Why Is My RV Battery Not Charging?

When not related to shore energy, you depend on your RV batteries to energy lights and choose home equipment, like your water pump. RV electrical programs are designed to recharge your batteries when related to shore energy. 

Most towable RVs are additionally designed to recharge the batteries when the 7-pin connector is connected to your tow car and its engine is operating. In most motorhomes, {the electrical} system pulls energy from the alternator to recharge your coach battery whereas the engine runs. Verify your proprietor’s handbook to verify if that is so to your RV.

That is how these programs ought to perform. However what occurs when you end up asking: Why is my RV battery not charging?

Let’s study some widespread points and troubleshooting suggestions you should utilize to find out your finest path ahead. 

Frequent Indicators of Potential Battery Points

Typically, RV batteries will final 2-5 years or longer. The lifetime of an RV battery depends upon the kind of battery, the depth of discharge, the temperature of the surroundings it’s utilized in, and the diploma of correct upkeep.

Technician Tip: Lithium batteries are designed to be absolutely discharged, however lead acid batteries must be maintained above 50% discharge.

A completely charged lead acid battery ought to register between 12.4 and 12.8 volts when measured with a digital multimeter. When a lead acid battery’s cost falls beneath 11.6 volts DC, your RV’s 12-volt electrical gadgets will start to fail. 

Batteries with different chemistries shall be barely totally different. Lithium-ion batteries attain 14.1 volts DC, whereas lithium-iron phosphate batteries high out at 14.6 volts DC. These limits enable newer RV converters/chargers to inform which battery is used.

Technician Tip: Not all battery chemistries are appropriate for each situation, location, use, or cost price. Watch out when contemplating swapping an present RV battery for a elaborate new battery of a special chemistry. Different modifications to the location or system could also be required for protected, dependable operation.

Listed below are some indicators your battery isn’t performing because it ought to: 

• Dim or flickering lights
• Gradual slide-out operation
• The furnace gained’t mild
• Gradual operation of hydraulic stabilizing jacks
• Fixed tripping of circuit breakers or popping of fuses
• Automated leveling jacks might lock out in fault mode or lose zero-point calibration
• Elevated recharge frequency

Study extra about RV, truck, and boat batteries. 

Why Is My RV Battery Not Charging Whereas Plugged In?

There are a number of doable causes a battery gained’t cost whereas your RV is plugged in. Along with studying by these potential causes, you possibly can obtain this resolution tree to assist troubleshoot your battery charging challenge.

No AC Energy

The primary, and arguably best, factor to test is the 120-volt energy supply. If the breakers aren’t on and also you don’t have 120-volt AC energy coming in, there’s nothing to transform, and your battery gained’t cost.

Verify that the breakers aren’t tripped. Verify the completion of all electrical connections to the breaker, between your surge protector and shore energy twine, from the twine to your RV, and between your twine and any electrical adapters you could be utilizing. 

Technician Tip: Breakers on campground energy pedestals are almost certainly to journey throughout instances of excessive utilization (i.e., holidays just like the 4th of July) as a result of campers are almost certainly to plug in further lights and powered equipment at these instances.

You can even use our 120V AC Determination Tree to assist troubleshoot shore energy points.

Battery Disconnect Change In The Flawed Place

One other widespread downside is that the battery disconnect change is badly positioned. This change is nice for storing your RV as a result of it eliminates the potential for a sluggish battery drain while you’re not utilizing your RV. 

However suppose you don’t change it again to the right place while you begin tenting once more. In that case, you gained’t be getting energy out of your battery to your RV’s electrical system, and your system additionally gained’t recharge the battery when plugged into shore energy.

Incomplete Battery Connections

A 3rd potential motive your battery isn’t charging might be that your battery cables are disconnected. In case your RV isn’t geared up with a battery disconnect change, you possible take away the battery cables for storage. If these cables aren’t securely related and tightened when it’s time to camp once more, your battery gained’t cost or present energy. 

Technician Tip: It is a nice time to test battery cables and terminals for corrosion and clear them up if wanted.

Incomplete Floor

Subsequent, an incomplete floor might stop your battery from charging. Some RV battery cables run from the battery right into a 12-volt distribution panel. Others are grounded by being related on to the chassis. In both format, the bottom must be safe and corrosion-free to assist defend your system and maintain charging your battery as engineered.

Blown Fuses or Tripped Breakers

The following doable motive is damaged fuses or tripped breakers. Find your RV’s circuit breaker panel. First, test the breaker related together with your RV’s converter. If this breaker is tripped, the converter gained’t recharge your battery when related to shore energy. 

Technician Tip: In case your circuit breaker panel isn’t correctly labeled, now is a good time to deliver it into a Tenting World Service Heart to have an authorized technician take a look at and label it for you!  

Why Is My RV Converter Not Charging The Battery?

As talked about above, test that the breaker for your RV’s converter hasn’t been tripped earlier than contemplating whether or not your converter has gone unhealthy. However for those who’ve accomplished the checks above, it could be time to evaluate the operation of the converter itself. 

To do that, you’ll want a digital multimeter. This useful gizmo must be in each RV device equipment, and so they’re comparatively inexpensive to amass. With yours in hand, set it to measure DC voltage (Ian explains extra within the video above!).

Our first test assumes the battery was absolutely charged to start with. Contact the take a look at results in the posts in your RV battery and test the show. It ought to measure greater than 12.8 volts, indicating an incoming cost.

In case your battery wasn’t absolutely charged, test the battery’s voltage earlier than plugging within the RV after which once more after connecting to shore energy. The voltage ought to improve by a minimum of 0.5 volts DC if the converter is working and all fuses, breakers, switches, and wiring are right.

Study extra about troubleshooting RV converters and inverters.

Why Is My RV Battery Not Charging Whereas Towing?

Your tow car could possibly recharge your RV’s battery by {the electrical} connector that you simply connect with your tow car. That is the case for towables and tow automobiles that use a 7-pin connector with a charging wire devoted to this objective. 

Technician Tip: In case your connection makes use of a 4-pin connector, your setup isn’t designed to cost your RV battery whereas towing. 

Like testing your converter above, you should utilize a digital multimeter set to DC voltage to check that your battery voltage is above 12.8 volts when related to your tow car. That indicators an incoming cost by the 7-pin connector. In case your measurement is decrease than 12.8 volts, it’s time to troubleshoot. 

It’s worthwhile to start by verifying there’s 12-volt energy coming out of your tow car to your 7-pin plug. Right here’s a diagram telling you which of them lead is accountable for 12-volt charging: 

Begin your tow car and place your multimeter’s black take a look at lead on the bottom probe and the purple take a look at lead on the battery energy probe. Confirm you’re getting voltage to the plug as a result of, for those who’re not, you’ll most likely have to pop the hood of your tow car and test the fuses.

In the event you get voltage to the plug however nonetheless don’t see greater than 12.8 volts when testing your RV battery posts, you’ll have a wiring challenge. You might also have a battery solenoid in-line. I like to recommend contacting a Tenting World Service Heart to schedule additional electrical testing if that is so.

Why Does My RV Battery Not Maintain a Cost?

Discharging your RV battery farther than is beneficial is the commonest trigger for batteries failing to carry a cost. Most RV batteries shouldn’t be depleted previous 50% of their capability earlier than recharging. 

Past that, components like age, incorrect charging voltage, and incorrect charging technique may also affect your battery’s capacity to carry a cost as meant. In case your battery doesn’t maintain a cost: 

• Verify the date stamp. RV batteries which might be greater than six years previous must be changed. 
• Guarantee right charging voltage and technique. Keep away from utilizing an adjunct battery charger (equivalent to a automobile charger) that doesn’t match your battery producer’s voltage specs.

Seek the advice of a Tenting World Service Heart when you’ve got questions on discovering a substitute RV battery.

Our battery troubleshooting article is one other nice useful resource for recommendations on finding, testing, and preserving your RV battery charged.

What questions do you’ve about utilizing and sustaining your RV battery? Tell us within the feedback beneath.