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Power drain

Yahoo Message Number: 6473
After recently going through a battery and inverter upgrade, I found that the kill switches do not kill everything. My wiring diagram shows and the coach is clearly wired with one primary lead, a red #2ga wire going through the panel by the frame and looping around to the inverter. This lead is not subject to the kill switches. Don't ask me why, but that's how we had to put the new inverter and new batteries back together. Trace your wiring diagram to the kill switches and you'll probably see the same thing. Must be important or they certainly wouldn't have done it that-a-way.
The consensus seems to be that you should fire them up routinely and build them up. Equalizing is critical for deep cycle batteries. Easy to do with one of the Link System monitors. I believe there are several posts on how to do this.

Re: Power drain

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6475
Hi Folks,

Larry is correct when he stated:

"After recently going through a battery and inverter upgrade, I found that the kill switches do not kill everything. My wiring diagram shows and the coach is clearly wired with one primary lead, a red #2ga wire going through the panel by the frame and looping around to the inverter."

The inverter input is connected directly to the battery as it is designed to work with a fuse with certain characteristics and the inverter input must have a fused separate line not shared with any other load for safety purposes.

I was not thorough enough in the previous emails on this topic and assumed that the inverter is kept off when not in use. The inverter and microwave idle currents could drain the house batteries in a few weeks below the 50% discharge voltage (12.25 vdc)if the inverter is left on. Even with the inverter off, there is a very small current drain from the inverter on/off sense circuitry about equal to the battery internal discharge rate.

The ultimate approach is removing a cable from the battery terminal on the house batteries only. The engine ECM should be kept powered by the engine (chassis) battery to maintain its date/time clock.
Fred Kovol

Power Drain

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6476
Thanks to Fred, Ken, Mike, Jim and all for great information on battery drain during storage. Fortunately I have inside storage with power. But on a recent 10 day absence someone disconnected the cord. The batteries were below the 50% level. No, I had not turned the disconnects off. Maybe I will connect our recording voltmeter and monitor it for a 24 hour period in case the loads vary.
As always I am amazed by the information available in this group, even if Fred doesn't respond. You are going to make a coach expert out of me even against my will !!!

Doug 03 Allure 30929

Re: Power Drain

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6479
A coach expert??? I cannot even dream of that! If I ever get to understand 30% I will feel quite satisfied. One thing that I am learning is that these coaches really want to be used. I am fulltiming now, and even though we have been camped on our land in Nova Scotia for two months now, I am finding that problems are disappearing with use...I do not want to get my hopes too high though as I am sure other problems will develop with use...My Allure sure is comfortable and pleasant to live in though. Mike 2000 Allure 30493
On Wed, 1 Oct 2003 20:35:52 -0700 "Doug Rosenberg" drosenberg@...> writes: