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Charging system part 2

April 22, 2016, 05:27:21 pm

Hi,

In a continuation of the below thread I pulled the coach batteries and had them tested- weak, yes, old yes.

Two new coach batteries installed

Progressive Dynamics PD9280 converter does have a fan and has performed great for the last 4 years.

PD9280 fan DOES NOT run when shore power (110v) is connected.  only the humm of the generator switch.

How can I tell if my PD9280 is working?  Yes, I have electricity at plug for PD9280-checked that.  I'm sure that in the past the fan has always run when plugged in.  I'm worried my battery failure is tied to the 9280 not working and afraid to ruin two new batteries.

Thanks in advance,

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Re: Charging system part 2

Reply #1 – April 22, 2016, 05:32:52 pm

Dan,

Pretty easy to tell:

Before plugging in, determine voltage at the house batteries with a digital voltmeter.

Plug into shore power.  Re-check voltage at the house batteries.

Check voltage again after 12+ hours.

Let us know what you find.

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Re: Charging system part 2

Reply #2 – April 22, 2016, 06:36:16 pm

A couple of times the OEM Freedom 25 unit on our 1997 coach has failed to charge the house batteries after I plugged to shore power. The problem is immediately obvious on the Link 2000 display. The voltage does not rise and the current continues in the "-" (discharge) range rather than changing to a "+" (charge) value. I used "percussive maintenance" on the Freedom 25. I bumped it firmly with my hand. I immediately heard some sounds of life (hum and fan) from the charger. I assume a relay was "sticky." The unit has worked well since those brief glitches.

Check connections and try "percussive maintenance." Sometimes a few taps with a rubber mallet will coerce a part to function properly. It might help and is not likely to harm anything.

If you don't have a panel to monitor the values, you can use Brett's suggestion to use a digital voltmeter to check the voltage at the batteries. Another way to monitor (relative) voltage is to plug a voltmeter into a 12VDC outlet. Our coach has two outlets on the dashboard. One is connected to the house batteries. The other is connected to the chassis batteries. Digital voltmeters plugged to those outlets can provide useful information.

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Re: Charging system part 2

Reply #3 – April 22, 2016, 07:20:58 pm

Some units use thermal switches for the fan so it isn't running 24/7

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Re: Charging system part 2

Reply #4 – April 22, 2016, 08:41:07 pm

Thanks guys, will try these suggestions

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