Nothing is more annoying than having power issues in your motorhome. Several methods can be used to charge your home batteries. Most of the time, people prefer to use generators or shore power to charge their batteries. That makes it easier to manage the power in your motorhome when you’re out on a tour.
Sadly, many campers have recently been experiencing problems with RV house batteries not charging while driving. Let’s go over some possible methods that you can use to get around this charging problem.
How to Fix RV House Batteries Not Charging While Driving?
- Check Alternator
Depending upon the type of vehicle you’re using, your alternator may have gone bad. First, you will need to verify the integrity of your batteries before replacing the alternator.
To do that, you need to check whether or not your batteries are charging on shore power or generators that you’ve installed in your RV.
If the batteries are charging just fine on the shore power and generator then it is likely that you have a faulty alternator. The battery won’t charge unless your alternator is working properly.
So, if you have a faulty alternator then you should get it replaced and that will fix the charging issue. If you can’t afford the workshop bill then try changing the alternator yourself with the help of video tutorials.
- Test Solenoid
Some models also rely on a solenoid or isolator to charge the batteries properly. If you are having trouble with charging your batteries on the engine then you should test the terminals of the solenoid for voltage. You can use any voltage tester or measuring device to test the solenoid. The location of the solenoid might vary depending upon the type of vehicle you own.
If there are no issues with the solenoid then there should be a reading of around 14 volts across the terminals of the solenoid. If you can’t get a reading on either one of the terminals then you will have to install a new solenoid for your motorhome battery. That will fix the battery charging issues while you are driving the motorhome.
- Check Wiring
Other than the alternator and solenoid, wiring issues can also create similar problems for you. You can use a multimeter or a voltage tester to check the input wires connected to your battery. If you can’t get a reading on a particular connection point then you should replace the wire connected to that point and that should fix your battery issue.
However, if your battery is not charging on the shore power and generator as well then it is probable that the battery is defective. In this situation, you will need to buy a new battery for your motorhome.
But if the charging problem is only occurring while you drive the RV then replacing the alternator or the solenoid should fix your problem. If you don’t know how to replace those components then you should take your RV to a mechanic and he will fix the battery issue for you.