Elepent

We returned from Chicago to find that the Incorrigible’s house batteries were dead.  The refrigerator had defrosted, probably a day or so into our trip, so the leftovers and perishables had to be tossed.  This was disappointing, as we lost a pork roast and some delicious-looking steaks that we’d frozen for a rainy day.

This image has nothing to do with this post, it's just cute. Guess who got which?

What was more frustrating was that we couldn’t seem to get the batteries re-charged.  Things were all right as long as the generator was running, but once it was shut down, the batteries drained again.  This is where we’re glad for the Incorrigible’s redundant electrical systems.  There are three batteries; one for the engine, and two that power the house lights and other ancillaries.  In the event that the engine battery goes dead, there’s a switch that’ll allow the house batteries to jump-start the engine.  Conversely, if the house batteries die, starting the engine will provide enough juice to fire up the generator, which then charges the house batteries.  So we weren’t stranded or left without power at any point, merely confused.  I checked the batteries, which seemed to be in good condition and not in need of water.  Curious…

The mystery was solved later in the day; somehow, the lights in the RV’s understorage bays got turned on just before we left.  The switch is located on a pedestal next to the exit door, so it’s not unthinkable that one of us might’ve bumped it on the way out.  With the lights underneath burning, it was only a matter of time before the batteries died.  Once the lights were turned off, all was well again.

We took some time in Dallas to perform necessary upgrades to the Incorrigible, as well.  We installed new tires, replaced the front air conditioner and seal, installed a new water filtration system and upgraded an air vent.   If you want the technical details on those things, they’ll be in an upcoming post shortly, so we can keep this one short-ish.