Normal Battery Voltage???

[Silvr_Lining]

Hi Folks,
We've had our (new to us) 2007 16' CCD Bambi for a couple of weeks now. We've been plugged into shore power and everything seems to be working just fine. I took a look at the batteries and was slightly miffed that the batteries (2) were nearly dry and the terminals were badly corroded. I added distilled water and cleaned up the terminals and left them to charge overnight. I came back to check them today and I noticed they were wired in series, ok... but they measured 12v EACH... 24volts! (in the process of cleaning the batteries I have disconnected them from the converter) I then measured the voltage from the converter and it measured 24v ????? I checked a 12v receptacle and it measured 24v.
Everything I know and have read about RV's is they are 12v systems.
What am I missing???

[Tincampers]

You're not missing anything, but you have 12v too many. We're the batteries connected in series or parallel?

[wanderingduo]

The 2 12v batteries should be wired in parallel. And if they were as dry as you describe them it's probably best to get new batteries. Are you sure you are reading the voltage off the converter and not the batteries?

[AWCHIEF]

Worthwhile reading for all Airstream owners,

http://wbccicaravan.wbcci.net/files/...your-rv-ii.pdf

[Silvr_Lining]

Ok, ok... I'm a newbie. But I'm also a little red faced. Turns out the voltmeter I was using is not working properly. Which is a good thing! Everything looks fine with a properly working voltmeter (Whew! thought I was really losing it.)
Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I might be in for new batteries. They are 6 volt in series. Maybe time to upgrade too.

[NevadaGeo]

Originally Posted by Silvr_Lining

Ok, ok... I'm a newbie. But I'm also a little red faced. Turns out the voltmeter I was using is not working properly. Which is a good thing! Everything looks fine with a properly working voltmeter (Whew! thought I was really losing it.)
Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I might be in for new batteries. They are 6 volt in series. Maybe time to upgrade too.

Don't be too embarrassed, it seems that it's hard to purchase a test tool that tests correctly. A few months ago I bought a battery tester that would only read 6 volts, the needle was stuck out of the box.

[AtomicNo13]

Flat to hear you actually have 6 volt batteries.... Wired in series!
If they were 12 volt batteries in series you certainly would have cooked most of your devices!

My suggestion is this....
If your batteries were on fact void of electrolyte, even a little bit, your batteries are forever damaged, and will lead to a very disappointing camping trip. Despite topping them off, and them taking a charge, they are permanently damaged. Buy 2 new batteries and maintain them monthly!
Add grease to the terminal ends, monitor the fluid level, replace your stock converter with a 4 stage model, add a little solar charging ability so when you're not using/ plugged in, you'll still be charging and maintaining passively!
SAMs club has decent pricing on golf cart batteries....
Lifeline, Trojan, rolls are all fine battery mfgrs. Stay clear of Optima. It's just a pretty face.
Battery don't have to be a scary decision, nor does maintenance. Just keep everything greased and charged, and the electrons parade will always be sunny!
Good luck, and google Fluke meter!

[Zil]

The best bang for the buck is still 6 volt flooded golf cart batteries. Maybe after you have lots of experience you can change to higher priced more difficult to manage batteries. The best upgrade would be to a smart battery charger. You would have to change the converter for different batteries than flooded cells, anyway. This site has lots of information about house batteries and stuff. marinehowto.com

[AnnArborBob]

Nothing beats a pair of 6 volt AGM batteries for ease of maintenance and capacity.

[Silver Hawk]

Best advice;

AnnArborBob: Nothing beats a pair of 6 volt AGM batteries for ease of maintenance and capacity.

From another: Replace cheep original converter with a three (or four) stage converter.

And another: Add solar panel.

Than forget batteries and never look back!

Taking advice from this forum, I did and it's worked perfectly ever since.