Dead Batteries

[rarnold]

We finally got our first fifth wheel (2011 Sundance 2900 MK) ten days ago. Had company for the first week so we left it on the street opened up to show our family. I plugged it in to my 110 at the house for a day. The test lights showed a full battery charge on the panel read-out. I unplugged it & moved it to the drvwy. Left it unplugged now for 6 days with only the clock on the microwave on and the DVD/CD clock on. Both batteries are completely dead. There is no power to do anything.

How long should a pair of fully charged batteries last with the rig just sitting?

Looking forward to our shake-down camp-out and learning all the tricks of the trade on this forum.

Thanks in advance for this your wealth of knowledge and experiences.

 

[boatto5er]

Under normal conditions the battery(ies) should last longer that six days if there is no load on them. There is always a small load from the CO2 detector, etc, but that alone won't usually run the batteries completely down in less than a week. Double check to make sure there are no lights on in the the cargo area, closet, fan running, reefer on (propane and 12V), etc. Any one of these could kill the batteries in a couple of days.

 

[newbie]

Yea, I agree. I bet there was something left on that you didn't see. A light, the furnace fan, etc.

John

 

[TravelTiger]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the panel read-out always show "fully charged" when plugged into shore power?

Be sure to check the security light under the entry stairs if you have it. I've left that on by mistake before.

 

[rarnold]

Good ideas from all of you!. It dawned on me that you're right...... the panel probably will show full charge when hooked up to the 110. Another Sr.moment for me. Thanks guys. I'll check all the steps, closets & storage areas tomorrow when I plug back in.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Rod, It sounds like you received plenty of good information. Another thing to consider is that the battery may not have been fully charged from the dealer. They probably took it off the rack and popped it into the trailer. I think the charge rate on the converter is too low to fully charge the battery in one day.

 

[rarnold]

Good point Ray. I think I'll leave it plugged in for several days, unplug and THEN get a reading off the panel.

 

[pegmikef]

I left my furnace on once and ended up with a dead battery and empty lp tank. I was ninety degrees out so I never even thought about the furnace. Who knew it was going to drop to the thirties at night for a week or so?

 

[TallTex]

Kind of a corollary question to Rod's about how long batteries should last: is there some kind of battery disconnect that can be installed to completely turn off the power-draining items like the CO2 alarm or clocks, for when the rig is going to just be sitting for a few days/weeks, so that the battery(ies) don't completely discharge?

When we picked up our rig last month, the tech suggested just unplugging the Positive terminal. I thought if there was some type of disconnect available, it might be easier to get to.

On a side note, I believe I've always been taught to disconnect the Negative terminal first. To disconnect the Positive, would I actually need to disconnect both terminals?

Thanks!

 

[cookie]

You are correct, always disconnect the negative terminal.
And to answer your question, yes you can install a disconnect. Marine dealers or some auto parts stores may have them. You may find one at Tractor Supply.

Peace
Dave

 

[pegmikef]

Harbor Freight has got a simple cheapy for about five bucks. It's downside is that it is mounted on the battery and you have to take the cover off the battery box (in TTs) to access it.

 

[brianharrison]

Regarding charging times/rates:

I beleive the Heartland line uses the intelligent converters in most if not all the units. These are smart chargers that have 3 levels of charging - boost, absorption, and float (or boost, normal, and storage).

The manual for the IntelliPower 9200 is here --> http://manuals.heartlandowners.org/...200_Series_Progressive_Dynamics_Converter.pdf

Page 3 has a great chart showing this converter charging a 125 AH battery to 90% capacity in about 4 hours (boost), Up to 34 hours is required to reach 100% battery capacity. Example of charger cycles and rates for this charger and battery selection - each configuration will be a little different.

Hope this helps understand your battery and charging system.

Take care,
Brian