our battery is only lasting approx. 8 hrs. after being fully charged ?

[melandaltupper]

We ve camped for many years, we just purchased a 2012 big country 3450ts, its an awesome camper with ample storage ! We've had it 12 days , it was plugged in from the day we brought it home until Friday, towed it too the camp site , hooked it up too the eu2000 honda before i slid the 3 hydraulic slides out knowing they draw alot of battery power, let the generator run for 5 hrs. and when we were drinking our coffee saturday morning the battery warning alarm went off ? we had left nothing on all night ! The honda ran for 8 more hrs. sat until just before 9 pm and the same thing happened again this morning ? My wife did take a short shower after the generator was shut off . Again i started the honda so we could hook up and go home, then I plugged it into its outlet and unhooked . I'm asking if anyone else with one of the new campers is having this problem ? The 2005 Laredo would last at least last 4 or 5 days .Do the new campers have that much of a draw so I need 2 batteries or do i have a bad battery ? I know the dealership will replace it if its bad but i want too make sure this is the problem before I call them too complain .

 

[jimtoo]

Hi melandaltupper,

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

I would think the battery should last more than 8 hours,, but there is a lot of parasitic load now. So you might check current draw from the battery if you have a meter that will measure the load. Other wise I would let the dealer check it out.

Let us know what you find. Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[watchthebox]

Something doesn't sound right. Are you sure your battery is being charged? Have you put a multi-meter on it when it's charging to verify that it's getting charged? I'm not familiar with your rig, but with my Cyclone, there is a disconnect switch. Once, shortly after I first got our Cyclone, I charged overnight but the battery wasn't charged. That's how I learned that the battery disconnect switch has to be on in order for the battery to be charged.

 

[branson4020]

What's a "battery warning alarm?"

 

[Manzan]

Make sure the liquid in the battery has not evaporated or boiled off. With the parasitic draw, I would use two batteries. Had the dealer put an extra one on my NT 21 FBS

 

[Wharton]

We just use battery power to take out and put in our slides. There doesn't seem to be excessive draw. If you are having this problem with a new trailer(assume new batteries) possibly the batteries are bad. If you have verified the batteries are charging when you get home have a load test done on them by the dealer.

 

[hoefler]

How many lights do you have on?? Any of the vent fans running?? Are you using an inverter for any 120 volt items, tv, coffee pot, etc..?? Any of these things will have a significant draw, especially an inverter.

 

[jmgratz]

It is not unusual to have a 'new' battery go bad. I bought a new battery from the Interstate battery distributor. I installed it in the RV and found it to have 2 dead cells the next day. I took it back and they confirmed the dead cells and replaced it. My first suspect would be the battery.

 

[Bob&Patty]

I suspect the battery is bad. I dont know for sure...but I think that the batteries are installed buy the dealer. I read somewhere that HL was going to install batteries at the plant. But wont swear to it...but if the dealers are installing them then its a cheap battery to start with. Take it back to the dealer.

 

[pegmikef]

I read somewhere on this forum that when you are hooked up to generator or shore power your battery should be charging at 13.6 volts for normal use, but if it is charging higher than that (e.g., 15 or 16 volts) then that indicates a dead cell or something else wrong and the battery is not retaining the electricity. I always use a multimeter to check mine especially when boondocking and over night the trojans would drop to 12.4 when just starting the generator, but after an hour or so they would be back at 13.6

 

[caissiel]

I am on batteries now and yesterday was a warm day. The fridge cooling fan was running all day while on the batteries, I just pulled out the fuse stopping the fan. Its not the best thing to do, but my friends have been doing this while on batteries and reinstall the fuse on electric.
I am not recommending it but could be the draw that might also drain some batteries.
So far the batteries have held quite well.
One of my friends that rough camp often, says he now can last all weekend with one battery with this fan disconncted.

 

[brianharrison]

Either the battery is not being charged, or there is a problem with the battery.

The Progressive Dyanamics 9200 series converters installed by Heartland (Owners Manuals here) are intelligent chargers (3 stages of charging) and should charge at 14.4V (Bulk), 13.6V (absorption), and 13.2V (float).

The PD 9100 Series charge at a nominal voltage of 13.6V. They can be upgraded to 3 stage with the purchase of an external Charge Wizard (about 40 bucks).

The owners manual section also has a trouble shooting guide.

If you own a digital multi-meter (recommended) you can easily check the DC voltage being applied to the battery while connected to shore power.

Check your manuals to see which converter is intalled in your unit - or you can call Customer Service at Heartland with your VIN and they can tell you which one is installed in your unit.

Hope this helps.

Take care,
Brian

 

[greenbootjones]

Hello, We have had a similar problem. We have a 2010 Big Country. We have had to replace the converter once already and since then keep blowing the fuses and the batteries not holding a charge. We recently purchased 2 brand new batteries thinking this may be the problem..Well it didn't fix it. In the last week we have blown 5 fuses. The fuses are hot to the touch when we pull them out. The warranty I believe only covered them for 2 years past purchase date and we purchased it Feb. of 2009. We do have the extended warranty but since we have already had to replace it once we are wondering if there could be another problem other than the converter itself...any ideas would be very helpful! Thank you!


S & K Jones

 

[TandT]

What's a "battery warning alarm?"

I think he means one of the smoke/carbon monoxide detectors is telling him it doesn't have power.

 

[Maverick]

I did not think there was a separate fuse just for the fan. I pulled the fuse just to see what would happen. It shut off the power to the fridge completely. Do you have a separate fuse for the fan? I have a Landmark San Antonio so may be a different setup.

 

[TeJay]

Many have suggested things to do but the best approach is to attack the problem with a plan. Wet cell batteries do have a shelf life. Just because you just bought the camper does not mean that the batteries are brand new. So what to do first. 1. Check the cell water level if it can be checked. If each cell is charging and discharging correctly the cells will have about the same level. If any cell is a lot lower than others it is suspect and one bad cell means that the battery is probably defective. You could take the battery to a shop for a load test. 2. If you have maintenance free batteries then you should check the battery voltage (while it is not being charged). This will give you an idea of its state of charge. It's not a perfect test but it helps. A fully charged battery will be around 12.6-volts. If it's right at or below 12-V then it needs charged. 3. Now hook up and start your charging process. The charging device has to create a voltage greater than the working voltage of the battery. The charger is pushing electrons into the cells and voltage is a measure of electrical pressure. You should measure about 13-13.6-V at the battery while charging. You've done two important things so far. You've checked your battery (s) to determine their condition and ability to accept a charge and you've checked your charging rate. If your batteries don't pass the first test then replace them or have them further tested at a good shop. If you're charging voltage is not above the battery voltage then your charging device is defective and needs further testing.
I hope this little lesson clears up batteries some. It's really a step by step process or simply eliminating one think at a time until you determine the problem. 1. Can or will my batteries accept a charge?? 2. Is my charging device doing its job??? What ever you do try not to jump the gun by replacing something before it's determined to be the problem.

TeJay