House and Chassis Battery Volts

LandHo · 11-20-2005, 04:22 PM

Please confirm this for me.
2003 Suncruiser, Workhorse Chassis.
A) The house batteries are (2) 12 volt. (not (2) 6 volt).

B) The chassis battery is 12 volt (of course) and negative ground system.

Thanks...

LandHo · 11-20-2005, 04:22 PM

Please confirm this for me.
2003 Suncruiser, Workhorse Chassis.
A) The house batteries are (2) 12 volt. (not (2) 6 volt).

B) The chassis battery is 12 volt (of course) and negative ground system.

Thanks...

dirko · 11-20-2005, 07:45 PM

Hi Ho: Actually, either will work and it's possible that 6 or 12 volt bateries were put in by the dealer. It's easy to tell. If a positive terminal is connected to a negative terminal on the batteries, they are 6-volt batteries connected in series. If the positive terminal is connected to a positive terminal etc. you have a parallel connection and they are 12-volt batteries. Curious, what prompts the question?

UPS 34 · 11-21-2005, 01:00 AM

I would say you are right. I would not think of a reason to cahnge batteries on that new of a unit. But if you do alot of boondocking some like to change to 6 volts and hook them together.

LandHo · 11-21-2005, 05:16 AM

Pulled the batteries and the water was nearly non existant...I filled with water, waited for couple of hours and put it on a charger and the charger showed the battery fully charged... I probably need to have the battery load tested...

I just wanted to make sure that I set the charger properly for 12 volt/deep cycle/12 amps...

The batteries are wired in parallel..which I gather gives me 12 volts and lots of amp hours...

Is the WH chassis set up as 12 volt negative ground? I think so...just would like someone to confirm...

dirko · 11-21-2005, 07:44 AM

Hi Ho: Yes, 12-volt negative ground. If the electrolyte was very much below the plates for any lenght of time you may have damaged the batteries. State of charge can really only be measured by measuring specific gravity of each cell. If the cells are bad they may not take a charge readily. Get a hygrometer to measure specific gravity (they are cheap) and let us know what you find.

Cruzer · 11-21-2005, 11:42 AM

I had a 2003 Suncruiser. Yes, you are correct. All 3 of the batteries are 12 volt, both the chassis battery and the two house batteries. All are negative ground.

On my coach I only used a small amount of water within a 6 month period and I kept the coach plugged in 24/7 in my driveway. I also ran a BatteryMinder pulse type trickle charge on my chassis battery, which is not charged by the converter. The reason that water disappears from a battery is generally due to gassing, which happens when batteries are overcharged. Your coach has a 3 stage converter. It is supposed to put out a bulk charge at first, then a maintenance charge, then finally a float type trickle charge to maintain the batteries. These stages are done so that the batteries do not receive excessive voltage and boil over. Excess voltage will cause them to gas and you'll be adding water all the time.

I believe that this is your problem, although it is possible that your engine's alternator (which charges both battery sets when running) may also be putting out excessive voltage. Now that you have them all watered up and charged up, I would run a load test on them with a carbon pile tester. If you remove the batteries and take them to a battery store they will probably do this for you at no charge. That will tell you whether or not they've sustained any permanent damage. Next, I'd check the output voltages on your converter and alternator to make sure this doesn't keep on happening.

LandHo · 11-21-2005, 04:57 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cruzer:
... Next, I'd check the output voltages on your converter and alternator to make sure this doesn't keep on happening. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good idea, now where is the easiest place (location) to check the 2 output voltages? I'll get battery specific gravity device later this week too.

troth · 11-22-2005, 01:53 AM

Check your battery voltages right in their compartment. After charging the coach batteries, turn your main coach power switch off; that isolates your coach batteries and they won't be receiving any charge at that point. Then measure right at the battery posts with a voltmeter. Similar procedure for engine (chassis) battery; have engine off, have step switch off, measure voltage at battery terminals.
You can find a good hydrometer at NAPA auto parts stores. Read the instructions; batteries must be "at rest" for a few hours (no charge, no discharge) to get accurate readings.