battery information

[kano2]

i have an 2013 mercedes airstream interstate. 2 questions.
1. should i disconnect the main battery (connection by the gas pedal) if the unit is going to sit for a week or so??
2. my house batteries were charged overnight and showed 100%, by next morning they showed 0. The battery disconnect switch by the sliding door has a red flashing light. What should I make of all this??

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by kano2

i have an 2013 mercedes airstream interstate. 2 questions.
1. should i disconnect the main battery (connection by the gas pedal) if the unit is going to sit for a week or so??
2. my house batteries were charged overnight and showed 100%, by next morning they showed 0. The battery disconnect switch by the sliding door has a red flashing light. What should I make of all this??

Is your main battery going dead in a week? Normally you should be able to leave the main battery connected for a week or more before there is a problem. But a lot also depends on the condition and age of your battery.

How are you charging your batteries overnight? Are you charging them by plugging into shore power? If so you need to leave it plugged in for a few days to be sure the batteries are fully charged. what is showing 100% charged? if it is the solar charge panel - it is meaningless as it merely shows the voltage on the batteries, not the true state of charge.

My 2013 Interstate does not have a battery disconnect by the sliding door so I can't help with that question. But it does sound like your batteries may be worn to the point where they won't hold a charge. How old are they? If originals they are likely no longer working properly.

[Rusted]

Have a 2013 also the coach batteries drain in Less the a week. Have a solar set up thinking it’s the issue ...

Thinking/planning how to install mechanical a cut off...

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Rusted

Have a 2013 also the coach batteries drain in Less the a week. Have a solar set up thinking it’s the issue ...

Thinking/planning how to install mechanical a cut off...

Coach batteries are different than the chassis battery. The chassis battery should be able to go a week of non-use if the batteries are in good condition as there are minimal parasitic loads from the Sprinter vehicle systems.

But the coach batteries are a different story as the inverter parasitic drain alone is enough to kill the stock batteries in about three days. That was what was happening to my 2013 Interstate with the Airstream installed 50 watt solar panel. Then I added more solar for 400 watts on the roof with a quality MPPT solar controller. My van can now sit indefinitely with sunshine keeping all the batteries topped off. I also upgraded the two stock 12V batteries to four 6V batteries for 440AH total. This is more inline with what Airstream is now delivering on the new Interstates. But they still install that cheap worthless PWM solar controller.

[Rusted]

400 watt panel or panels, new MPPT controller ...6v batteries. Sounds great. Where’s a good placed to get this and install... ?

[n2916s]

AM Solar sells good stuff. I’ll bet they have a “Dealer Locator”. A member of this Forum, “Lewster”, has a superb service reputation but I believe he is taking some time off to restore himself to full health.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by n2916s

AM Solar sells good stuff. I’ll bet they have a “Dealer Locator”. A member of this Forum, “Lewster”, has a superb service reputation but I believe he is taking some time off to restore himself to full health.

Yes - I did my own work on the upgrade, but bought the parts from AM Solar. IMHO - they are the best for RV solar.