Dry camping dead battery [Archive]

fish8it

06-09-2011, 08:01 AM

I have a 2011 Cougar 326MKS with one group 24 interstate battery. I am only able to a half day before I have to charge my battery with my generator. The dealer where I bought it seems to think I need additional batteries but I still question how a battery could go dead overnight without using any power such as the interior lights. I am trying to find out what all uses battery power while the trailer is parked. I know the refrigerator uses allot and refrigerator cooling fan must also use allot. I hear the fan running during the day when it is hot but do not hear it so much at night. Anyway, every RV I have owned I have been able to go several days without charging the battery.

GMcKenzie

06-09-2011, 10:30 AM

That does seem quick. I've dry camped all weekend without having to recharge. It sounds like you might have a draw.

I know I've left my antenna booster on by mistake and it draws a fair bit (I'm thinking .5 amp).

There is a tool out there that you can plug in in place of a fuse to see what the circuit is drawing, or just put an ammeter in place of the fuse.

It does seem like you have something drawing more than just the fridge.

hsmunoz

06-09-2011, 11:45 AM

my experience is that the dealer puts in the least expensive 12v battery they can get, and not specifically designed for high draw. Go to Sams Club, get Two 6V golf cart batteries , hook them in series, and your good to go.

THedges

06-09-2011, 03:06 PM

I have dry camped for 5 days w/o charging w/2 6v golf cart batteries.

A 1/2 day on a single 12v seems very fast. Do you have any power inverters that might be running? Also, is your fridge a 3 way? If so make sure you are in propane mode and not 12v.

Festus2

06-09-2011, 03:27 PM

Your fridge should not draw that much from your battery.......BUT...... Not sure if you have noticed, but there may be a Climate Control Switch on certain Dometic models that should be turned OFF when you are not plugged in and utilizing your battery only. This small rocker switch is located on the right-hand side below the top front display/control panel. Check your fridge manual for the location and function of this switch.
Not all campers know about this little devil and are puzzled why their battery runs down so quickly--- this could be the cause.
When dry camping, turn it OFF. When plugged in, turn it ON. All it does is control the humidity level in your fridge and if it is turned off, your fridge will still work quite well!

Me.Bikes.Dogs

06-09-2011, 07:28 PM

Thanks Festus2, I didn't know that climate control switch was hidden there. Just turned mine on (now I have to remember to turn it off). I wonder what the logic was to hide that switch rather than put it on the front control panel considering it can drain the battery. Learn something new every day!

antiqfreq

06-10-2011, 04:58 AM

We have 2 marine deep cycle batteries for our travels and have dry-camped up to 7 days at Custer SP in S. Dakota. We didn't want to take a change with one battery ever in case it went bad.

Happy Camping.

Jo

Txoutback

06-10-2011, 05:29 AM

Your fridge should not draw that much from your battery.......BUT...... Not sure if you have noticed, but there is a Climate Control Switch on your fridge (Dometic) that should be turned OFF when you are not plugged in and utilizing your battery only. This small rocker switch is located on the right-hand side below the top front display/control panel. Check your fridge manual for the location and function of this switch.
Not all campers know about this little devil and are puzzled why their battery runs down so quickly--- this could be the cause.
When dry camping, turn it OFF. When plugged in, turn it ON. All it does is control the humidity level in your fridge and if it is turned off, your fridge will still work quite well!

Do all Dometic fridges have this switch? I can't seem to locate it in either the manual or on the unit.

Dave

Festus2

06-10-2011, 05:52 AM

Dave:
Not sure whether or not all Dometic fridges have this Climate Control Switch. Ours is 2008 model so perhaps the newer ones (or some models) do not have one or this feature. If it isn't mentioned in your Manual, then it appears as though you may not have such a switch.

I just checked on the Dometic website and the following models have the Climate Control feature :
DM2652, DM2662-63, DM2852, DM2862, DM3862, NDM1062, NDR1292.

In the user manual for these models, it states that "when turned on, the Climate Control will draw 12VDC continuously. Turn off when a charging source is not available".

Hope this helps.

Flyguy

06-10-2011, 06:34 AM

The switch (if you have it) is hidden, you have to open the freezer door to see it. Ours is on the right side above the freezer door. Here's the manual for the RM2652/2852 and I have highlighted the switch's location. http://eaa1358.com/Passport/Refrigerator/RM2652%20Installation%20&%20Operation.pdf

Txoutback

06-10-2011, 07:00 AM

Dave:
I just checked on the Dometic website and the following models have the Climate Control feature :
DM2652, DM2662-63, DM2852, DM2862, DM3862, NDM1062, NDR1292.

Hope this helps.

I have a DM2652LBX and no switch. I even took the top panel that has the controller off looking for it. No switch, no wires. There is what appears to be a knock-out in that location to mount something though. Again, I am assuming that if I open the freezer it would be above the freezer opening just below and right of the control panel. A rocker switch facing down. Correct?

EDIT/UPDATE: Oops, my bad. I was looking at the installation manual last night. According to the owners manual the 2652 does not have this feature and there would be an indicator on the panel if it did. No worries. I didn't realize how basic my controller is until I looked at the upscale models. Don't need it if I didn't know it existed :)

Thanks

gepaine

06-10-2011, 11:25 AM

Our new Cougar came with two 12-volt batteries and they would discharge about 40% overnight on our first trip when only using the refrigerator. Turned out that one battery had a dead cell and the other one was "borderline" according to the dealer. The dealer replaced both batteries and the problem went away.

Note that at first, the dealer said they had checked for draws and checked the batteries and everything was fine. As this made no sense, I asked them to check again. This time they found the bad batteries. You definitely have to push back when your dealer is obviously wrong.

fish8it

06-12-2011, 04:44 PM

Thanks everyone for replying to my battery issue. Trailer is currently at the Dealer and hopefully (fingers crossed) I will get it back soon. I will let everyone know what the outcome was. I really hope they find the problem. I have never, never, never had a battery go dead in a half day.

Ziggy

06-13-2011, 08:10 PM

Hello all,

Still new to the trailering game, and this past weekend while dry camping and when our older battery went dead (was expecting this), the LP portion of the fridge stopped working as well.....thus my beer wasn't staying cold:eek:

Does there absolutely need to be battery power in order to run the fridge on propane??

My fridge model is DM2652, but there is nothing helpful in it's owners manual with respect to LP operation only.

Thanks,
Ziggy

Flyguy

06-14-2011, 04:59 AM

12v is needed to operate the gas valve.

Ruffus

06-14-2011, 05:51 PM

Ziggy, shame on you for letting your beer get warm. You must always have a back up called "ICE". Either that or drink it really fast.:D

Rich of Des Moines

06-17-2011, 06:23 PM

Newbie here takin' notes...Can anyone tell me how long (estimate) it takes to charge a battery off an alternator (1994 v8 Dodge ram van)? I'm hoping to only run a laptop, a few lights, maybe a small stereo 9 hrs a day (im probably getting a gel battery, hopefully a marine 12v). What I'm up against is 2-4 hrs drive-time, to (hopefully) 9 hrs (or more) of power.

I'm a musician traveling on his own, and am really trying hard to figure this out. i know technically ill have to do math, but some basic estimates would be very much appreciated.

Thank You.

gepaine

06-17-2011, 08:24 PM

I recently had to charge two 12v deep cycle marine batteries on my Cougar with my 2007 Escalade. I was able to take them from 50% to 90% charged in 1 hour and 45 minutes with the Escalade idling. I think it would have taken at least as long to go from 90% to 100%.

gkainz

06-18-2011, 06:08 AM

that time can and will vary wildly, depending on the size of the wire from the truck to trailer plug, and the rpm of the engine (driving vs idle).

KMH

09-10-2014, 03:15 PM

I have a DM2652LBX and no switch. I even took the top panel that has the controller off looking for it. No switch, no wires. There is what appears to be a knock-out in that location to mount something though. Again, I am assuming that if I open the freezer it would be above the freezer opening just below and right of the control panel. A rocker switch facing down. Correct?

EDIT/UPDATE: Oops, my bad. I was looking at the installation manual last night. According to the owners manual the 2652 does not have this feature and there would be an indicator on the panel if it did. No worries. I didn't realize how basic my controller is until I looked at the upscale models. Don't need it if I didn't know it existed :)

Thanks

I know that this is an ancient thread, but wanted to clarify that the 2652 model does have his feature, he manufacturer just removed the switch and the ability to shut it off. Feel the frame between the fridge and freezer while it is on, and it will feel warm.

I installed a rocker switch on the light housing, where the thicker gauge red wire that powers the heater runs parallel with the fridge light. Dometic just got cheap, and didn't think about those of us who dry camp regularly.

SkiSmuggs

11-06-2014, 07:07 AM

The OP never returned to say what the problem was. However, a Group 24 battery is barely adequate. Measure your battery box and you may find that it is large enough for a Group 27 which is what I upgraded to for my first boondock camping. I have since gone with a pair of 6-volt GC2 batteries.

gearhead

11-25-2014, 04:14 PM

J've read the entire thread and haven't figured out what the climate control feature does. Somebody help me....

KMH

11-25-2014, 04:22 PM

There is a heated cable between the frames of the freezer and fridge, that is drawing all of the time. Originally, the manufacturer had a switch to shut this off if you were camping without hookups (it draws a lot of juice), but they got cheap on us and did away with that option.

The side effect is that in hot and humid areas you may get a bit of condensation on the plastic trim between the fridge and freezer.

Festus2

11-25-2014, 05:19 PM

J've read the entire thread and haven't figured out what the climate control feature does. Somebody help me....

gearhead -
Here's what it says in my Dometic manual about the Climate Control Feature -----

"During the summer months of high humidity and temperatures, the metal frame between the freezer and the fresh food compartments may have water droplets forming. The number of droplets forming may increase if the vehicle is not air conditioned during these months.
The climate control feature will evaporate the droplets when they form. The control can be left on continuously or used only when the temperatures require it. When on, it will draw 12v power continuously so you should turn it off when a charging source is not available."

In other words, if this feature is available on your fridge and left ON, it will drain your battery IF you don't have any means of charging it.

KMH

11-25-2014, 05:23 PM

Festus2 is spot on.

On some of the newer model fridges, however, this is not an "option" as far as having a switch; they removed the switch, and made it automatic, which means it is drawing all the time. Mine has a blank where the switch would normally be, yet they re-routed the wires so there's no easy way to put a switch in to control it, other than below the fridge light, where I put mine.

Rick

11-25-2014, 08:21 PM

I had bought a new Springdale trailer about a month ago and was finally able to take it out last weekend. It came new with only 1 battery (my 2011 Springdale came with 2...Keystone getting cheap..er). The battery voltage was going down quicker than I thought it should during the day. I attributed this to only having 1 battery.

After reading this post, I don't think it was only having 1 battery that was the problem. Looked at the wiring diagrams, and there it is! Coming off the circuit board power (A) at post J2, there looks to be a single red wire that goes to the refrigerator lamp switch (H). From that switch, another red wire goes to the dreaded "Heating Cable" (K), then onto the back side of the refrigerator lamp (G) and to a black ground wire. As has been said before, that means this heating cable is always on! Wonder how many amps it draws?

I'm seeing the same thing in the wiring diagrams for many other models. According to my operating instructions (Form No. 3313240.016 6/11) the NDM1062 is the only refrigerator with an on/off switch.

KMH, I'd love to see a pic of your on/off switch installation. Looks like I'll be adding a switch, too.

Rick

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_152767_0_13a898841bc18ba623dc53fb3b3e2d25.jpg

KMH

11-25-2014, 08:35 PM

Here is a side view of the wire used.. There are two wires there, one of them is thicker. In my setup, (and most if not all of the same model) the thicker red wire is the one to put a switch on.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_152769_0_52ac4f44b76407d5cf0797dd6c0d6973.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kmh1596/media/2012%20Passport%20235EXP/Dometic%20Fridge%20Climate%20Control%20Switch/Climate2_5_zpsfdfed170.jpg.html)

I have an LED bulb in the fridge; if you don't be mindful of how close the bulb is to the wire, because the bulb does get hot if it's not an LED.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_152769_1_2820a3bf21a2cf2f9858d127322c0919.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kmh1596/media/2012%20Passport%20235EXP/Dometic%20Fridge%20Climate%20Control%20Switch/Climate2_3_zps88c29e28.jpg.html)

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_152769_2_26a8111c8d29c9e26514e7ee8003f9b1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kmh1596/media/2012%20Passport%20235EXP/Dometic%20Fridge%20Climate%20Control%20Switch/C32DD497-0198-4E47-89D1-4819A8D9ACBE_zpsr8w0n20z.jpg.html)

For those not sure what this switch does.. Here is the slight condensation present on a trip this summer, after doing the mod and having the switch in the "off" position. If you have it on, or have not yet done the mod, feel the back trim between the fridge and freezer after the fridge has been switched on for a day or so; it will be very warm..

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_152769_3_9deca1b5bed95f5072157fbbc31fc64d.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kmh1596/media/2012%20Passport%20235EXP/Dometic%20Fridge%20Climate%20Control%20Switch/Condensation_4_zps0f3ba533.jpg.html)

KMH

11-25-2014, 08:42 PM

Also, I had read somewhere that it drew as much as .5a. This may not seem like much, but setting aside all other variables for a second, that this draw would be about 12ah per day. If the average deep cycle has 100 or so usable Ah (if drawing down 50%), a 4 day weekend would use up half of your capacity, before using furnace, lights, or anything else.

Festus2

11-25-2014, 10:00 PM

KMH -
On our Dometic (DM2652), which does have the Climate Control feature, the switch for it is located outside the fridge beneath the decoration panel that houses the control panel. The switch, which cannot be seen unless you either feel it or stoop, is a small, black rocker-type switch.
We've never been in any areas yet where the temperature and/or humidity is high enough to warrant turning the Climate Control feature on. So in our case, it's always been in the OFF position.
Are you certain that in some of the newer fridges, that there is a Climate Control feature that is always ON, cannot be turned off, and therefore would always draw from the battery? The fridge then would actually have a double draw on the battery - one for the control panel/board and another for the Climate Control? Or are they both all part of the control panel/board?

In any case, the fridge depends upon the battery to operate and will draw on it regardless of whether or not the Climate Control function is on or it is not a feature of the fridge.

KMH

11-25-2014, 10:23 PM

Lee

11-27-2014, 09:24 AM

Festus,
Not all 2652s had the switch; mine has a blank, and 4 other 2012+ of the same model that friends of mine have do as well. The fridge itself draws .08-1a, but a big part of that is the climate control option, when switched on.

The switch shuts doen only the heat cable that is installed in that frame between fridge and freezer, not the entire unit.

Sir,

Excellent post and pictures (tx)

My 2013 Cougar 21RBSWE does not have the rocker switch as depicted in your pictures. Nor is there one below the control panel. I removed the lamp lens and have the 2 red wires as described. One small and one large.

Did you install the rocker switch as shown in your pictures? If so, could you please provide a part number? What holds the door switch/lamp assembly to the side of the fridge? I would like to remove it to install the rocker switch.

Thanks

KMH

11-27-2014, 10:01 AM

Yes, I installed the rocker switch, that is a "mini" rocker out of an extra overhead light that I had. Radio shack should have them, or Ebay... I believe this would be considered a single pole, single throw?

Not sure how the housing mounts to the fridge, but it would have taken me longer to figure that out than it did to drill the pilot holes on the edge of the hole and then dremel the pattern out. Just shut off all power to the camper (could just shut down the fridge probably, but no sense in chancing it, imo) And go slow.

Good luck!

Rick

12-04-2014, 10:40 AM

I just added a toggle switch to my fridge for the heating strip. It's a SPST and cost like 5 bucks at Radio Shack. As I can never remember which is the on position for those I/O switches, I chose a lighted switch.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_153400_0_bc0dc160d112ae22e0f84e2e296d683d.jpg
I figure the heating strip will use more power than the switch light, so what the heck. I may add a label on the bottom of the clear lens describing what the switch does (Refrig. Heat Strip). That'll help the next owner.

It's a pretty tight fit in there and not much spare wire to work with. My switch is deeper than KMH's, so with the wire connectors on the switch the festoon refrigerator light won't fit.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_153400_1_1797585ffb57e0afb3f296a11c883a5f.jpg
I've ordered a LED bulb, but don't know if I'll use it. As the refrigerator isn't that deep, that light really doesn't do anything and I have a ceiling light right over it. If I do decide to use it, I'll remove the wire connectors, then trim the terminals and solder directly to them. That'll give me the room I need.

The whole refrigerator light/switch assembly is held on by what looks like 2 plastic rivets (you can see 1 in KMH's pics). I don't recommend removing this assembly as you'll probably break those rivets in removing it and have no way to re-attach the assembly, other than using a screw.

Here's the answer on the I/O switches-
"It has to do with binary numeral system. 1 for on, 0 for off. This way it's understandable for everyone around the world, since not everyone understands English (ON/OFF)."

That's great IF you understand the binary numeral system.

Rick

KMH

12-04-2014, 10:58 AM

I always associate "O" with "Off". It hasn't failed me yet.

Cfoxtrot

02-25-2015, 05:37 PM

Is anyone familiar with the Atwood He refrigerators? The manual says that the "Moister Divider Heater" is automatically controlled. Do they mean...

1) They were smart enough only to run it when on AC.
Or
2) It runs all the time.

It seems to be wired similar.

Thanks,
Chris

Rick

02-25-2015, 08:22 PM

Per an Atwood operating manual - "The refrigerator’s electronic controls require 12 volt DC to operate". Both the divider heater and refrigerator interior light share the same black ground wire (J10-5). Power's supplied by the blue wire (J10-6).
So, it's #2, whether you're plugged into shore power or only using batteries, the result is the same...it's always on.

Rick

Cfoxtrot

03-17-2015, 02:21 PM

Just did some voltage testing and, interesting enough, as per the Atwood operating manual- "the Moister Divider Heater is automatically controlled" is correct. Whether the refrigerator was running on AC power or just on the batteries/propane, the blue wire (J10-6) never had power during the 1/2 hour that I monitored it. I am not sure what determines when the heater gets power, but it is not continuously on.

I will likely still add a switch (probably right on the cover of the power board) so that while we are dry camping the heater can not draw precious battery power.

X-Treme

06-29-2015, 12:35 PM

Sorry to resurrect an old thread again, but it appears that my RM1350 4 door fridge has this uncontrollable function as well. Has anyone done the switch mod on a fridge like mine? If so, where did you access the (in my case) green wires?

B-O-B'03

06-29-2015, 02:26 PM