Battery Die Down

[TedBec]

We bought a TT this year ( our first) we have camped one weekend . My question is why does the battery always run down ? It is fine while hooked up to power but when it sits for a couple days it goes dead. Any ideas of what could be draining it would help . Thanks . We love it otherwise.

2012 Heartland TrailRunner 25sle

 

[jimtoo]

Hi TedBec,

You have several items that draw a small amount of power when not plugged into 120v. Are you leaving fridge on? The radio is probably drawing current and also the alarms. Also make sure your furnace is off.

Jim M

 

[TeJay]

Tedbec,
First you have to give us more info. How old is the camper/battery??? If the camper is used then what is the date on the battery?? Here's some info concerning batteries. All wet cell batteries have a shelf life. Once they are put into service they have a limited life. If it is a 60 month battery it will usually last that long provided it is charged at least once a month every month even if it is not being used. When you TT sits for say 4 months and it's not being charged the plates begin to sulfate or develop a sulfate coating on the cell plates and unless they are charged it may become permanent and would have to be replaced. There are several tests that can be performed but lets just do one thing. Disconnect your shore power, and your battery camper connections. Clean the battery and wire terminals with a wire brush and baking soda water first. Be careful to not get the solution into the battery cells. Also top the battery cells with water. Distilled water is best but unless you're on well water with a lot of iron regular tap water is OK. I used tap water for 35 years and never had a problem. Once the terminals are cleaned and all cells topped correctly put a portable battery charger on and charge at the slowest amperage rate that is possible with your machine. One to 3 amps per hour is the best. If your charger won't charge that slow try and borrow one that will. The recharging process is at the molecular level and slow is always, always better. Charge the battery for 36 to 48 hours. If the plates are sulfated the slow charging will remove some or all of the sulfate. After the charging is finished connect the battery. Probably the next best thing to do is to take your charged battery to a facility that can load test your battery. You've bypassed your charger converter by using a portable charger. Now you have to determine if the battery will accept a charge. A good automotive facility can test the battery very easily but unless you have the equipment you can't. If the battery tests good take it home and connect it to your camper and plug in the shore power. You know the battery will accept a charge but you don't know if the TT converter will charge the battery. Turn on some battery draining appliances for a few hours. While still connected to shore power put a DVOM across the battery terminals to measure your charging voltage. It should be at least 13.5 Volts or higher. If it's not then your TT converter is defective.
There's a lot more info I could share with you but this should steer you in the right direction. If you are confused or need more info just PM me.

TeJay

 

[TedBec]

The fridge is off , I was thinking it might be the radio but didn't think about the alarms. thanks. It is a brand new 2012.

 

[TeJay]

OK it's a new trailer. Before you start chasing your tail do some testing. The worst mistake you can make when troubleshooting any problem is to skip obvious steps. Just because your TT is new does not mean that the battery is good. It could be a battery that was the end of a run and the last one installed and it's been sitting for 12 months on a shelf. Therefore it's a year old and never been charged. Don't assum new unit therefore new battery. And even if it were new it could still be defective. Run through the stuff I suggested and you will know for sure that it will or will not accept a charge. If it will then on to the next tests but you have to determine if the battery will or will not accept a charge. There are ways of measuring the battery current drain when everything is supposed to be off but that involves placing an amp meter either around the negative battery terminal or in series with the positive terminal. That stuff is not easy and takes some training. Most batteries can take some key-off current drain. However that depends on how often you use the unit and if it's charged while sitting at home. We keep ours plugged in most of the time even when it's not being used. One more thing. Unless you have a light on most appliance won't cause the battery to drain in a few days. Your radio uses very little current. Most car batteries can withstand 3 amps for a few weeks and not go dead. Again that depends on the original state of charge of the battery. Do the testing first to eliminate battery problems.
TeJay

 

[pegmikef]

One time it warmed up while we were camping and I didn't even think about the furnace. Went home, put TT in storage and furnace continued to run when it was cold. Battery went first so it didn't use all the propane. Two mistakes. Left furnace on, left propane valve open.

 

[JohnDar]

The only alarm that draws from the battery is the LP detector. Your smoke and CO alarms do not. If you have a digital radio that always displays the time, it's drawing from the battery as well. Another draw is the antenna amplifier, if you forget to turn it off. As mentioned, if the furnace thermostat is left at a temperature, it will operate the fan to try to maintain it, so turn it fully off. If leaving the rig unattended without shore power for a few days, simply disconnect one of the battery cables and your battery should not die out. We had a similar experience with our previous TT.

 

[Silverado23]

Check for lights left on. When we first got our NT, The light on the stove hood was left on. I only saw it during the day and the light was pretty dim. This ran our battery down within a day or so. Other areas that have lights on our NT is in the storage compartments. I can see that it would be easy for something to shift and turn on one of those lights or even leave it on and not realize it.

 

[ILH]

I had a similar problem with my previous TT. The detectors obviously draw power. However, I never seemed to be able to isolate the specific item drawing the power - I just had to disconnect the cables from trip to trip.

 

[TedBec]

Thanks for all the great help. I'm thinking now I may have left the power booster for the tv on. Has anyone ever installed a battery dis-connect switch or used a solar powered battery charger ?

 

[57chevyconvt]

I would use a battery disconnect switch, one that connects to the battery post and easy to install. Take note of the information that TeJay offered about a battery that could have set for a long time with out being charged. This will cause sulfating, which will kill a battery. If I am not using the RV on a regular basis I do the following: disconnect the battery and hook up a "Battery Minder" small charger that will maintain the standing voltage at 12.5 volt via pulse charge mode of operation. The "Battery Minders" or "Battery Tenders" can be purchased on line for about $45.00 and are well worth the money.

 

[ILH]

Has anyone ever installed a battery dis-connect switch or used a solar powered battery charger ?

I had a small solar cell charger that went in tne window with suction cups - and the cable ran to the 12volt plug. It wouldn't provide enough to recharge a battery - but it would help with low wattage draws such as a CO2 detector running.

 

[bulletshockey14]

Question? We have a mpg 183. will plugging the trailer in to our outlet in the garage charge the trailers batteries or do i need to hook the batteries directly to a battery charger? thanks

 

[jimtoo]

Hi bulletshockey14,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

Yes, your converter should keep the batteries charged.

Enjoy the forum and your MPG.

Jim M

Question? We have a mpg 183. will plugging the trailer in to our outlet in the garage charge the trailers batteries or do i need to hook the batteries directly to a battery charger? thanks

 

[Nathan]

Also, call your dealer and let them know. They should be able to due some draw testing if it is a warranty item.

 

[bulletshockey14]

thanks for the help...