Battery hookup

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Steve kellogg

Battery hookup

Post by Steve kellogg »

I am replacing my two 6V house batteries. I didn't write down the wiring diagram. Looking into the battery box there are two wires on the back left wall. One red about 10ga it looks like. The other black and maybe 6 ga. On the right side wall there are three wires. Two are heavier black maybe 2gauage or heavier and one red wire about 10 ga. Where do they hook up at?

Thank you,

Steve Kellogg
2005 24RB
Rapid City, SD
User avatar
whemme
Posts: 2110
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Re: Battery hookup

Post by whemme »

Steve,

Since I assume your coach originally came equipped with two 12 vdc Interstate batteries connected in parallel and now you are replacing two 6 vdc batteries connected in series, the battery connections would have had to been modified when the 6 vdc batteries were installed. Did you make the conversion from 12 vdc to 6 vdc batteries? If so, you should know how they were connected. If not and you disconnected the previous 6 vdc batteries without writing down the connections even Kim Olson at the factory may not be able to help you since he probably won't know how the wiring connections were modified.

If the new replacement batteries happen to get hooked up wrong, major damage to a lot of DC powered appliances in your coach could happen. Sorry but I have no idea how to hook them up with the information you provided.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
Steve kellogg

Re: Battery hookup

Post by Steve kellogg »

Thanks Bill that is what I was afraid of! Someone before me must have changed it over to 6v wired in series.
oliverpsmile
Posts: 271
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:46 pm

Re: Battery hookup

Post by oliverpsmile »

Steve - there are some guidance that can help you:

- First of all - do you have a jumper that would connect both 6 V batteries?
If so installed a jumper first (POS from one battery to NEG of the second)

- Now you have a battery pack of two 6 volts battery, that is not different than the battery pack of two 12 volts batteries.

- Connect the rig to the shore power and switch ON the battery switch disconnect

- Then measure with DC Voltmeter to determine which Red and Black wires provide 12 VDC to charge the batteries. Those wires should be connected to the end connectors of the 6 Volts battry pack (+ to + and - to -).

- Now you would be done with 2 out of 5. If they are colored RED (+) and Black (-) I suppose, the installers follow the same colored scheme.

- Now to determine the rest, some guessing, crawling and manual reading is required (eventually BF could send you DC wiring diagram). You should have wires for generator start, for charging from the engine (there should be a relay in between), and to the DC disconnect and I guess connection to chassies .

Good luck.
Oliver P Smile
2005 26ft RSB
lassen
Posts: 120
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:56 am

Re: Battery hookup

Post by lassen »

Steve...........

I have the same coach as you. I changed my 12v batts. 11 yrs ago for 6v Lifelines.

Jumper cable between the two is - to +.

Looking into the Batt box............

On the back wall upper left, one black cable to Neg.

Right wall, two sleeved cables to Pos.

No other cables to the Batt box and these three are probably 6ga. Other cables coming

direct to your Batteries may be add-on equipment to the coach.
Jack & Jan
2005 24RB
User avatar
whemme
Posts: 2110
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Re: Battery hookup

Post by whemme »

The extra cables that Jack is referring to but does not have in his coach may be cables going to an inverter. Do you have an optional inverter installed in your coach? Most inverters rated at more than 300 watts generally are wired directly to the terminals on the coach batteries.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
Steve kellogg

Re: Battery hookup

Post by Steve kellogg »

Thank you everyone for your help. We can head for the hills (Black Hills).
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