Totally Crazy -- Battery keeps going dead

[Shewbox]

Everything works great on our TH when we have camped at RV parks but dry camping has been a challenge due to battery going dead. We already posted about the propane issue and then when battery dies flashing no propane when there is but the other nite the battery showed fully charged, we turned the furnace off, put refrigerator on propane and had all lights out and by 4 a.m. the battery was dead.........what the heck?? So frustrating. Going to be camping soon up in Sawtooths with 30 degree weather so need to get this figured out. We have to hook up truck to even get juice to start generator but can't run that at night due to location under nose/bed.

We are calling dealer tomorrow but figure we can get better advice on this forum. Thanks in advance!! We have RV'd for years but this one has us baffled.

[JRTJH]

Do a search for dry camping or battery and you'll get a number of threads concerning what you're facing.

If you have one battery in your RV, chances are it's a GP24 deep cycle 12 volt battery. It probably won't last through the night if you use incandescent lights in the evening and run the furnace through the night. You'll most likely wake up cold with no lights and no battery.

Most of us who do dry camp have converted to LED's for interior lights, use extra blankets and shut the furnace off when we go to bed, "push" one unlucky soul out of bed in the morning to turn up the thermostat (or just light a couple of burners on the stove to make coffee and warm the cabin up).

We (most of us) have either added a second 12 volt battery or have simply converted to 6 volt "golf cart" batteries. Even then, quite a few of us have added 4 batteries. With a setup like that, running the furnace while sleeping, using lots of lights frequently, etc, getting a couple of days out of a dual battery setup is fortunate.

One consideration for you would be to take your single battery and use it for your generator and install a dual 6 volt battery system to provide coach power. Even then, you'll need to conserve battery power in very cold weather.

Good Luck

[Festus2]

shewbox -
If you dry camp frequently, then installing LED lights to replace the incandescent bulbs is pretty much a given. One incandescent light draws about 1.2 amps and there are often two such lights in ceiling fixtures resulting in a draw of 2.4 amps. And that is just for one fixture! If you have 4-5 double incandescent lights on, you are looking at a total draw of about 9-10 amps. That amount of draw by having the lights on for say 3 hours at night, plus other usage, will deplete your battery faster than you would think.

The same number of LED lights would probably draw about 1.5 -2.0 amps.

You didn't indicate any info about your battery set up but if you do have a single Group 24 battery, and are running the furnace, lights on during the evening, and operating the water pump (running water, flushing the toilet), don't expect this battery to last long.

It would be far better for you to look at installing 2-6volts and interior LED lights which would allow you to extend your dry camping time. Keep in mind that by doing so, you still have to be prudent about placing demands on the battery.

[Shewbox]

We appreciate your quick and informative replies. We love this forum and have recommended it to friends. Great advice about LED lights and info on battery life.

Take care -- thanks again

[Yosemitebob]

Shewbox, when you start this project, it doesn't stop there Then you should install a battery switch, for storage purposes, not just the one that comes with the trailer. You can find LED's all over the internet, so make sure you check many, they range from 15.00 for a double set up (like in the ceiling) to 35.00 for the same set up. Next solar

[Shewbox]

Since our TH is a 2014, shouldn't a number of the lights be LED? I'm sure the pendants above island in kitchen are because they were part of the "Chrome" package. Next time we go get it out of storage I need to take stock. Funny how you don't really notice as long as they work!!

We did add some battery-powered touch LED lights by the hydraulic bunks in the garage -- handy for during the nite since the light switch is clear across the room and only one. Each time we find more handy things like hooks to hang keys, etc. And a basket for the 8 remotes to various things!! Such roughing it!!

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by Yosemitebob

You can find LED's all over the internet, so make sure you check many, they range from 15.00 for a double set up (like in the ceiling) to 35.00 for the same set up. Next solar

You can buy individual LED's rather than purchasing the whole fixture and will save yourself quite a bit of $$$. Simply remove the old incandescent bulb and replace it with an LED. Internet single LED's are a lot less than $15.

[Rusty]

What do you have fr the entertainment system?

With ours we have the stereo that is lit constantly and the clock is running, the radio also has a draw that will run the battery(ies) down real quick as well.

I got a toggle switch and installed it before the radio to turn off the power to the radio.

[Barbell]

This won't be much help to you since we don't dry camp. However, our 2014 Montana would kill the battery within 48 hours with the battery disconnect switch thrown; just parked without house power. I finally was able to get the deep cycle battery to stay up by installing a cut-off on both terminals of the battery. I had auto electricians and Keystone specialists look at it with no solutions other than as above. You may have a similar problem. I have a solar panel on my Lance truck camper and the battery stays up for years. Good luck.

[Shewbox]

We had room for three batteries so have them "piggybacked" and now when drycamping have plenty of juice! You would think for price of these RVs they could include at least two batteries in base! We have learned so much this first year!