House batteries wont recharge from driving (halfway on cross country trip)

[Kevin D Pem]

it is sitting. I'm not plugged into sure power. batteries read anywhere between 12.2 and 12.9 since the problem started. unplugged the solar system, read batts 12.75 and drove 90 minutes and read 12.4

Answer how driving has anything to do with house batteries, and you will likely have your Answer! When I read this I think the two are somehow connected. If they were they should be charging.

If a small load brings down the voltage as far as you say, have you load tested the house batteries. Have you checked any Isolators to verify it is functioning? Have you made sure batteries are installed with proper polarity?

I would stay up and help, but my help will have to wait till tomorrow.

 

[Wemustrv]

Till you get it figured out, run the genny to charge the house. Yes, on the road!

I have done this successfully many times. We will run the generator going down the road if it is hot and we need to run roof AC or if we have something cooking. Prior to changing batteries I did in fact use it to charge weak house batteries going down the road.

 

[moto_marx]

Answer how driving has anything to do with house batteries, and you will likely have your Answer! When I read this I think the two are somehow connected. If they were they should be charging.

If a small load brings down the voltage as far as you say, have you load tested the house batteries. Have you checked any Isolators to verify it is functioning? Have you made sure batteries are installed with proper polarity?

I would stay up and help, but my help will have to wait may be that the converter is bad given the pics I attached

Answer how driving has anything to do with house batteries, and you will likely have your Answer! When I read this I think the two are somehow connected. If they were they should be charging.

If a small load brings down the voltage as far as you say, have you load tested the house batteries. Have you checked any Isolators to verify it is functioning? Have you made sure batteries are installed with proper polarity?

I would stay up and help, but my help will have to wait till tomorrow.

yea, it might be a bad converter given the test results in the pics in my update post about. the fridge/freezer uses a little power nonstop to power a fan. it just charged from 12.3v to 12.4 overnight with solar connected under gas station lights. thank God I installed that before the trip

 

[moto_marx]

yea, it might be a bad converter given the test results in the pics in my update post about. the fridge/freezer uses a little power nonstop to power a fan. it just charged from 12.3v to 12.4 overnight with solar connected under gas station lights. thank God I installed that before the trip

I installed them correctly last year and keep the batt. bay clean and connections tight. never had this problem living full time in it for the last year. I didn't think I could load test it cos I'm on the road. also, I've paid close attention to their levels and states of charging. I thought since the batts never went below 12.2, that a reading of 12.95v is accurate at sitting. the isolated has always worked. I'm not sure how that would be related. the starting batt. is even newer and reads 12.6-8 all the time

 

[Kevin D Pem]

What did you say was in Cali!

 

[moto_marx]

in the batt management system compartment under the hood, I tested the auxiliary start solenoid (going to the house batts) for 12v DC while sitting and unplugged and found it was 12.88v (like reads at the batteries also) and while idling and was -1v. also, the other side of the solenoid going to starting batt and found was also 12.88v at sitting and unplugged but went to .26v while idling. saw a demo that recommended starting there. that also explains why the voltage doesn't change at the converter (leads feeding power to converer) with the main breaker off vs. on

 

[moto_marx]

I have done this successfully many times. We will run the generator going down the road if it is hot and we need to run roof AC or if we have something cooking. Prior to changing batteries I did in fact use it to charge weak house batteries going down the road.

my gunny isn't cranking over. it's been a broke for months. I'll have it diagnosed when I get the money

 

[moto_marx]

good cheap bud, great climate, better pay, more gov. resouces, more libs to laugh at, a wide range of nature environments...