first trip out with 325srx

Jimmie Fan · 10-22-2011, 07:24 PM

Went to Dover Delaware for the Nascar race for 10 days no hook ups. After our first night our battery went dead after 6 hours. Nothing running but the fridge on propane. We had to purchase a bigger deep cell battery the following day.This was not expected ,in the past we have camped with a class A. Never had this problem because the batteries seemed to last longer. To me it seems we had to run our portable generator longer that we had to in the past to keep the batteries charged . Over all we had a great time and no other major problems.

dave-g · 10-23-2011, 02:19 AM

I have the same problem. I dry camp at motorcycle races. Battery can not make it through the night. I spent an hour looking for a light on. But did not find one. I now run the gen all night on Eco mode. I set it 30 feet away. Next year I'm going to change the battery.

smiller · 10-23-2011, 07:14 AM

A group 27 or 31 deep-cycle battery shoud provide at least 100 amp-hours and that should be plenty for any overnight (as long as you are being reasonably conservative with power usage.) If your battery can't make it through even a single night then you probably have a bad battery, or the wrong battery for the application (meaning anything other than a true deep-cycle battery.)

Also, if you haven't had personal control of the battery since it was new then you really have no idea of its true condition, regardless of age. For instance a battery in a new RV could have been discharged dead flat or left in a discharged state several times by accident or carelessness, and this will damage a battery in short order. So if you don't know for certain how a battery has been treated (and if it is in a unit on an RV lot you can pretty much bet it hasn't been cared for) then even a 'new' battery can be severely compromised.

Festus2 · 10-23-2011, 07:23 AM

If you check your fridge and look for a small rocker switch located below the top decoration panel that houses the control panel. You have to open the freezer door to find it. This switch may be turned on and may be the cause of the battery drain.
It is a Climate Control Switch that may be used in the summer to help reduce condensation inside the fridge. I would use it only when you are plugged into shore power otherwise it will drain your batteries in a hurry. Turn it to OFF if it is in the ON position.

rebelfan · 10-23-2011, 08:30 AM

There's another way to get more battery time just parrell two batteries together and that will double your run time. We have not dryed camp yet, but that's what I do in my fishing boat to make my trolling motor last longer.

SteveC7010 · 10-23-2011, 09:00 AM

In addition to the climate control strip on the fridge, there are a bunch of other possibilities that could be draining the battery down in just a few hours.

Lighting: We all probably use more lights than necessary much of the time. On my last TT, the light fixtures were two 921 bulbs with each bulb on its own switch. Our new Cougar has different fixtures with only one switch for two 921's. That means that we are using double the current in many instances.

Fridge: Festus2 already covered the climate control. If the fridge is in a slide, there is an extra fan to pull air up and out the top vent. If the fridge is not in a slide, it's likely that this fan may not be there. In ambient temps below around 90F, the fan may not be needed. Open the lower fridge vent and pull the fuse for the fan. I posted pics of all this in another post.

The onboard AM/FM/DVD/CD player draws current even when turned off. It could be the culprit that is killing the battery between uses of the TT if you're not connected to a shore line while storing the TT. I am installing an on/off switch in the power line to the radio to make sure it is not using current when dry camping.

There may be other uses of 12vdc as well so it is good to make an inventory of everything that is on, no matter how trivial you think it might be.

A decent marine/rv battery at full charge should get you through the night at the very least without issues provided it is not being drained by stuff you don't need.

SteveC7010 · 10-23-2011, 09:04 AM

Here are some pics that will help folks locate this switch. In all these pics, we are looking at the freezer door.

jje1960 · 10-24-2011, 03:22 PM

Wow, never noticed that switch in the freezer.... need to look at that. Yea, all night furnace usage single (or double 12V) standard battery in cold weather with this size unit is a stretch. We had two paralleled standard batteries on our last TT that would not last in below 30deg nights (remembering Martinsville one year). I've changed all our lights to LED, however have not checked the cold weather night usage with the SRX yet. While not needing aircon, we just run the 1k Mitsubishi 24/7 for power while on the dry, it uses very little fuel and is whisper quiet. I was going to change over to a couple of 6v in series, however just not worth it with using the quiet inverter. For the aircon use, the Boliy has taken care of that... was so nice last summer, we stop in Emporia off 95 at a Walmart every year on the way to Myrtle Beach in the summer, this year with the aircon running on the way there, it was a cool 76 deg when we went in the trailer... vs the previous year at like 98deg... which was a horrible thought for sleeping at the end of the driving day. At any-rate... from what we have seen, if batt only for running furnace all night is choice, then series 6V, even parallel 2 banks for max amp/hr. At about $150 per battery, this is quite an investment though.

dave-g · 10-27-2011, 02:38 AM

also lp- smoke and co detectors also draw some juice. I'm going to try changing all bulbs to led- putting a "off" switch on the stereo. And in the spring a new battery- bigger if it will fit.

**JRTJH** · 10-27-2011, 04:33 AM

If you are considering the change to LED lighting, read the information on various posts here. You'll save yourself money and be more satisfied if you research before you start buying. Notably, buy the temperature range lighting that suits your preference. 3500 to 3800K is closest to the "warm white" of incandescent bulbs. The 5000 to 6800K gets brighter and bluer the higher you go. Once you top 6000K the lights give off a blue/gray cast that many find annoying.

Nearly all LED lights are made in China, so buying them at Camping World or "LED Emporium" (or other sources) that charge anywahere from $14 to well over $35 for each light bulb gets you essentially the same thing as you get from Ebay for $1.99. LED's is not a place where you get what you pay for. There is a tremendous lack of knowledge about this type of lighting and what you see printed in a sales brochure is not always standardized from dealer to dealer. I'd suggest you buy one or two "sample" bulbs (of the cheap variety) see if they fit your needs, and if they do, then buy more, if they don't, then go to the "higher priced spread" as they say in the butter commercials. Whatever you do, don't go to CW or anywhere else for that matter, spend $3 or 4 hundred bucks on bulbs, get them home, change out all 45 lights and then find you don't like them... That's NOT the way to test a new technology.

Spending less than $10 testing the bulbs, even if you don't like them is much better than spending $40 for one bulb and finding that you can get the same bulb with "OMRAN" on it instead of "OSRAM" for $2.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent...

I changed out every light in and out of my trailer for less than $150 and I'd venture to say that the LED lighting I have is the same color, slightly brighter and much less heat produced than the incandescent lighting that was initially installed. I draw less than 3 amps in the evening using 3 or 4 fixtures where before, I'd be drawing over 30 amps using incandescent lights. The change, in my opinion, is definitely worth the investment if you dry camp or find your A/C not cooling well in the early evening. You'd be amazed how much heat (electrical waste byproduct) is produced (drawn from your battery) by incandescent lighting.

Maxzd · 11-06-2011, 04:26 PM

Did anyone with a 325SRX find this switch on the fridge? I went and looked just now and there is no such switch on my fridge model at least. I have a Dometic Model # DM2852.

smiller · 11-06-2011, 05:28 PM

Not present on my 325SRX either, a 2010 model.

jje1960 · 11-09-2011, 02:35 PM

Nope, not on our 2011.

**JRTJH** · 11-09-2011, 04:52 PM

The DM2852 and 2652 had it as an option, most likely few of the manufacturers opted for the option. The humidity control feature and switch were standard on the DM2862 and 2662.

smiller · 11-09-2011, 05:01 PM

Yeah, that sounds right because in my unit there appears to be a knockout in that location, just no switch.

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