To Recharge The House Batteries; Dry Camping; Battery Storage Instructions - Jayco 2016 Melbourne Owner's Manual

To recharge the house batteries

When the engine is running, the alternator will automatically charge the house batteries
through the auxiliary start solenoid. When parked at a campsite and plugged into shore
power the power converter will automatically charge the batteries. Complete charging may
take several hours and depends upon battery condition and the amount of power consumed
by the 12-volt devices operated during the charging period.

Dry camping

Consider the charge condition of the house batteries when dry camping. When the house
batteries are not being recharged and power is being drawn from them, they will eventually
discharge. A battery will discharge faster as its voltage gets lower. Plan your 12-volt
electrical use accordingly.
A fully charged 12-volt battery will read 12.7 volts DC and have a specific gravity of 1.265
at 80°F (32°C). The house batteries are considered discharged at 11.8 volts and "dead" at
11.65 volts. When battery voltage drops below these lower thresholds permanent battery
damage may occur.
Typically, a deep cycle battery has an amp-hour rating of 75-100 amps. If you run the furnace
and refrigerator simultaneously, you will be using approximately (12.0 + 3.0) 15.0 amps per
hour. This does not include any 12-volt lights, water pump or any other 12-volt component.
If the furnace and refrigerator in the above example operated constantly, a 75 amp-hour
battery would become fully discharged in 5 hours (75ah / 15a = 5h).

Battery storage instructions

Some equipment in your motor home will draw small amounts of electrical current even
when turned "off". To prevent house battery discharge when the motor home is not connected
to power through the shore power cord, it is recommended you shut "off" the 12-volt battery
disconnect solenoid and disconnect the battery negative cable at the house batteries.
During storage, it is important to check battery voltage at least every two weeks and to
recharge them as needed. If you remove the batteries from your motor home protect them
from accidental shorting and keep them in a cool, dry, well ventilated area.
Always wear eye protection when working with batteries. Keep sparks,
cigarettes and flames away from the battery as the battery may explode. Do
not use a booster battery or any other power source that has an output that
exceeds 12-volt. Use adequate ventilation when charging or using the battery
in an enclosed space.
Maintenance Record
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