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

Most towable RVs are additionally designed to recharge the batteries when the 7-pin connector is hooked up to your tow car and its engine is working. In most motorhomes, {the electrical} system pulls energy from the alternator to recharge your coach battery whereas the engine runs. Examine your proprietor’s guide to substantiate if so in 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 look at some frequent points and troubleshooting suggestions you should use to find out your greatest path ahead. 

Frequent Indicators of Potential Battery Points

Usually, RV batteries will final 2-5 years or longer. The lifetime of an RV battery will depend on the kind of battery, the depth of discharge, the temperature of the setting it’s utilized in, and the diploma of correct upkeep.

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

A totally 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 completely different. Lithium-ion batteries attain 14.1 volts DC, whereas lithium-iron phosphate batteries prime 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 charge. Watch out when contemplating swapping an current RV battery for a elaborate new battery of a unique chemistry. Different modifications to the location or system could also be required for protected, dependable operation.

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

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

Learn more about RV, truck, and boat batteries. 

Why Is My RV Battery Not Charging Whereas Plugged In?

There are a number of potential causes a battery gained’t cost whereas your RV is plugged in. Along with studying by means of these potential causes, you may download this decision tree to assist troubleshoot your battery charging challenge.

No AC Energy

The primary, and arguably best, factor to examine 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.

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

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

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

Battery Disconnect Change In The Fallacious Place

One other frequent drawback is that the battery disconnect change is wrongly positioned. This change is nice for storing your RV as a result of it eliminates the potential for a gradual battery drain once you’re not utilizing your RV. 

However suppose you don’t change it again to the right place once 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 doubtless take away the battery cables for storage. If these cables aren’t securely linked and tightened when it’s time to camp once more, your battery gained’t cost or present energy. 

Technician Tip: This can be a nice time to examine battery cables and terminals for corrosion and clear them up if wanted.

Incomplete Floor

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

Blown Fuses or Tripped Breakers

The subsequent potential motive is damaged fuses or tripped breakers. Find your RV’s circuit breaker panel. First, examine the breaker related along with your RV’s converter. If this breaker is tripped, the converter gained’t recharge your battery when linked to shore energy. 

Technician Tip: In case your circuit breaker panel isn’t correctly labeled, now is a superb time to convey it into a Camping World Service Center to have a licensed technician check and label it for you!  

Why Is My RV Converter Not Charging The Battery?

As talked about above, examine that the breaker for your RV’s converter hasn’t been tripped earlier than contemplating whether or not your converter has gone dangerous. However when you’ve accomplished the checks above, it may be time to evaluate the operation of the converter itself. 

To do that, you’ll want a digital multimeter. This useful gizmo needs to be in each RV software package, they usually’re comparatively reasonably priced to amass. With yours in hand, set it to measure DC voltage (Ian explains extra within the video above!).

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

In case your battery wasn’t absolutely charged, examine 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 no less than 0.5 volts DC if the converter is working and all fuses, breakers, switches, and wiring are appropriate.

Learn more about troubleshooting RV converters and inverters.

Why Is My RV Battery Not Charging Whereas Towing?

Your tow vehicle might be able to recharge your RV’s battery by means of {the electrical} connector that you simply hook up 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 function. 

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 use a digital multimeter set to DC voltage to check that your battery voltage is above 12.8 volts when linked to your tow car. That indicators an incoming cost by means of the 7-pin connector. In case your measurement is decrease than 12.8 volts, it’s time to troubleshoot. 

You must 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 ones lead is answerable for 12-volt charging: 

Begin your tow car and place your multimeter’s black check lead on the bottom probe and the crimson check lead on the battery energy probe. Confirm you’re getting voltage to the plug as a result of, when you’re not, you’ll most likely have to pop the hood of your tow car and examine the fuses.

In case 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 may additionally have a battery solenoid in-line. I like to recommend contacting a Camping World Service Center to schedule additional electrical testing if so.

Why Does My RV Battery Not Maintain a Cost?

Discharging your RV battery farther than is really helpful 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, elements like age, incorrect charging voltage, and incorrect charging technique can even influence your battery’s capability to carry a cost as supposed. In case your battery doesn’t maintain a cost: 

• Examine the date stamp. RV batteries which are greater than six years outdated needs to be changed. 
• Guarantee appropriate charging voltage and technique. Keep away from utilizing an adjunct battery charger (resembling a automobile charger) that doesn’t match your battery producer’s voltage specs.

Consult a Camping World Service Center when you’ve got questions on discovering a alternative RV battery.

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

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