| Author | Message | ||
| kristine starr (Kbunnystarr)
Registered Member Username: Kbunnystarr Post Number: 87 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 74.32.222.183 Rating: N/A |
Hello everyone! Ok, so I have had the Jakes installed, and that makes me feel more secure on that end, and am looking into stowmaster tow bars, casue they seem to have a good rep, but this is a HUGE thing for me::BATTERIES::.......I have had concern ever since I bought the bus last summer. And I really need some advice on my particular situation..........cause electricity is the one thing on this planet that scares me, and then after reading all the possible things that are dangerous with batteries on here, it has ripened my concern on that as well. I am VERY grateful to anyone that takes the time to read this post, ....because if I cant figure this out, and feel 100% about it, it could be the end of me and this bus adventure. I know it may sound extreme, but unless I can feel safe and know thats its right, and how to deal with things properly, who else is going to? ANd its not liek I can jsut have th ebus with no batteries.....I am capable and more than willing to learn and do just about anything, but I cant find anyone with a fair amount of time to look at what I have and tell me what need to be different to be safe and the best it can be. When I got the bus last summer, I got 4 new house batteries and 2 new starting batteries.......the previous owner had 2 house and 2 starting but I thought it best for 4 and 2. I had a friend try to hook up the xtra 2 house, but it resulted in a melted wire and switch. my idea was to be able to switch from one bank of 2 to the other 2....so since we couldnt figure it out, or find any help, i setteled for the 2 new house to be hooked up where the 2 old house were, and replaced the 2 starting as well, and just kept the other 2 house in the compartment unhooked up. ( i know it wasnt the best thing, but i had to get to az to care for my sister and had no time to look for help ). So until now, ever since I have been in az, i have been plugged into my sisters house electric, (since mid sept) and have been asking around for help with all this to no avail.....i am VERY nervous about going into the bay even to add water. I have 4 golf cart batteries for house.......the bay is back by the engine compartment. it is for batteries ONLY , nothing else in there, it has wood and like indoor outdoor flat carpet on the bottom, and other 3 sides are bare metal , which makes me very nervous also. The ground is the bus. I have in a separate compartment , a heart inverter/charger that is hooked up to the house it is a 1000. A guy who is a friend of a friend, and apparently known as a electrical wiz, hooked up the other 2 house so the 4 are hooked up now ( they charged them first) and I also had a 40 amp marine battery charger i picked up at a bus convention, that he hooked up. The 40 amp charger is mounted in the same compartment as the heart inverter/charger and wired back , direct, to the switch in the battery compartment ( it is a red palstic "keyed' switch on and off...off the key comes out). The 40 amp boat charger has 3 feeds to it so it can charge 3 separate banks of batteries, so there is one spare, and then the house and starting is wired to it as well. The heart inverter is wired to the house batteies. It was set up before that the house and starting were wired together, and I didnt liek that, neither did the guy how did this latest work for me....now it is wired so if i turn the switch on he said if the bus starts hard, turn th ered key on and it ties the 2 chargers together. he said the switch the 2 together to charge the house and the 40 am charges house batteries from the engine. I thought i understood everything, but the more I read the notes i took while he was talkign the more confused i get. and after reading all the posts on here about battery compartment safety and not wireing direct, and potential dangers, Im VERY nervous, even more than before. Are thes water mieser caps something i should get? WHat is a master disconnect for the batteries? and should every battery have a separate disconnect switch AND the master switch? WHat are fuses on the outpost? DC power meter? I know i need to have it different than it is, but I just dont know where to begin, i need someone in Lake HAvasu to do a 1,2,3,4,,5 step by step safety check and help me get this so it is 1] safe to use as it is, and 2] safe so when i access it, I AM SAFE to add water etc......... Can any one offer some help? Or suggest anyone in my area that can? I dont have tons of $ to get fancy things i dont need, but I like a little overkill when it comes to safety......right now I just feel so in the dark, and it seems like the more i read and the more I ask, i just get more confused, and afraid of the whole set up in that compartment. As it stands, I have to disconnect the front 2 house to get to the back 2 to add water.that freaks me out cause of the small space i am working with and metal sides , i havent had to do it yet, but .......so i want to get a slide made to access easier, but the grounds are attached to the bus and so i need all longer cables etc, and really need someone to disconnect and reconnect for me so it is done right .......who does this sort of thing on buses? where do i go for help with this stuff? And noone has mentioned or even brought up the disconnects for the batteries......the posts on this site are the first i have heard of, where are they mounted, where do I get and anything else you can tell me about this would be great! Please!!!!!! dont get frustrated at my novice, we all have to learn somehow, and this isnt a topic i have any expierence with, I just REALLY need to learn this ASAP, so i can get this right and safe..... Is it normal to hear batteries bubbeling , sort of a sound? When I go to add water, what should I do to be safest? Turn chargers and inverters off i was told, like 2 hrs before, because of gas build up, but is there anything else? ANY help you all can give, and any suggestions of where to go inmy area>?>? I just really need to get this right, I worry every day about it...........i really want to understand the setup A to Z so i know what i have, whats going on, and that it is as safe as i need it to be. Thank you sooo much to anyone that takes the time to read and respond. | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 680 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
batteries should not be bubbleing...the disconnects for my bus batteries are in my engine compartment... | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 189 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.108.83 Rating: N/A |
Since you appear to lack more experience than me (holy #^%$, is that possible?), how about a couple of links to help youse out wid der elektrick: http://www.equalccw.com/hardcore.html#INVERTERS http://jmayer6.tripod.com/id18.html "Is it normal to hear batteries bubbeling " You don't want to boil batteries. The regulator should be checked to insure the batteries get only what they need, when they actually need it.... Oh, and using carpet under batteries? Good grief. The battery acid will do quite a bit of damage... And heat produced from the acid on the carpet is.... well...... Use a rubber mat... They sell rubber runners by the foot at Home Depot and Lowes... As far as your tow setup, keep in mind, that with a "stowmaster" bus-mounted tow bar, if you have to tow your car with anything other than what the tow bar is attached to, you're going to be out of luck. A towed vehicle with the bar mounted to it (instead of the towing vehicle), may be a wiser choice.... The Jakes are a nice addition ( I 'spose?), but be careful on slick or icy surfaces.... You DO NOT want to cause your rear wheels to lock up while decelerating on slippery surfaces! | ||
| kristine starr (Kbunnystarr)
Registered Member Username: Kbunnystarr Post Number: 90 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 74.32.222.183 Rating: N/A |
:o) thanx! i didnt put the carpet in there...i thoughtthe bubbeling was wrong, and i will check out the links./have a guy coming this thurs to make a slide out for the battery compartment to get rid of the wood nd carpet crap, just put the rubber runner on the slide and Ill be ok>? . hey, i dont claim to know ALOT about bus stuff, but i know ALOT more than i did when i bought it in June :o) and I learn good !! :o) thanx guys......the more input the merrier! | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 81 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
Was in Lake Havasu last week, could have helped had I known, now back home in the deepfreeze BRR.. -15F. Joe. | ||
| James Stacy (Jimstacy)
Registered Member Username: Jimstacy Post Number: 35 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 69.151.171.242 Rating: N/A |
Check for "Coach Services" in Lake Havasu. Gary will get you squared away. Twelve volts will not penetrate your skin, just don't get metal (ring, watch band) across the connectors. You should not be boiling batteries under any circumstances. Why do you have two chargers? Hydrocaps are a great system but not if you are boiling batteries. DO NOT install them until you get the charging system solved. Talk to Gary. | ||
| kristine starr (Kbunnystarr)
Registered Member Username: Kbunnystarr Post Number: 97 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 74.32.222.183 Rating: N/A |
gary has done all my previous bus stuff since ive been here in LHC< az, but he prefers not to work on the battery stuff.thats why im askin on here...thanx for the info guys :o) | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 68 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 4.240.234.245 Rating: N/A |
Thanx for the links, JTNG...'ppreciate it. Good stuff...I think!  RCB |