Motor Home RV House batteries

[SST159]

Voltage before bed was around 12.8v.
the second time I used it I ran 2000 watt gen all night with TV off which means the only thing on was the Fridge on propane setting. the panel showed 1 amp draw. Fridge would be the only draw except the phone charger. Next morning the voltage was down to 11.6
Tonight I checked the amp draw with various things on and off.
with fridge on propane setting and one TV on, total draw was 1.45 amp. at the battery.
not much at all. I turned everything off I could possibly find and the draw is .25 amp.
Cannot find what is drawing .25 amps but dont think that is significant enough to bring the batteries that low. when I am not using the coach, I keep it plugged in all season because I keep the fridge on with some things in it. we use the coach a lot. tonight I am going to keep the fridge on set on propane with the inverter on and see what the batteries read in the morning. I am leaning to agree with some mentioning above the AGM batteries will not charge properly with the converter/charger that is in the coach.
I dont think there are other settings on the converter.The folks at Optima tell me that you can use any type charger to charge the Yellow top and it should not hurt them. it just may not charge them as quickly and fully as needed. when I keep the rig plugged in, it maintains the batteries at 13.6v.I am leaning toward switching to two 6v golf cart batteries.

[FED 387]

Do you have any digital clocks like on a microwave or a alarm clock etc tv will draw a minimal amount even when turned off any computers etc

[SST159]

You are right. I forgot about the micro wave clock.
I am sure that will draw something.
Next time I do a test i will unplug it to be sure but I bet that is it.
regardless .25 amp draw is not going to make that much of a difference.
Soooo I am thinking the AGM is not the way to go. That leads me to either going back to two12v deep cycle or two 6V golf cart batteries.
unfortunately I may not have enough compartment height for the 6V.

[G Anderson]

The 6Volt GC batteries are definitely the way to go !!! (best bang for the buck)unless you want to spring for Lithium ---they do require maintenance- but the ones in my MH were new in the fall of 2012---I do equalize them once a year BTW--- 2) 6V GC batteries are appx. equivalent to 3) 12V Maintenance Free in Amp Hours

[SST159]

Here is an update.
This is getting real interesting.
So I took out the optima batteries (agree the current converter/charger is not giving enough charge to the AGM style battery), and I installed 2 6V GF batteries. This made some improvement on the overnight deal however with the generator running the next day all day, they only came up to about 12.3 volts. That is leading me to believe that although the Converter/charger is putting out 14.3 volts, it may not be putting out the amperage needed to charge the batteries. Hell on the 1.5 hr ride home the alternator did a better job charging. Sooooo now I may consider changing out the converter/charger (that is going to be a real pain in the azzz due to the location, Or do I upgrade my current inverter to one that has a charger combo. just not sure how they would work together if I leave the existing converter/charger as is.
Opinions welcome.

[340Cuda]

I asked my son, who has been in the battery distribution business for twenty years to look at this thread.

He said he agreed with most of the recommendations especially going to 6 volt batteries.

Keep us posted.

[Hacksaw]

Consider leaving the old converter in its current location and find a new spot for the new converter. Could save some aggravation.

[SC1448]

….Just finished going through some Inverter / Charger / Battery agg with our coach. Give Chris Hanrahan at Tekris Power Electronics in Farmingdale, NJ (right up the road from Wall Stadium) a call at 732-938-4996. He's a straight-up guy and will help you out with whatever you need.

-Don Bangs

[SST159]

Will do.
Thanks Don.

[SST159]

The results are in!
I decided to place the blame on the converter/charger so I pulled the old one and replaced it with a Progressive Dynamics 60 amp converter Charger. Bang, right off the bat when I fired it up the charge rate went from 12.3v up to 13.5v. This is a nice unit for the money. it has four automatic charge modes plus a remote switch to override when needed for a quicker charge..
Will be out racing this weekend so we will put it to the test on how long the batteries charge after a night on the inverter.
Thanks again for all the input.