House battery charging

[Keith Moffett]

Any suggestions why I would be getting 15 or more volts in the batteries.  The Magnum inverter charger was new two years ago.  Two weeks ago they were at 13.8V and the coach wasnt started since but was plugged in via a surge protected 50 Amp circut.

Keith

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Keith,
Voltage from the solar panels can reach 15V at the batteries but since the current is very low, it shouldn't be a concern.
Steve

[Fred Brooks]

      Hi Keith,
 What kind of batteries do you have? Are they AGM, or conventional "wet cell". The Magnum is a 3 stage charger when plugged into shore power or on generator. What does the remote panel say, are there any fault lights on? If the voltage is above 15 volts, either the charger has a bad voltage regulator inside the charger or it is seeing an issue with the batteries. Dirty cables wil make the charger think that the batteries need charging and cause it to come out of "float" (maintenance charge) and go into "bulk" (maximum charge). Is there a sulfer smell or are the house batteries hot to the touch? How old are the house batteries?
     Regards Fred

[Fred Brooks]

      Steve,
 You are right about the Solar panels and I didn't think about that, Where would we find a fuse or circuit breaker so we could isolate the solar panels as the source of the 15 volts?
     Regards Fred

[Dick Simonis]

The Magnum also has automatic temp. compensation.  While 15 V. still seems too high, if you are in cold weather the charging float voltage can easily top 14+ V.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Fred,
Fuse should be on the Fuse Module in the battery compartment. Easiest way though is to put a towel over the solar panel.
Steve

[Keith Moffett]

Thanks for all the input!
We have had moderate temperatures here with bright sun the last few days.
The monitor inside fluctuates between 15.2 and 14.8 volts.
I should state here that the indicator pannel in the battery compartment has a flashing light saying disconnected.
These are wet cell batteries and are about 4 years old.
The cables could use a light touch up but dont look corroded or anything.
The fluid level is good in each and there is mild activity in most cells.

Thanks for the help!
Keith

[Keith Moffett]

The monitor panel inside now reads 13.8 volts.  Apparently it reached a reset point or something.  Seems to be ok but would like to avoid a repeat.