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Old 10-10-2017, 03:02 AM   #1
raybo
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batteries not lasting the week

Good Morning...I recently purchased 2 brand new deep cycle batteries (105Ah each) for my 5th wheel that I use on the weekend and I am curious as to while the battery indicator would show full charge on Sunday PM and low by Friday causing my gas powered fridge to shut down. As far as I can tell the only DC used in the trailer would be the fridge controller , the CO2 detector and the smoke detector. Everything else(water pump, lights, radio ect) is shut off for the week. I also have a 40W solar panel hooked to the batteries. Is this performance typical and if not what else will be drawing power? Thx
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Old 10-10-2017, 03:30 AM   #2
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Your radio has an internal memory that draws power. 40W of solar isn't very much. When you hook up your batteries, are you connecting the trailer to one of them and then hooking the batteries together? If so then you need to change that.

Hook the batteries together + to + and - to - and then hook the trailer leads to separate batteries. Put the trailer + to one and the trailer- to the other battery.
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Old 10-10-2017, 04:43 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by raybo View Post
Good Morning...I recently purchased 2 brand new deep cycle batteries (105Ah each) for my 5th wheel that I use on the weekend and I am curious as to while the battery indicator would show full charge on Sunday PM and low by Friday causing my gas powered fridge to shut down. As far as I can tell the only DC used in the trailer would be the fridge controller , the CO2 detector and the smoke detector. Everything else(water pump, lights, radio ect) is shut off for the week. I also have a 40W solar panel hooked to the batteries. Is this performance typical and if not what else will be drawing power? Thx
The propane detector draws quite a bit of current 24/7. If you are afraid to disconnect it while occupying the trailer, consider putting a switch on it to shut it off when it's not in use.

The radio unit in the entertainment center draws constantly, even when turned off. On mine, I installed a switch on the hot line by the entertainment center, and only turn it on when we want to listen to something.

For many 12vdc items, simply turning them off is not enough to stop current draw. The only way to be sure is a switch on the 12vdc feed which will completely shut down the item.

Do you have an inverter on the system? It may draw even when off.

We're getting into cooler weather. If the thermostat is accidentally left in the Heat position when you store the trailer for the week, it's more likely to come when over night temps dip. Just a few cycles of the furnace running will out strip your solar charger right away.

Most of our camping is currently boondocking or dry camping. We've learned how to be very conservative with 12vdc usage, and not just when we're camping. How the trailer is stored when not in use is just as important.

Use the search function and look back over the many years this forum has been running. Your issue is a very common one and there are many details about battery conservation to be found.
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Old 10-10-2017, 04:57 AM   #4
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A 3 amp draw would only give you 70 hours of continuous use... 210/3= 70

70/24 = 2.91 days..
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:18 AM   #5
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Don't forget the amplifier/booster in the TV antenna. That little device uses as much as the CO detector and the LPG detector. Fortunately, the smoke detector is most likely not connected to the trailer battery (most CO detectors are) and it's a "stand alone" device.

Even if you drop Javi's 3 amp draw to 2 amps by turning off the antenna, with your battery bank, if it's fully charged when you park, they will only last 4.3 days. 210/2=105 105/24=4.3.

Now, something to think about: If your battery bank is being "completely discharged" to a charge level below what the refrigerator won't turn on, they are being discharged well below the 40% state. That will shorten their life expectancy by a significant amount. Most battery manufacturers recommend never discharging deep cycle batteries below about 60% before recharging (for maximum life). You might want to "solve your problem" by installing a battery cutoff switch that completely isolates the batteries from the trailer. The one that is OEM will not turn everything off, so it's essentially "of no use" when your trailer is in storage.
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:50 AM   #6
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210/3= 70

70/24 = 2.91 days..
210 is equal to what? Or is it just a numeral that works?
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:52 AM   #7
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210 is equal to what? Or is it just a numeral that works?
"Good Morning...I recently purchased 2 brand new deep cycle batteries (105Ah each)"


2 x 105
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:53 AM   #8
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210 is equal to what? Or is it just a numeral that works?
Read the first line of the OP's original post: "I recently purchased 2 brand new deep cycle batteries (105Ah each)..."
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:59 AM   #9
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2 batteries
Thank you for explaining.
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:46 AM   #10
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2 brand new batteries at 105Ahr each = 210 Ahr.

Oops, way to slow...
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Old 10-10-2017, 08:44 AM   #11
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I do not have a 5th wheel but battery going flat in a week with only ref on, does not seem right to me and with a 40 watt solar panel the battery should be full at the end of the week with a sunny week.
I agree 2 and 3 amp will drain the battery in a week, but there should not be more then a 1/2 amp draw and that seem way to big. Yes all the thing list above draw current but all combine should be less then 1/2 amp.
Time to go out and get a amp meter and see how much current is be used and what is using it. Let use know what you find.
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Old 10-10-2017, 09:18 AM   #12
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A 40 watt solar panel has an output of 2.4 amps of DC power during peak solar hours, giving from 9 to 17 amps or more in a day. so no a 40 watt solar panel will not keep a battery at full charge with 2 - 3 amp constant draw..

I used 3 amps because with my 5th wheel which has the fridge in the slide also uses a 12V cooling fan... The average draw I see when I happen to look at my gauge is right a 3 amps when I'm in storage with no lights on but the fridge running on propane... This is the reason I pay $10 extra a month for electric... so I can turn off the propane and still run the fridge... in that mode (110) the amp draw is still 3 amps with the fan running and 2 with out the fan..
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Old 10-10-2017, 05:36 PM   #13
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Is it possible to replace the 40w solar panel with a 100w? I think ZAMP or Renogy has a single 100w panel. 100w should provide a 7 amp charge on a sunny day and keep things topped off nicely.
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Old 10-11-2017, 04:39 AM   #14
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are the deep cycle 6v or 12v, if there 12 v you have 210 ah of which 80% roughly is usable, if there 6V you only have 105ah which isn't very much.

Steve
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Old 10-11-2017, 04:54 AM   #15
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are the deep cycle 6v or 12v, if there 12 v you have 210 ah of which 80% roughly is usable, if there 6V you only have 105ah which isn't very much.

Steve


FIRST post said 2 new batteries at 105Ah each.
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Old 10-11-2017, 05:52 AM   #16
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They are 12V
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Old 10-11-2017, 01:26 PM   #17
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are the deep cycle 6v or 12v, if there 12 v you have 210 ah of which 80% roughly is usable, if there 6V you only have 105ah which isn't very much.

Steve
My 6V GC2 are 230 AH?

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Old 10-11-2017, 01:28 PM   #18
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Thanks for all the input guys...I am going to check the current draw with a clamp on ammeter this weekend and see what is up
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Old 10-12-2017, 09:17 AM   #19
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Just a "heads up." You're not going to read DC current draw with a clamp-on ammeter. Those work only on AC current.
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Old 10-12-2017, 09:36 AM   #20
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Just a "heads up." You're not going to read DC current draw with a clamp-on ammeter. Those work only on AC current.
Just a note:...


http://www.homedepot.com/p/Extech-In...FUGqaQod6kkHCQ
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