Long Term Shore Power and House Battery

[wpholland]

I have a 2008 Safari Sport 17 and I have left it plug in when I'm not on the road up to a year. I've had no problem with the batteries. Just check the water now and them.

[rmkrum]

All the red light says is that you have 12volt power in the AS to run your 12volt stuff really. It does not clearly indicate if the batteries are actually turned on. Dumb design. IMHO.

I plan to log into it, and possibly add another LED across the main relay coil to let me know its closed, which means batteries are co be red to the 12 volt buss. Just need to take it apart and trace wires. Someday 😄


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[rmkrum]

Co be red autocorrect from 'connected'. Sheesh!


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[wanderingduo]

The use/store button will stay illuminated when on shore power, however that does not necessarily mean that your batteries are being charged. If you press the button to the use position and hear an audible click it means you are charging the batteries, and vice versa if you press store, you are not charging the batteries, instead the converter is feeding the rig the required dc power. The use/store button is an easily confused component... ask me how I know. :-)

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by cbrittan

Well, this is good to know and is certainly not what I would expect.

I guess this begs another question. If on shore power and pressing the AS gauge button to determine 'battery voltage', am I seeing the actual battery voltage (always shows 13.5) or the voltage being produced at that moment by the charger/converter?

I already know from experience when not on shore power, the AS gauge does show the actual battery voltage.

Thanks all for your consult. I am feeling much more at ease now as to best ways to maintain my batteries when on extended shore power.

Just remember, when on shore power and in store position you batteries are not charging, so it's wise to switch to "use" every couple weeks to bring them back to full charge.

[tjdonahoe]

My batteries usually last 6-7 years with out any problems using the stock converter , just check your water level every 4-6 months...what airstream originally installed works fine for me....

[dkottum]

We have the original (early 2012 model) converter/charger and AGM batteries with factory solar. Always isolate the batteries with the Battery Disconnect Switch when on shore power and let the solar charge them, or the truck when on the road. Boondocking for several days right now in Mew Mexico and the batteries are fine.

Tip: If camping with hookups and isolating batteries in STORE position, don't forget to put the Battery Disconnect Switch in USE position when hitting the road or your fridge will not be working on propane.

[phann]

Originally Posted by cbrittan

So no shore power, press the button, hear the switch, the red light goes out.
Shore power connected, press the button, hear the switch, the red light stays on. What to make of this? Am I disconnected? Is there a way to find out?
Comments please and thank you again!

That's normal. See: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f37/...ch-136119.html

[glenrms]

"So no shore power, press the button, hear the switch, the red light goes out.
Shore power connected, press the button, hear the switch, the red light stays on. What to make of this? Am I disconnected? Is there a way to find out?"

Same here. Waiting for a response from someone. My meter shows the battery is no longer being charged. I'm assuming all is good? Thanks

[phann]

When you are not connected to shore power, the red light goes on when the battery disconnect switch "Use" side is pressed, and goes off when the "Store" side is pressed. You should hear a distinct click sound when the switch is turned either way. Unfortunately, when connected to shore power, the red light is always on regardless of whether the battery disconnect is in Use or Store position.

When I first got my Airstream, I was unsure how all this worked, as you are. So I used a voltmeter across my battery terminals to double check the disconnect switch functions with shore power on. I found that my batteries showed 12.7 volts or less while the battery disconnect "Store" side was on, whereas the voltage jumped well above 13 volts when the "Use" side was on, indicating the batteries were being charged in that switch position.

These days, when I'm on shore power, and unsure of the battery disconnect status (due to the uselessness of the red light always on), I just press the "Store" side of the disconnect switch and take in on faith that my battery is no longer being charged. No problems with it after 10000 miles of use.

[OTRA15]

Thank you phann for the thorough explanation. I had sensed that my new FC20 operated this way, but had not gotten around to double-checking with a voltmeter at the batteries.

Much appreciated . . .