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Battery Drain Issue

A brief history:
WhenI first purchased the coach, and went to Old Town Motorcoach, they suggested I install a VSR ( voltage sensing regulator), which I did.
Last year, I installed three new 950 amp starter batteries
Last summer, I installed three new 8d house batteries.
Last summer I installed the Delco starter Roger recommended. BIG improvement.

I have been parked at our RV park since November. We typically are plugged into the land line, which I BELIEVED charged ALL my batteries. Many days, we disconnect from the land line, and just maintain the coach with 360 w of solar.

I typically DO NOT  leave the boost switch on.

Yesterday, I hit the boost switch, and she started right up. I let it idle for a while and shut it off.
About ten minutes later, I hit the booster switch and tried to fire her up. The dash started blinking and it sounded like the starter was struggling. I decided not to panic. I put a test on the first start battery, and it read ok. I then decided to put my charger on the start batteries, with the hope of starting it up the next day.

This morning, I hit the boost switch, and she started right up.

SOooo......the QUESTION IS: can anyone give me insight into what may be going on? If I am doing something wrong, like NOT leaving the boost switch on while plugged into landline, tell me. Could we have a parasitic draw?
We are getting ready to head home, and I can't have starter issues. Thanks for the help.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #1 –
Glenn,

Take your digital voltmeter and verify that both house and chassis battery are being charged by shore power.

Also, clean and tighten connections at the battery-- a loose connection can give the same symptoms as battery problems.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #2 –
The land line should be charging the house batteries.  Butt I'm not reading anything that indicates your engine battery charging is tied into the shore power charging.  Unless you have a battery to battery charging system ?? 

  Most people would not recommend leaving the boost on for maintaining the engine battery charge.    Having said that,, still should have been plenty of juice in your house batts to boost the engine batts for starting.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #4 –
Yes, OE was for only the house bank to be charged by shore power/generator.

But many owners have installed "work arounds"-- several good choices out there.  There are "smart thiefs" like Xantrex Echo charge that takes charge from the house bank and sends it to chassis battery when house bank voltage is high enough.

There are several good low-amp stand along chargers that work on 120 VAC.

IMO, you need something, all will keep the chassis battery charged and overcome parasitic load.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #5 –
Glenn said he has installed a VSR. That should charge both battery banks. That is the way it works on my coach..

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #6 –
Sounds like you need to clean the battery terminals and make sure that they are tight. Like Brett said put a volt meter on the batteries so that you know what the voltage is. Otherwise you are whistling in the dark. Information is important.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #7 –
whenever I'm camping and hooked up to shore power, the night before I leave I set my boost/charge switch to "charge"...this tops off the chassis battery. . I've heard a half dozen guys say "you shouldn't use the the "boost /charge" system to charge your chassis battery"...but not a single good explanation why...I have a 200amp Cole/Hersee solenoid on that system and at most my charger will put out 80amps...I maybe consume 5amps keeping the solenoid energized...if your at a campsite paying for the electrical service, why not use it??

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #8 –
Quote from: len.barron –
I've heard a half dozen guys say "you shouldn't use the the "boost /charge" system to charge your chassis battery".
In the context of most discussions on this subject, what you have heard usually means "You shouldn't leave the BOOST switch turned ON for long periods of time, like when the coach is parked in storage or at a RV park for months on end".

Why? Because that's not the primary purpose of the boost solenoid.  It is provided for emergency situations when you can't get your coach started off the chassis battery bank.  Also, what Bruce says below.

IMO, nobody is saying (or means to say) that you can never use your boost switch to top off your chassis batteries.  It's just that there are better, more appropriate ways to keep your chassis batteries fully charged. 

It's your coach, so you should DWMYH.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #9 –
Of course you can charge your start batteries with the boost sw. However IMHO If you continually need to do that for relatively short stops you have other issues. Also if you where to loose power with the inverter on you may unknowingly drain the start batteries.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #10 –
My take on it is this: The switch has two positions for a reason "boost" for when you want some help starting, and "charge" for when you want to charge the chassis battery...it's no more detrimental to charge a chassis battery than a house battery with your installed charger (in my case is a multi-stage smart charger). Proper charge profile is key...if (for the older coach owners) you have the old ferro-resistance "battery boiler" charger then you need a new charger.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #11 –
Quote from: len.barron –
I've heard a half dozen guys say "you shouldn't use the the "boost /charge" system to charge your chassis battery"...but not a single good explanation why...I have a 200amp Cole/Hersee solenoid on that system and at most my charger will put out 80amps...I maybe consume 5amps keeping the solenoid energized...if your at a campsite paying for the electrical service, why not use it??
That's what it's there for Len.barron.  The Cole Hersee relay Foretravel uses is rated for continuous duty, but it looks much like a standard Ford style starter relay which is most definitely NOT rated for continuous duty.  Cole Hersee also makes a relay that looks the same but is only rated for intermittent duty.  And it is less expensive.  Lesser brands use standard starter relays to couple the batteries for emergency starting, and have a momentary switch to energize them.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #12 –
Quote from: len.barron –
The switch has two positions for a reason "boost" for when you want some help starting, and "charge" for when you want to charge the chassis battery.
Wonder why it has two switch positions, if they both do exactly the same thing (turn on the boost solenoid).

Mine only has one position...I feel deprived.  :'(

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #13 –
If I want to instal a Trik-L-  start, how do you route the wires from the house batteries to the start batteries in my coach?
ALso, a buddy mentioned something like "Amplecharger?", but I can't seem to find that brand. Anyone use that charger?

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #14 –
Same company 2 products. You can find both connections at the isolator if you have one or at what ever replaced it.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #15 –
Hello GleamB.

The link which I provided up in reply #3 mentions the "Amp-L-Start" at the bottom of the page.  Maybe this is the product your friend mentioned.

It is shown as being appropriate for lithium batteries.

-FT

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #16 –
Quote from: GleamB –
If I want to instal a Trik-L-Start, how do you route the wires from the house batteries to the start batteries in my coach?
Trik-L-Start installation at battery isolator.  Photo courtesy of Dan (AC7880)

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #17 –
Excellent......thanks, guys!

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #18 –
The early Foretravel's like the 1988 and years previous had the 2 position switch which was momentary for boost and the other position was constant. I think that the engineers realized that the 2 position switch was not needed that having only a on or off switch would do the very same thing as the 2 position switch and be less confusing.

Re: Battery Drain Issue

Reply #19 –
Glenn, another way to wire the trike-L-start, you can use the wires on either side of the boost solenoid same principal but it was easier to mount in that location on our coach
Chris