[Mark]

Terry,

As long as you have good 50 amp, leave it plugged in and on float. Float should be about 26.6. Be sure to not have the autostart armed if in a garage. As to how long your Lifelines should last, 5 or 6 or years if properly used. I can go about 12 hrs. dry camping before needing the generator to charge, but I don’t let it get below 24v. As your batteries age, that time between charges will decrease. There is a small round white sticker on your batteries with 2 letters, I can tell you the age with those letters.

Unless someone has added a smart charger (3 stage) to your chassis batteries, they will eventually discharge to the point of not starting your bus. There are a lot variables, but generally you should be able to go a couple months without needing a charge, shutting off the 12 and 24 chassis disconnect may help with that, but there will still be parasite loads for DDEC. Some can’t even go a month without charging and battery age will be a factor. I use 3 years as a chassis battery change.

[Archived]

thank you for the info

[Archived]

Terry,

Like Tom said I leave mine plugged in and the inverters on all the time, after a trip when I plug into 50 amp power mine will go into float charge by the next morning, not sure how long it really takes.

I also just changed my start batteries out this week, just to make sure they didn’t leave me somewhere. They were 4 years and 4 months old, again as Tom mention, about every month or so I turn on my battery charger and by the next day the light on the charger is green and the batteries are topped off. They have never failed to start and as Tom and Jon preach, I changed them out as preventative maintenance.

[Doug]

Even after driving all day I run the generator or use shore power to let the inverters fully charge the house batteries. Driving is only a maintenance charge and unless the full charging voltage is 28.4 to 28.8 and the inverters cycle through bullk, absorb and then to float the house batteries are not being charged fully, something that if normal tends to shorten battery life.

Unlike a lot of owners I never charge my chassis batteries unless I have been working on the coach and drawing power from them. They do reach a full charge because they are getting charged when heated from the engine so I do nothing special to maintain them. I use Delco 1150 exclusively, change on their fifth anniversary (house also) and they have never let me down.

The temperature of the batteries determines charge voltage and if your house batteries have inverters with temperature sensors you are doing all you can do to make them last.

Pay close attention to what Tom said. He and I never allow our batteries to use autostart for charging because it draws them down too deep and that alone kills batteries prematurely.

[John]

welcome, locals

[David]

thank you.