I just completely discharged my bank

[Eli]

I just completely discharged my batteries. And it's a cold night, the worst time to do it. Charging them now with my truck. Did I mention I love that truck? (Generator is down too and it's 29 degrees atm) But they were dead dead. Idk if they will hold a charge again. I noticed because my buddy ran out and I needed to soap test the new tank. Couldn't run water... it will rly suck if I just killed the bank. No lights, no water, nodda unless I'm plugged in. Lmfao and I just have 400w from my running truck to plug into (thank you god for that 400w). The only thing I did was leave the new inverter plugged in (and off) I can't believe a phantom drain was THAT much. I can't believe I forgot to unplug it...Or the bank we built about 5 yrs ago finally died idk... I know the cold is bad for them but we moved the box inside with a vent out the window. I should have a thermometer in the bank too. I hate this dang rv. They are the kind of deep cycle that need electrolytes. And I have a chart that I use to watch the inverter to make sure they aren't too low. They aren't supposed to drop below 50% (12.05v) they were just at 10v . I have NEVER let them get even close to 12.05v. To be honest a friend hooked these batteries up in series for me and I really don't know enough about them.

Is there anything I can do short of replacing all 6 batteries and rewiring everything? Praying they hold a charge... somehow.

 

[Pearl]

I just completely discharged my batteries. And it's a cold night, the worst time to do it. Charging them now with my truck. Did I mention I love that truck? (Generator is down too and it's 29 degrees atm) But they were dead dead. Idk if they will hold a charge again. I noticed because my buddy ran out and I needed to soap test the new tank. Couldn't run water... it will rly suck if I just killed the bank. No lights, no water, nodda unless I'm plugged in. Lmfao and I just have 400w from my running truck to plug into (thank you god for that 400w). The only thing I did was leave the new inverter plugged in (and off) I can't believe a phantom drain was THAT much. I can't believe I forgot to unplug it...Or the bank we built about 5 yrs ago finally died idk... I know the cold is bad for them but we moved the box inside with a vent out the window. I should have a thermometer in the bank too. I hate this dang rv. They are the kind of deep cycle that need electrolytes. And I have a chart that I use to watch the inverter to make sure they aren't too low. They aren't supposed to drop below 50% (12.05v) they were just at 10v . I have NEVER let them get even close to 12.05v. To be honest a friend hooked these batteries up in series for me and I really don't know enough about them.

Is there anything I can do short of replacing all 6 batteries and rewiring everything? Praying they hold a charge... somehow.

Don't know but hope all goes well, it's cold here in Texas right now!!

 

[Biggkidd]

That's going to be a LONG charge cycle. An inverter that's turned off shouldn't draw enough to pull a single battery down much less a bank. Sounds like you need to look for other issues. Maybe wired wrong?

 

[Eli]

That's going to be a LONG charge cycle. An inverter that's turned off shouldn't draw enough to pull a single battery down much less a bank. Sounds like you need to look for other issues. Maybe wired wrong?

So it's possible they could still hold a charge? Just not as much as before? I'm wondering if it's just their time and the cold brought it out in them. If they were wired wrong I would of noticed in the last few years no? I do a lot of boondocking/dry camping.. The sun is up now so the solar and the truck should both be charging the bank. Not sure even how many amp hours the bank is... but absolutely nothing else was running. Not even even cellphone charger.. TBH the friend who helped me set up the bank had done a lot of other sloppy jobs for me too. I wouldn't doubt that there's an issue with the set up. That's what I get for not doing it myself. I mainly just use the bank for lights (low draw led), water pump, and charging electronics during the day when I'm getting solar. Okay also cellphone overnight but that wasn't plugged in. I will check fuses.

 

[Eli]

Also the inverter is just 150w when it's running. Got it to charge phone/laptop (when not in use).

 

[dademoss]

I just completely discharged my batteries. And it's a cold night, the worst time to do it. Charging them now with my truck. Did I mention I love that truck? (Generator is down too and it's 29 degrees atm) But they were dead dead. Idk if they will hold a charge again. I noticed because my buddy ran out and I needed to soap test the new tank. Couldn't run water... it will rly suck if I just killed the bank. No lights, no water, nodda unless I'm plugged in. Lmfao and I just have 400w from my running truck to plug into (thank you god for that 400w). The only thing I did was leave the new inverter plugged in (and off) I can't believe a phantom drain was THAT much. I can't believe I forgot to unplug it...Or the bank we built about 5 yrs ago finally died idk... I know the cold is bad for them but we moved the box inside with a vent out the window. I should have a thermometer in the bank too. I hate this dang rv. They are the kind of deep cycle that need electrolytes. And I have a chart that I use to watch the inverter to make sure they aren't too low. They aren't supposed to drop below 50% (12.05v) they were just at 10v . I have NEVER let them get even close to 12.05v. To be honest a friend hooked these batteries up in series for me and I really don't know enough about them.

Is there anything I can do short of replacing all 6 batteries and rewiring everything? Praying they hold a charge... somehow.

I'm kinda concerned that both the generator and the battery bank are down at the same time. What's wrong with the generator? 29 degrees isn't all that cold, for many of us.

Second, if you don't know about your battery/inverter system, spend the time to learn. My inverter(s) draw nothing when turned off.

The friend may not be around when you need em, YOU need to know the things you are counting on for your comfort/survival.

 

[Biggkidd]

I had the impression from your post that they were just wired up. My mistake and yes it would have shown long before now. UNLESS you have a loose or bad connection somewhere. I would check all the connections and make sure they are clean and tight. Also make sure the batteries are full. Distilled water only. If you have a multi meter check each battery and see if one isn't noticeably lower and dragging the rest down. How old are these batteries?

 

[Eli]

I'm kinda concerned that both the generator and the battery bank are down at the same time. What's wrong with the generator? 29 degrees isn't all that cold, for many of us.

Second, if you don't know about your battery/inverter system, spend the time to learn. My inverter(s) draw nothing when turned off.

The friend may not be around when you need em, YOU need to know the things you are counting on for your comfort/survival.

Yeah the genie is on me. Did not run it enough and had it stored. I knew I might have an issue with it. It's more usually a comfort thing than a need. 29 degrees is fine except if the cold is what took out my bank. Agreed. I need to know how it works myself. I've been chasing after his handy work for years fixing stuff. It was a barter situation and I do believe he got the better end of the deal.

The inverter is new, that's why I'm blaming it. Along with myself for not unplugging it. Plugs into a DC charging port. I did read the manual which advises not to leave it plugged in when off. So I'm suspect.

 

[Eli]

I had the impression from your post that they were just wired up. My mistake and yes it would have shown long before now. UNLESS you have a loose or bad connection somewhere. I would check all the connections and make sure they are clean and tight. Also make sure the batteries are full. Distilled water only. If you have a multi meter check each battery and see if one isn't noticeably lower and dragging the rest down. How old are these batteries?

I do have a multimeter now that you mention it thanks! Well, I know what I'm doing today. Up until now, the bank being inside and a temp of 50 degrees in here has been just fine for them. I need to see what is involved with the distilled water. Like if I need to ventilate the inside to top them off? The bank is inside but there's a small vent to the outside.

 

[Eli]

Sorry for got to mention they are but 5 yrs old. Last topped off about 2 1/2 yrs ago.

I had the impression from your post that they were just wired up. My mistake and yes it would have shown long before now. UNLESS you have a loose or bad connection somewhere. I would check all the connections and make sure they are clean and tight. Also make sure the batteries are full. Distilled water only. If you have a multi meter check each battery and see if one isn't noticeably lower and dragging the rest down. How old are these batteries?

 

[viking]

Lead Acid batteries hate freezing weather if heavily discharged. So far this winter, even with temps in the low 20's our power shed stays well above freezing, I installed an old 120 VAC computer fan above a hole I hole sawed in the floor, this fan runs continuously to vent battery gasses out of two vent holes in the wall above the battery bank. When we batought our Magnum Energy pure siine wave inverter, I also bought a router that has a battery temperature sensor that in mounted on one of the battery terminals in the middle of the battery bank, I've never seen the temp reading go below 50 degrees, by the way, the shed has no heating. The solar controller also has a sensor for battery temp, so it's a double check system. One more thing, inverters may have parasitic electrical drain, I know that when I connected our inverter to the battery bank, the connection sparked, the manual warned of this, it's the large capacitors charging up, they shouldn't cause parasitic discharge unless there is a defect, however if there are diodes in the circuit, they can sometimes have a parasite discharge, just like the diodes in a vehicle alternator on our motorhome had that problem. This is called back flow current loss, it doesn't happen with most diodes because the voltage is never over the forward current flow, there are times I've seen it happen, I've lost a few batteries due to that over the years and that's why it's always good to have a disconnect switch when the inverter is not in use.

 

[Biggkidd]

Five years old they are getting near if not at the end of their life span. I have had, shoot have right now some batteries over 11 years old. That's not normal though 5 to 7 years for lead acid flooded type batteries is normal. Well taken care of batteries that almost never get discharged past 25% leaving 75% last a whole lot longer. There are several things you can try to revitalize them I had the most luck using a Whizbang desulfator some years ago. Hit youtube and there are lots of methods people say work.

 

[phideaux]

Batteries hooked to any charging system , need topped off with distilled water at minimum every 3 months.

I'd disconnect all charging (bad solar panel short can discharge battery), and loads,
Separate all batteries check voltage on each one.

If you have a load tester , test each one.

Do not charge the battery if it's low on water.

Something went bad and discharged your batteries. It wasn't the cold.
5 years on well maintained batteries is nothing.unless they're not maintained.

I had batteries for over 15 years still working just fine.

Jim

 

[phideaux]

Oh ,btw, one bad battery can kill the whole bank.

Jim

 

[Tirediron]

Just from a batteries point of view, test each battery individually at the posts, then at the wires, if you get reasonable voltage, check the wires for voltage, in a series setup it only take one bad connection to cause the power to drop off.

 

[phideaux]

@Eli,
What are the battery voltage s?

6 batteries in series ?

Jim

 

[Eli]

They are holding a charge. I am thinking it's the little new plug and play inverter I got. Need to open up the bank still. Dealing with a few other things. This morning is ironically the day I've waited weeks for. An appointment to get my genie fixed. I will need to get to town for a better signal and do some real research & buy distilled water. It just needs to last a couple more weeks...but I'd rather have it always working. I may need to start over. The way he set up the wiring isn't labeled or clear what's hot and what isn't. Every time i open up something he's set up it's a headache. I did ask for a run through but there was always an excuse. The company that made the charge controller seems to be out of business. I'm leery to see what the dangling wall switch coming off the controller is actually for. Lol

I finally got the roof sealed from the install...hate to rip it all out and start over. Yup.... he drilled holes in the roof and didn't seal it properly. I realize this is my bad for not having a professional do this with me watching every step. Should of could of... learning is painful.

Ty for tips on what I can do to try and fix this.

 

[SheepDog]

Charge the batteries slow and completely. Add water after it is charged to fill the batteries. Then put it on an equalizer charge for 6 to 8 hours. Finally, degas for eight hours - no charge or discharge. Check the specific gravity of the electrolyte and the voltage of each cell. Only then will you know the condition of your battery. (lead acid batteries only)

 

[Caribou]

If when you say plug and play you are referring to cigarette lighter type plugs you will only get about half the output from your inverter than if you direct wired it. Other types of plugs should work okay.

I would expect your batteries to recover. You have damaged them but only time will tell you how bad.

I have friends (plural) that keep their battery bank, from their solar or wind system, outside where temperatures reach -40 most winters. You don't want to let your batteries die and freeze. A lot of people had battery blankets on their car battery, I never did. I would often put a trickle charger on it in the winter.

 

[Tirediron]

I can't remember the exact details but a fully charged battery will hold a charge in the cold, a partially discharged battery will loose charge. the majic number for a "12" volt battery is 12 volts, if I recall, 12.5 v is a healthy battery at degass.

 

[Biggkidd]

For flooded lead acid 12.7 is fully charged the AGM's I have 13.1 is. BUT the difference between 12.7 and 13.1 is surface charge and doesn't contribute from what I have been able to tell. Then again I've never had a new set all have been used when I got them. I'll take AGM over flooded any day! Just my personal preference.

 

[viking]

The only thing about AGM's is that you can't do the high voltage equalization charge cycle to reverse battery plate sulfation that may have occurred. I have heard a lot of good things about AGM batteries and I know that AM Solar, where we got our motorhome solar system from, used to recommend them. At that time we couldn't afford the extra cost and I had worked with LA batteries for many years, this is the reason I decided to use LA batteries in our standby solar system. I check the batteries every month and often sooner if the inverter is used and either the inverter charge system or the solar controller have gone into the equalization cycle, the solar controller is designed to do that once a month. Anyway, that cycle can gas off up to 5 gallons of electrolyte for the 20 GC-2 batteries we have. The only thing that bothers me about adding distilled water to the cells is crawling under the counter to fill the batteries and the muscles in my rear end end up being sore for a few days, side effects of being 79 years old, if that's all that bothers me, I don't think I'm doing all that bad.

 

[SheepDog]

Voltage alone will tell you very little about the state of charge of a lead acid battery and almost nothing about its health.
measuring the voltage under a given load can provide more information and combining the specific gravity of each cell over time of discharge gives a reasonable evaluation of the battery. Here is a test procedure used for lead acid batteries:

 

[Eli]

Thank you all for your input! I have found that the little plug and play inverter I got was the culprit. The bank is currently holding a charge. After following a lot of your input and researching a whole lot I have a much better understanding of my system. There is a reason my friend wouldn't give me a walk through after building it. It's a mess. Every single part of the system needs to be fixed/replaced. Im not sure how much im willing to invest in this rv/system. My time is better spent getting our home built but it will help me to learn. Thankfully I do have a generator, a truck with a 120v plug, and grid power in 4 weeks. I'm not going to rip apart the bank until I have grid power. It's going to be a big project. The mppt controller I have is believe it or not some off brand Russian piece of equipment . I've gotten a hold of the manual and found an app that will connect to it when the time comes. Of course the app requires a wifi network.... that's one of my current projects. One step at a time.

 

[Pearl]

Thank you all for your input! I have found that the little plug and play inverter I got was the culprit. The bank is currently holding a charge. After following a lot of your input and researching a whole lot I have a much better understanding of my system. There is a reason my friend wouldn't give me a walk through after building it. It's a mess. Every single part of the system needs to be fixed/replaced. Im not sure how much im willing to invest in this rv/system. My time is better spent getting our home built but it will help me to learn. Thankfully I do have a generator, a truck with a 120v plug, and grid power in 4 weeks. I'm not going to rip apart the bank until I have grid power. It's going to be a big project. The mppt controller I have is believe it or not some off brand Russian piece of equipment . I've gotten a hold of the manual and found an app that will connect to it when the time comes. Of course the app requires a wifi network.... that's one of my current projects. One step at a time.

At least you are learning a lot! Even if you have grid power soon you'll have knowledge of that system and can help others too!

 

[Eli]

At least you are learning a lot! Even if you have grid power soon you'll have knowledge of that system and can help others too!

Thank you! Definitely learning a lot! We will be using solar on our home so it's good for me to learn. I doubt the family will go with lead acid though.

 

[Tirediron]

Thank you! Definitely learning a lot! We will be using solar on our home so it's good for me to learn. I doubt the family will go with lead acid though.

the botched job is probably a blessing in disguise, If everything had worked as planned, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn to trouble shoot and fix your existing system. And i would expect the determination to build the next system yourself, so that it is done to your standards and you know how to fix it and test it