2005 PW Plateau, house battery questions

[Lennie]

I recently purchased a 2005 Pleasureway Plateau, this is my first RV.

I've read I need to regularly check the house battery to maintain it, I know the battery is under the passenger seat. Am I supposed to remove the seat to gain access to it and how often should I be checking it?

Do RV house batteries require distilled water added to the cells more often than car batteries?

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by Lennie

I recently purchased a 2005 Pleasureway Plateau, this is my first RV.

I've read I need to regularly check the house battery to maintain it, I know the battery is under the passenger seat. Am I supposed to remove the seat to gain access to it and how often should I be checking it?

Do RV house batteries require distilled water added to the cells more often than car batteries?

The house battery you have is most likely not the original factory installed battery.

That means it can be anything the previous owner chose to install.

Some people like flooded cell battery, which you need to maintain by periodically topping it up with distilled water.

Most people nowadays use AGM battery, which is maintenance free.


As a new owner, checking your equipment is part of the joy.

[Davydd]

In order to get to your battery you have to remove the seat so it is not something you will do on the spur of the moment. It is not that difficult once you figure it out and keep the proper tools on hand.

The under seat location was a Mercedes Benz standard at the time. It was designed for a Group 49 size battery which mostly came as a wet cell lead acid at that time. They vented the battery with a cap and tube system through the floor. The Group 49 is mostly a European size of decent ah capacity and has a low height to fit under the seat. Few wet cells can meet the height restriction. Also the hold down clamps fit that battery size.

Now you can get a Group 49 battery probably more easily in an AGM type. That kind needs no periodic maintenance with water fill thus no periodic seat removal.

Here's another caution. That 2005 Pleasure-way came with a Progressive Dynamics 9200 series converter charger without the 3-stage smart charging. So, if you plug into shore power it will charge and charge and charge and never stop. That means you will boil the water out of a wet cell battery pretty fast, thus requiring constant monitoring and removing the seat. Uncontrolled charging is not good for any type of battery. Progressive Dynamics sells an inexpensive Charge Wizard module that plugs into your converter to give you that smart charging. You need to check to see if a previous owner installed one. I did when I had my Pleasure-way. Your converter is located inside the driver's side ottoman if you have the electric sofa/bed design.

I learned all this the hard way. BTW, in the 2006 model year Pleasure-way smartened up. They put the house battery in the back where it was more accessible and they offered smart converter charging.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Here's another caution. That 2005 Pleasure-way came with a Progressive Dynamics 9200 series converter charger without the 3-stage smart charging.

Have they modified the 9200 series charger profile since 2005? The 9270 charger I have (circa 2015) is a 3 stage charger and the Wizard is incorporated. It has a pendant that monitors the state of the charger and permits overriding the default routine. Isn't it the 9100 series charger that operates in a single stage unless the Wizard is attached?

[Davydd]

Yeah, I meant to say 9100 series in 2005. A PD 9140A to be exact. The 9200 series had the charge wizard 3-stage intelligent charging built in. The pendent you can buy for the 9100 series plugs in easily and costs about $33.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Yeah, I meant to say 9100 series in 2005. A PD 9140A to be exact. The 9200 series had the charge wizard 3-stage intelligent charging built in. The pendent you can buy for the 9100 series plugs in easily and costs about $33.

What I don't get is Progressive's marketing of both series. Why would anyone order a 9100 series when the 9200 series does it all for you (unless you elect to intervene with the pendant) and at Best Converter, model for model, at a lower price than the equivalent 9100 unit?

IMO, these are excellent units and in the unlikely event it ever fails, Progressive will replace it for a hundred bucks.

[Lennie]

Is this the 3 stage intelligent charge wizard? Or do I need to do add something else? It says, 9200 (hopefully the photo shows up)

[Davydd]

Lennie,

You are good to go. That converter has the 3-stage charger built in.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Lennie

Is this the 3 stage intelligent charge wizard? Or do I need to do add something else? It says, 9200 (hopefully the photo shows up)

Although it's not necessary for basic operation, I recommend you get the inexpensive Progressive plugin option for this unit called a pendant which has an LED that indicates what charging state the charger is in:

Boost Mode: LED remains solid green

Normal Mode 1: 50-90% charged. LED flashes once per second

Normal Mode 2: 90-100% Charged. LED flashes 2-3 times per second.

Storage Mode: Fully charged. LED flashes once every 6-8 seconds.

This pendant also permits you to temporarily override the normal charging sequence and force any of these modes.