BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Sigbert All III on July 21, 2022, 03:38:16 PM
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Looking to see if anyone can tell me to look for problem with house batteries not charging on shore power charges fine when running engine
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"Looking to see if anyone can tell me [where] to look for problem with house batteries not charging on shore power[;] charges fine when running engine[.]"
Is the shore power ON?
Is the inverter ON?
Is the inverter's battery charging function ENABLED?
Do the batteries get charged when the generator is ON?
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Inverter was removed by last owner will charge when main engine is running was doing fine till yesterday just don't know where to look for fuse or breaker if one
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If inverter/charger is removed, then batteries will not charge on shore or generator power. You need to get that sorted out before any battery charging can occur. The alternator will charge the batteries through the battery isolator when engine is running. Reinstalling an inverter/charger sounds like the solution to your problem. Also, if charging on alternator yesterday and not charging today, then possible alternator failure has occurred. You may have more than one problem going on. Checking output on back of alternator with volt meter will confirm if alternator has failed. Hope this helps.
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Your engine's alternator is the device that generates the charging current (about 14+ volts) which is sent to the chassis batteries and house batteries. Our coach has a BIRD/Big Boy system to allow the charging current to move between the chassis and house battery banks. Your coach may have an Echo Charger instead of a BIRD/Big Boy system.
When plugged into shore power or when running the generator (both about 120 volts), the "inverter/charger" generates a 13+ volt charging current which is sent to the house batteries and the chassis batteries. Again, our coach has a BIRD/Big Boy system to allow the charging current to move between the house and chassis battery banks. Your coach may have an Echo Charger instead of a BIRD/Big Boy system.
If your coach does not have an inverter/charger (or some other charger-like device), then your coach cannot charge its battery banks while plugged into shore power or when running the generator.
In the past, our inverter/charger stopped working and had to be replaced. Before getting it replaced, we used two portable chargers (plugged into 120-volt receptacles) to charge the two battery banks (house and chassis).
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There is a charger somewhere I'll have to look all around and see where it might be I've had for a year and was charging fine and when engine is running it will charge the battery I just have to locate where they may have installed charger by previous owner
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Please read the first paragraph in my prior post. Your engine's alternator is the charging device that is charging your batteries (chassis and house batteries) when the coach's engine is running.
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This is when I'm on shore power that my batteries are not charging
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It sounds like your coach does not have an inverter/charger. Therefore, your coach's batteries CANNOT be charged because there is no charge current being made from either shore power or the generator.
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There is a charger somewhere because it has donee fine for over year and half now I will do some searching on motorhome for a charger ,there is small xantrex box laying on top of batteries so there might be a xantrex charger somewhere
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I found online that Xantrex indeed does make several models of built-in chargers. That may be what your coach's prior owner installed. I suspect these built-in chargers are connected to the coach's 120-volt system (either hard-wired or plugged into a receptacle) and turn on automatically when the coach is plugged into shore power or when the coach's generator is ON. My guess is such a charging device would be installed rather close to the batteries it is supposed to charge. Inasmuch as you have two battery banks (chassis and house), your coach may have two of these Xantrex chargers. Or, your coach may have one charger installed such that it is able to charge both battery banks through a BIRD/Big Boy system or Echo Charger, or some similar functioning combiner.
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I believe that small box you speak of on top of the batteries is likely a temperature sensor for your charger if it is it will have a communication wire set running to the charger you should be able to locate the charger by following the communication line to it.
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Thanks to all that gave advice I found the converter charger under bed in engine compartment and it was bad also went ahead and change all batteries thanks again