Topic: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493 (Read 1928 times) previous topic - next topic
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Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Yahoo Message Number: 3943
Hope you are well and had a good new years. Guess you may have been surprised not hearing from me! I have had a battle with the batteries draining all winter. It has been a rough winter with lots of snow and freezing temps and I guess that does not help. My solar panel has been covered with ice for the past month so that is not helping either.
Trying to learn how to use a multimeter and doing investigation when the weather allows. Had to get the batteries charged this morning and then ran the genset for 2 hours. I am parked on a field and cannot plug into power.

When I leave the Allure I turn off all switches in the power box in the bedroom (not the main power tho); the propane detector is off; I added a switch for the TV/VCR and that is off; and turn off the two disconnect switches. The solar Controller has a backflow relay and that seems to be okay.

Yet the batteries drain. Voltage yesterday was down to 3 volts which got me working on it today before the batteries froze.
Now to the gist of why I write: when studying the two disconnect switches only one cable from each runs to the positive post on the respective batteries.

Each disconnect switch (on the side inside the battery compartment) has two terminals. On the right side terminal 3 cables run out with only one of them going to the positive post. The other two cables from this right side terminal runs out...

The left side terminal has 2 cables and neither runs to the battery.
Now at the positive battery post of the Chassis battery 3 cables are connected. One of them is the cable from the disconnect swith. The other 2 run...

On the House battery pos post 2 cables are attached with one going to the disconnect switch. The other cable runs...
I would not think that rewiring has been done on this coach...It appears to this amateur that the battery disconnect switches cannot possibly shut down all power as there are many cables that are not connected to the battery.

Do you follow me and do you agree or is my wiring messed up? NOw, is there anything that must be powered all the time? I can only think of the ECM.

I hope this is my last winter up north but if not I am wondering if I can add a disconnect switch to the POS posts and turn off that switch when parked for long periods. I would not use a knive switch but rather one with a knob as that should not corrode.
I hope I am clear. Can you comment and offer suggestions? Thanks. Mike Lewis.
C

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3950
I do not know if the following email is clear. This is a copy of an email sent to the tech dept at CC. I have been mentioning lately my problems with my batteries draining and several of you have responded.
Others have mentioned similar problems. If you read down you will note my questions about the wiring at the disconnect switches. I do not know if my wiring is different but would be dumbfounded if anyone had played with the cables and moved them to different locations. If my cables are in their normal position then how can our units NOT lose battery power when parked? I do not know if my conclusions are erroneous but only one cable goes directly from the disconnect switches to the POS post of the batteries. There are other cables heading out to unknown territory from the disconnect switches. There are still more cables heading out from the POS posts at the batteries to unknown territory. If any of you feel like looking at your units I would appreciate it. If your cables are like mine do you agree with my conclusions? Probably for most of you it does not matter as you can plug in when parked. I do not have that ability but have added solar to compensate. That worked fine for 8 years on my previous gas unit but does not work now because the batteries drain much faster than the solar can replace it. Thanks for listening... Mike Lewis 2000 Allure #30493.

On Fri, 31 Jan 2003 14:29:20 -0500 rvmike@... writes:

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3956
Mike, I have a '98 Intrigue and have always had a battery drain problem. Like you I never had an issue on my previous gas Pace Arrow Vision.
I live in a neighborhood where I am forced to store my CC offsite but I will attempt to check my switch wiring this weekend or in the next few weeks and let you know.
Your post is interesting to me because I had planned this spring to get the the bottom of this. I thought it was only my coach. If you get other information I would appreciate knowing it.

Joey

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3957
Mike & Joey,

I am pretty sure what you are seeing is your engine ECM on the chassis battery and your Inverter on the coach batteries. How good are the batteries? Have you had them checked for dead cells? Have you checked to see what kind of draw you have at your coach batteries when everything is off? I would probably start there.
Shutting off all the AC breakers in the bedroom is not going to help your DC issue. If you do have a drain, it is going to be a DC (12 volt) component draining your batteries. 9 times out of 10 I have found the batteries to be junk. Just my thoughts.

Damon

Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3959
I would agree wholeheartedly with Damon that the batteries which CC supplies on the Allures are most often JUNK. Either the first or second best improvement I ever made to my Allure was to replace all three 8D batteries with Lifeline AGM 8D batteries. I had originally planned on only replacing the house batteries, but Dennis Wasserburger talked me into even using one for my starting battery.
His arguement was, "Why have one battery you have to look after and two that you don't? Replace all three and you don't have to worry." That is what I did, buying the batteries from a brand new Lifeline dealer in Oklahoma City who was supplying batteries at the FMCA National Convention. I get one whale of a good price (About $100 less per battery than anywhere else I had looked and, according to Dennis only $25 more than CC pays for them when they buy them in quantity for Prevost conversions).

I also had a Link 2000 control panel installed later at the CC factory and had them install the panel in the bathroom area since that is directly above the battery compartment. This reduced the installation cost from $700 to install it near the front door to $200.

Since doing this I have never had one single battery or inverter problem or complaint.

Brian Davis

1999 Country Coach Allure #30282
FMCA #F221351
SKP $46425

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Re: Draining batteries and disconnect switches on Allure 30493

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3966
Thanks for responding Damon. Since you are probably surrounded by CC's could you check the wiring from the disconnect switches and compare to what I wrote. I agree that the original batteries supplied by CC are junque!!! I replaced mine last July with an Interstate 8D chassis battery and four 6v Interstate deep cycle batteries. Still they discharge...Voltage readings are remaining fairly equal with both sets of batteries. Specific gravity readings 3 months ago were fine but it has been too cold since to take readings again. The breaker for the Inverter is OFF in the rear bedroom power box so there must still be other items draining the coach batteries. What is the purpose of the disconnect switches if they do not disconnect all loads? Two others have responded that they too have had this problem. One other northern person (sorry I deleted your name already) also has solar but the panels are snow covered and not helping. I have been up on my roof constantly but ice covers my panels...(It gets slippery up there and I stay on my knees) Temps have finally risen from single digits we have had for the past month and hopefully in a few days I will be able to clear the ice off. Dean (?) has written that he has never had problems...Where are you located? Perhaps the very cold winter up north is a factor? On Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:47:02 -0000 "damonrapozo damon.rapozo@...>" damon.rapozo@...> writes: