Sometimes crappy things like batteries dying can make us get soap in our mouths, but never fear, we have a solution for you.

The Lithium Ion batteries shut off to protect themselves (and you) if they drop below 10.2 volts. Don’t let that stop your party, here’s what you can do.

First things first; “have you tried restarting your machine?” There are power reset buttons on   the top of your LI batteries. These buttons can also be used any time to check the percentage of charge the batteries are currently at. The LED’s on the battery next to the power button indicate 20% to 100% in increments of 20. Press those buttons and check the Xantrex panel for a voltage reading. No lights means you’ve killed the batteries. It’s possible doing just this reset will kick start the system and start charging. If it comes alive, and then dies again within a minute or two, you need to do one of these next steps:

1. If you don’t want to use fuel, park your van in a place where it has direct sunlight. Make sure your ALL-OFF switch is in the OFF position. This ensures there are no power draws on the Lithium Ion batteries. Your solar system will recharge your batteries to operational levels in a few hours, or as long as a day, depending on how low they are and how much Mr. Sun decides to help you out. -OR-
2. If you don’t mind using fuel or making a little ruckus, start your engine. When the engine is running, the system is designed to charge the coach batteries through the alternator. It's best to have the ALL-OFF switch in the off position while doing this as well to increase the charging speed.  It can take as long as 1 HOUR for the battery manager to allow the alternator to start charging the Lithium Ion batteries. *REPEAT* the batteries MAY not start to charge from a 0% condition for an hour or so after the chassis is started. Patience is required… but unfortunately not included. You have to bring that yourself. Once the batteries come back ON you can use the equipment in your van right away, presuming you are still running your engine and actively charging. -OR-
3. Plug in. Yes, if all else fails, find a power outlet, plug your shore cord in, and your Lithium Ion batteries will restore in a few hours. This can be done by tapping into grid power, or if you have one, a generator. 

So the LI batteries are okay but the chassis battery is dead?

That’s not good… but we’ve thought of this too! You are not the first person to leave the radio or the fan on by accident. If the engine does not turn over because of a dead chassis battery,   there is a way to recover, assuming the battery is still able to charge and there are no other failed parts in the ignition system.

If for some reason the chassis battery drains and will not start the vehicle, you can use the BATTERY MERGE feature to borrow power from the Lithium Ion  system to start the engine. Hold the MERGE button in for a few seconds, and turn the ignition key. Keep in mind the Lithium Ion system would need to have ample power remaining to support the starter on the engine.  

Don’t let a battery problem get in the way of your adventure!