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  • Battery fault (31g)

    Question about a battery fault. I store my new rig (31g) where I can’t leave it plugged into shore power. Went to it yesterday and it was dead- no power to anything at all. (Assumed I left something on even though I was pretty sure I didn’t- strung a long extension out to it and it came back on). The jaboni controller came back on and said battery fault 6 low voltage... again assuming battery dead but then after all came on battery read from that controller as 13.1 v or so, and inside controller panel listed it as full- was able to immediately unplug from shore power and still was operating fine.

    Any ideas what might be wrong- I tried all resets and battery disconnects to get it working, but it didn’t come to life until I was able to plug it in. No way to operate any sort of reset without plugging into shore power, but as soon as I did it came back online and battery was full.

    Hoping for this not to happen if I was out dry camping (for now I’ll throw Honda generator in the truck so I’ve got backup for power since I couldn’t even start onboard onan without power.
    And side question- when in storage for 2-4 weeks, should I be flipping battery disconnect and solar disconnect- figured I shouldn’t to keep charge on battery but maybe I’m wrong on this.
    Thanks in advance

  • #2
    The battery disconnect does not remove all loads from the battery. There are a few loads that will drain a battery in a week. With your solar setup it should keep the battery charged unless there is no sun for a few days then the battery may become depleted. You can either add a true disconnect or remove the positive and/or negative cable on the battery and then it will keep the charge state , make sure it is fully charged before disconnecting. If you disconnect the battery you will want to turn off the solar charging also so there is no battery power being generated.

    Brian
    Brian & Michelle
    2018 Reflection 29RS
    2022 Chevy 3500HD

    Comment


    • #3
      crittermd
      My dog heard me repeat your forum name and then he gave me a look that said "I don't think so!" and he ran out of the room. Now why would that be?

      Seriously, welcome to the forum. Please take a moment and check out the Welcome Letter to New Members at https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members when you get a chance. It should help you to understand this forum a little better.

      For your specific issue: as Brian stated, when leaving the camper for any length of time it is best to disconnect a fully charged battery from the system. Most will disconnect the negative cable.

      With your solar setup, disconnecting the panels from the controller is advised, too. (Does your 31G have a disconnect switch for the solar? I'm not sure...) Sorry I keep giving generalities, but normally solar panels should not be connected to a controller (the Jaboni or any other brand) without battery power.

      Why did everything work when you plugged in? The converter in your trailer made 12vDC from the 120vAC shore power and started charging the battery. If the battery showed "full" immediately that's probably not good...but I'm not a battery expert. You might consider having it load tested at a local auto parts store.

      Howard
      Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

      2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

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      • #4
        Thanks for the welcome- appreciate it.

        Yeah, I am not certain still- because I "feel" like it should be a bad battery, yet the battery worked just fine for hours that evening (I went back and operated slides and the such on battery power while disconnected) and still working now.

        Maybe it was a one off glitch. If I manage to figure out a why I will for sure update the thread to help anyone else out if it happens to them.

        Matt

        Comment


        • #5
          Brian and Howard are correct. There are items directly connected to the battery which are independent of the battery switch. Disconnect the negative terminal after a full charge to prevent battery damage if storing more than a few days. Most. if not all of us have had a dead battery during initial ownership due to this condition.

          Jim

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by crittermd View Post
            Question about a battery fault. I store my new rig (31g) where I can’t leave it plugged into shore power. Went to it yesterday and it was dead- no power to anything at all. (Assumed I left something on even though I was pretty sure I didn’t- strung a long extension out to it and it came back on). The jaboni controller came back on and said battery fault 6 low voltage... again assuming battery dead but then after all came on battery read from that controller as 13.1 v or so, and inside controller panel listed it as full- was able to immediately unplug from shore power and still was operating fine.

            Any ideas what might be wrong- I tried all resets and battery disconnects to get it working, but it didn’t come to life until I was able to plug it in. No way to operate any sort of reset without plugging into shore power, but as soon as I did it came back online and battery was full.

            Hoping for this not to happen if I was out dry camping (for now I’ll throw Honda generator in the truck so I’ve got backup for power since I couldn’t even start onboard onan without power.
            And side question- when in storage for 2-4 weeks, should I be flipping battery disconnect and solar disconnect- figured I shouldn’t to keep charge on battery but maybe I’m wrong on this.
            Thanks in advance
            A word of caution here. You have gotten some excellent advice. Question - do you know where your solar panels and controller tie into the batterys? If it is at the battery, be sure the positive lead from the solar controller does not short out to ground which is why disconnecting the negative lead is best. If you ever remove the battery and your not able to turn the solar off, be sure to wrap that positive lead so it does not touch ground. Hopefully GD put a fuse in line somewhere, but who knows.
            2018 Reflection 150 Series 220RK 5th whee, Star White 2022 F350 King Ranch CC Long bed (HAL) (CCC 4062lbs), B&W 25K OEM Companion,. SteadyFast system, Trailer reverse lights, rear receiver spare tire holder, storage tube, sumo springs, Victron MultiPlus 12/120/3000, Solar, Custom 6K axles upgrade, and other modifications.

            Comment


            • #7
              So in the vast amount of reading I have been doing in the past couple of weeks pending the new unit, It appears that the Schwintek slide motors have some form of electric brake in them. Disconnecting the power most likely will allow this brake to release thus the slides may move. You may want to test the slide brake when you disconnect the battery by trying to move the slides manually as described in the manual.
              Joseph
              Tow
              Vehicle: 2024 GMC K3500 Denali Ultimate Diesel
              Coach: 303RLS Delivered March 5, 2021
              South of Houston Texas

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Jlawles2 View Post
                So in the vast amount of reading I have been doing in the past couple of weeks pending the new unit, It appears that the Schwintek slide motors have some form of electric brake in them. Disconnecting the power most likely will allow this brake to release thus the slides may move. You may want to test the slide brake when you disconnect the battery by trying to move the slides manually as described in the manual.
                It has been found that GD does not wire the brake into the system on the Schwintek slide motors , if I remember GD has stated this. The motors have a 400:1 or 500:1 gear ratio that provides enough "brake" that the slide does not move , or is very hard to move , when power is not available.

                Brian
                Brian & Michelle
                2018 Reflection 29RS
                2022 Chevy 3500HD

                Comment


                • #9
                  Jlawles2 & @CountryCampers,

                  There are two motors, one on each side of the slide. Removing the power lead from the 300:1 motor(s) does not release a brake per se. The resistance of the 300:1 motor is hard to overcome, though.

                  The only true way to really release the slide if both motors are bad is by popping them out of their upper bearing block and coupler. The Lippert manual calls this the Motor Disengagement Procedure and is found in multiple Schwintek (aka "In-Wall Slide-Out") manuals. The can be found here: https://support.lci1.com/in-wall-slide-out

                  Click image for larger version  Name:	Schwintek IN-WALL SLIDE-OUT ASSEMBLY.jpg Views:	0 Size:	81.1 KB ID:	44227
                  Last edited by howson; 02-27-2021, 07:50 AM.
                  Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                  2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                  Comment

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