Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH
Something not yet addressed is the issue of battery damage by discharging them beyond recommended levels.
Most flooded lead/acid batteries (FLA) should not be discharged below 50% (for true deep cycle batteries) or 70% (for maintenance free/hybrid FLA batteries).
The voltage level for 50% discharge is 12.06 VDC and
the voltage level for 70% discharge is 12.32 VDC.
If you are reading 10 VDC then you (your system) is discharging your battery bank to a level far below the recommendations. That will critically reduce the battery's capacity to hold a charge and limit the "recycle capacity" (ability to be recharged over and over) for the future.
I'd suspect that if you've seen 10VDC at the battery (10.5 VDC is 0% charge) multiple times, then you've likely damaged that battery's capacity for longevity. It's going to fail sooner than it should, the question is when.
I'd fully charge the batteries, have them load tested and see if they are damaged. They may not hold an adequate charge any longer. And, even if they do, how long they will continue to maintain that capacity is questionable.
One member here stated that in his research, a battery that has been "fully discharged" (to less than 10.5 VDC) loses approximately 80% of its longevity for repeated charge/discharge cycles.
I'd suspect that your batteries may no longer be "undamaged with 100% capacity"...
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Yes, thank you for that.
If I have to replace it I will. But, first I want to understand why this has occurred.
Since I just purchased the RV, I'm still piecing things together.
Did this happen due to someone rewiring things they shouldn't have?
Did I run the battery down unknowingly?
If I ran it down, why is the battery that is starting the generator the one with the issue?
When at the dealership, they had it plugged in which I assume was charging both circuits. They removed shore power and the generator fired right up.
This battery may be pretty shot, but I'd like to figure out why and learn from it or fix what is wrong before I spend $200 on a new battery.