Adventures OUTSIDE COMFORT ZONE!

[ColoradoLady]

Thanks for your input Peter and Mimi. I purposely did not plug in to home power, so to enable accurate evaluation. I'll report future findings. Fridge/freezer is all I have on.

[ColoradoLady]

The house main battery= 12.5, auxiliary battery= 11.87. Attempt to charge via generator failed, so, I started the engine, then, was able to turn gen on with support of auto engine. I let gen run for 1 hr45 minutes, resulting in: main house battery= 12.79, auxiliary battery= 12.17. Shut down gen, turned off. Main disconnect switch. It was 90 degrees today with bright sun all day, and I would have expected a full charge on both from 100 watt solar panel. I'm not feeling very confident that the two batteries were changed and replaced by batteries sent to them by the factory. I will check in the A.M.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the new report. As background, here is your report from Saturday 6/25 (battery readings from around noon or so, I am assuming?) --

Originally Posted by ColoradoLady

I picked up my "Goliath" this morning from local dealer. When I got home, I checked the coach/house batteries....what ??? They only show 12.94 and 12.75 for both.
. . .

Now you are reporting that yesterday (Monday -- afternoon I am assuming?) you first observed:

Originally Posted by ColoradoLady

The house main battery= 12.5, auxiliary battery= 11.87. Attempt to charge via generator failed, so, I started the engine, then, was able to turn gen on with support of auto engine.
. . .

Am I correct in assuming that approx. 48 hours passed between the two sets of readings above?

And that the fridge was the main electrical load on the system -- no lights, no hidden lights left on in storage areas, propane detector parasitic draw yes . . . any other loads during the two days? Like going out to Goliath and turning the lights on to do trip prep., show him to friends, etc.?

My comment on the facts so far -- again I am no expert, so please do not rely on my opinion alone -- is that the batteries were lower than they should have been after 48 hours of Goliath sitting with only the loads above, especially with your solar panel active. Was it sunny during the days?


Then you further report from yesterday Monday:

Originally Posted by ColoradoLady

. . .
I let gen run for 1 hr 45 minutes, resulting in: main house battery= 12.79, auxiliary battery= 12.17. Shut down gen, turned off. Main disconnect switch. It was 90 degrees today with bright sun all day, and I would have expected a full charge on both from 100 watt solar panel. I'm not feeling very confident that the two batteries were changed and replaced by batteries sent to them by the factory. I will check in the A.M.

First, were these new voltage readings taken more than an hour after you charged them? Readings taken right after charging are not accurate, as I understand things. Please let us know what you find this morning for battery voltages.

Because I do not have a similar AI it is hard to comment further. One possibility is that the charging system is not set up correctly, assuming that there are menu options one can toggle on and off. Another cause might be that the new batteries had not been fully charged correctly before they were installed. Other possible weak links in the chain are beyond my knowledge and expertise, I regret to say. A short circuit of some kind comes to mind though . . .

My basic gut reaction is that a new Airstream Interstate with even a small solar panel should have done better in maintaining the voltage in the new batteries, over the course of only 48 hours.

Sorry not to be more help . . . and good luck getting the bottom of this!

Peter

PS -- You might consider sending a PM to AI users like Protagonist, and to experts like lewster, for their more informed opinions. They would probably be happy to chime in if they were aware of your problem.

[paiceman]

Evelyn here is how to tell if you have NEW batteries:

The age of a car battery is always stamped on a label which is normally located on the side of the battery. This label indicates when the battery was shipped from the manufacturer. Important battery information starts with 2 characters:
Letter - indicates which month the car battery was manufactured in (Example: A is January, B is February, C is March, etc)
Digit - indicates the year in which the battery was manufactured (Example: 9 for 1999, 0 for 2000, 1 for 2001, etc)
For example an automotive battery date code that starts with "B1" would be February, 2001.


Sometimes depending on brand of battery with the 12v Deep Cycle which I believe you have in the coach there are no labels put on the side, but instead these codes are stamped onto the top of the battery post.


With solar unless you have a lot going on in the coach the batteries should stay about 12.7. Ours do in our AS with solar and sun, cloudy days is a struggle.


Bud

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by paiceman

. . .
With solar unless you have a lot going on in the coach the batteries should stay about 12.7. Ours do in our AS with solar and sun, cloudy days is a struggle.

Bud

Would this cover her having the fridge on for two days without being hooked up to shore power? What wattage are your panels rated at?

Thanks for the feedback.

Peter

[mimiandrews]

paiceman probably has a different fridge in his trailer. I assume his is gas/electric, ColoradoLady has a Danfoss compressor type fridge in her Interstate.

[ColoradoLady]

Days have been sunny, in 90's past several days. "Goliath" solar panel is fully exposed to full sun.
No, it was not 48 hrs. I forgot to post 6/26 findings: 10 am: mn 12.0 aux 11.63
(Gen on 2 hr= mn 12.68 aux 12.59 read b4 turned gen off.)

6/28 @ 10:30am: 0 on = mn 12.37 & aux 11.66 (turned gen on to chg).

When I picked him up at dealer, they gave me the keys, but, no work papers or warranty for new battery. I'm calling Airstream again with report.

[Lily&Me]

You certainly need papers and warranty info on the new batteries, Evelyn.

I would call that dealership asap, ask them to mail or email you a set which should be in their computers, and keep a record of your conversation.

Good luck.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

The intermediate voltage readings you just reported suggest something is wrong IMO. Sorry I don't have the expertise to help any further, but another visit to the dealer is in order IMO, with a request that they charge the batteries then provide a daily log of voltage readings without any connection to shore power. The dealer should also be able to plug Goliath into their diagnostic computer to check for short circuits and so forth.

The Interstate owner's manual, at the bottom of p. 5-16, says you can disconnect the unit from shore power for 30 days, with only 1-2 days of charging time needed during that period.

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...Interstate.pdf

Could this be a Mercedes electrical problem, which the Airstream dealer is unable to find?

Good luck!

[ColoradoLady]

I have called the local dealer, asked for work papers and battery warranty. (For new batteries installed under warranty). He told me "I need to get warranty papers from Airstream". He emailed work papers to me. Set up new appt. for diagnostics to locate problem (July 20).

I called Airstream c.s., and informed of persistent problem and new appt date. She emailed several sets of info re: Lifeline AGM BATTERIES to me. I am emailing full report log to local dealer and to Airstream contact person.

Tomorrow, I take "Goliath" to RV storage site with electric hookup. Extra expense, but, apparently needed to maintain batteries.

I have a trip planned week before I take back to dealer and will have full hookups, so hopefully no problem that week. (Fingers crossed)!

[OTRA15]

You would probably have a wider audience if you posted about this problem in the Sprinter B-van forum:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/

If you scan the list of threads, there are already some which are about battery issues, for instance:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...ry-152607.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...nt-151824.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...ie-151481.html

Good luck!

Peter

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Would this cover her having the fridge on for two days without being hooked up to shore power? What wattage are your panels rated at?

Thanks for the feedback.

Peter

A similarly sized fridge from vitrifrigo consumes 45 watts when running. Assuming it runs 30% of the time, that is about 8 hours per day, or 360 watt-hours. A 100 watt solar panel actually delivering 100 watts (typically they dont) would take 3.6 hours to replace the energy used by the fridge. Assuming it is fully illuminated, a good approximation of solar availability is around 4-6 hours. The solar panel will barely (if at all) cover the refrigerator and nothing else. Make sure the inverter is off.

Hopefully Lew will weigh in here with more accurate information. I'm just talking in generalities and approximations.

Al

[ColoradoLady]

My contact at Airstream emailed several sets of info on my batteries and Magnum, etc. reports have been made, per owner responsibility, report logs sent...so, hopefully, the issue will be resolved soon. Trips are planned and miles of enjoyment await!

[Tn Traveler]

Originally Posted by ColoradoLady

I picked up my "Goliath" this morning from local dealer. When I got home, I checked the coach/house batteries....what ??? They only show 12.94 and 12.75 for both. I wonder....did they actually change them?! That's about what they were before. Airstream factory shipped new batteries to them! I will keep it in front of my home for a few days so I can monitor it.
I purposely left the main switch on with fridge on so I can evaluate capability. If no change, I will call Airstream and report! This does not seem right!

CL, were your batteries being charged. Around 12.8 volts is a fully charged battery at rest. Usually around 13.2 on float charge. Are you sure everything was turned off including the propane detector in Goliath. That will bring the voltage down slightly.

[ColoradoLady]

Yes, everything, including propane switch and main disconnect switch were turned off.
I only left the fridge /freezer and main disc switch on the first night, as an attempt to evaluate the minimal usage. After that eval, I turned everything off, checked daily, gen charged 2 hrs daily.

Then, made my reports of the eval log to Airstream and to local dealer, who will do a diagnostics test in July. Tomorrow, I take it to the storage lot, where it will be on electrical connection.

This is getting to be a major PIA. Hopefully will be resolved soon.

[OTRA15]

Does your fridge run off 12-volt from the batteries, in addition to 120-volt AC and propane? Yesterday someone said you have a compressor fridge, and another poster referenced a similar fridge drawing a lot of electrical juice.

Or, have you had to leave your inverter on to supply 120 volts AC for the fridge? This would overwhelm the batteries. You need to be clearer here about the details of your setup, as most of us are familiar only with trailer-based systems.

I again recommend that you post your issues on the Sprinter B-Van forum I linked yesterday. A much wider audience there. Or at least post a reference there to this thread which is in the "Off-topic" forum.

You will prevail, keep hanging in there!

Peter

[OTRA15]

PS the questions I just posted apply only to the first round when you had the fridge on, to clarify your setup. With everything off, the batteries should have held steady per the reference from the owner's manual yesterday.

[mimiandrews]

When you get Goliath back to the Airstream dealer, ask them to show you the markings on the batteries themselves and teach you how to read them. Backhanded diplomacy--make them feel like you think they're the experts, but ask a question that makes them prove they actually did the work.

Meanwhile, use the internet to learn how Lifeline marks their batteries and how to read the codes. In other words, be smart, but act a little ignorant.

Unfortunately, "service" people who think they can take advantage of women because we don't know anything about mechanical or tech stuff are still out there. So, I'd encourage you to learn all you can about Goliath's systems and their workings. It can't be one tenth as complicated as what you dealt with as a nurse. The human body is far more complex than any vehicle.

Besides, the look that appears on that "service" guy's face when he suddenly realizes that you do know what he's talking about is priceless.

[ColoradoLady]

My fridge/freezer is electric only, not propane.
Mimi, I would like to do that, as I am proactive, but, the batteries are beneath the back of the AI, and accessible when put up on a lift. No way could I access them to check. The AI has a very low road clearance, so even if I were inclined to get on my back and slither under it....which I am not....I doubt that I could see anything. Good idea, though.
I must admit, I am suspect...re: honesty of some mechanic, who may want a new battery. It does happen, but, all I can do is make my reports of logs, to the appropriate parties....let them draw their own conclusions. If such a thing did happen, I'm sure it will be determined when it goes in for diagnostics.
I'm giving Goliath a good gen charge before taking it in to storage lot today.

If there is a positive in all of this....I am gaining some education of this complex system. I'll take a positive wherever I find it!

The nice lady at Airstream emailed a plethora of info to me yesterday. I will print most of this out, read over and over, keep for future reference.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by ColoradoLady

My fridge/freezer is electric only, not propane.
. . .

Thanks. And glad for your good attitude about learning!

You should probably get some battery management advice from your dealer, a friendly service person, or an experienced Interstate owner here. If your fridge is the compressor type with a high amperage draw, and if you have to use the inverter to power it at 120 volts (when not on shore power), that is what is killing your house battery IMO (only one house battery right?). Even if the new batteries were in fact new, they may have been damaged recently by multiple readings under 12 volts.

It is my impression -- to be confirmed/corrected by an expert -- that this fridge is not intended to be used while boondocking away from shore power. Or you have to use the generator religiously once or twice a day to charge the house battery which the fridge is draining mightily, especially on hot days. No battery should be allowed to go under 12.5 volts at any time, basically. If this means using the generator three times/day, so be it. The voltage readout is your guide. [<12.5 = charge ASAP]

I could be wrong, but please get very informed expert advice on how to prevent this from happening again.

Good luck!

Peter