Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Repairs & Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-07-2010, 05:45 AM   #1
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 56
Dead Battery

We live in Florida and it is just too hot to camp right now. We bring our Cougar 327RES home to clean and inspect it at least 1 x a month though. The last time we went to get it, the batter was dead so we could not raise the front jacks so we just brought the batter home to charge it first. We checked the camper and did not see anything left on so we are wondering what drained the battery??? The clock on the CD/DVD player stays on all the time but other than that, what could be draining our battery? And is the clock enough to drain the battery or is the clock running on something else? We are fairly new to RVing, is there something we should be doing to avoid this problem. Our RV is only 6 months old so the batter is still new. Any ideas or info would be greatly appreciated!
__________________
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Land O Lakes, FL
Cougar 327RES
Tom and Kelley Crawford is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2010, 07:01 AM   #2
antiqfreq
Senior Member
 
antiqfreq's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Soperton, Georgia
Posts: 1,540
Hi,

I will try to help you out (being a Floridian and all, it is the least I can do!).

In addition to the clock/radio, you also have the propane detector which is on on the time.

You can either disconnect the battery totally every time you drop off your trailer or consider installing a battery cut off switch and when you drop it off you switch the battery to off.

Hope this helps you out.

Jo
__________________
2007 Keystone 291RLS
2003 Ford F250, 4x4, SB, CC
7.3L diesel, Banks Exhaust Brake
ISSPRO pillar gauges
Pullrite 15K sliding hitch
2-Honda Eu2000i's in toolbox
2012 Polaris 400
2012 Polaris 330
antiqfreq is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2010, 01:19 PM   #3
Seann
Permanent User Ban
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Saskatoon Sk CANADA
Posts: 119
Just as a side note Tom if you had hooked the RV power cord up to the truck you should have been able to raise the jacks...
Seann is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2010, 02:09 PM   #4
Ruffus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Fulltiming
Posts: 423
Check the antenna booster

Hey Tom if the antenna booster is on it will drain your battery in about three days.
__________________
Jim, Sharon & Riley
2018 Keystone Alpine 3500Rl
2016 Ford F-350 Dually
Curt Q24 hitch for in bed puck system
Fulltimng.
Ruffus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2010, 08:25 AM   #5
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 56
Thanks everyone. Battery is fully charged again and I have decided to unhook the battery when RV is stored. I had tried to hook the power to the truck and even then I was not able to raise jacks. Maybe my truck batteries are weak; will have to look at that too.
__________________
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Land O Lakes, FL
Cougar 327RES
Tom and Kelley Crawford is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2010, 01:04 PM   #6
GBHRPS
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Posts: 58
I don't know if your rig is so equipped or not, but a friend with the same rig as I have developed the same problem you describe.

Our refrigerators have a heater built into the bodies of the unit that encircle both fridge door openings. If that heater switch is on it supposedly stops the condensation that occurs around the door openings. The small rocker switch is all but invisible just under the edge of the freezer door, in between both fridge doors. Duck down and see if someone left it on, since it'll kill the battery pretty quickly if the rig isn't hooked up to 110 volts.
__________________
2004 Cougar 285
2003 GMC 2500HD CCSB stock,
except for Bully Dog Power Pup Level 2
GBHRPS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2010, 02:16 PM   #7
Flyguy
Senior Member
 
Flyguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 863
If you have the towing package on your tv, most will have isolation diodes installed and that prevents the tv battery from draining along with the trailer when plugged in to the trailer so if you want to use the tv battery to power the trailer you have to have the engine running!! That's the way mine works.
__________________
2005 Springdale 249BH FW
2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.7L
Tow package
Timbrens
Flyguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2010, 05:48 AM   #8
campingcpl
Senior Member
 
campingcpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Elkhart, Indiana
Posts: 420
Quote:
Originally Posted by antiqfreq View Post
Hi,

I will try to help you out (being a Floridian and all, it is the least I can do!).

In addition to the clock/radio, you also have the propane detector which is on on the time.

You can either disconnect the battery totally every time you drop off your trailer or consider installing a battery cut off switch and when you drop it off you switch the battery to off.

Hope this helps you out.

Jo
Quote:
Originally Posted by GBHRPS View Post
I don't know if your rig is so equipped or not, but a friend with the same rig as I have developed the same problem you describe.

Our refrigerators have a heater built into the bodies of the unit that encircle both fridge door openings. If that heater switch is on it supposedly stops the condensation that occurs around the door openings. The small rocker switch is all but invisible just under the edge of the freezer door, in between both fridge doors. Duck down and see if someone left it on, since it'll kill the battery pretty quickly if the rig isn't hooked up to 110 volts.
Also you might want to check your water heater. Mine runs off gas or 12v to heat the water. There is a small on/off switch to the lower left of the water heater behind the ouside panel door. That will drain a battery really quick!
__________________

Phil & Janine & Lady
2004.5 Chevy 2500HD Duramax LLY CC LB 4X4
2009 Keystone Sprinter 272RLS
campingcpl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2010, 02:27 PM   #9
Bowline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Redding, California
Posts: 43
Pulled Fuses and Went Solar

I had the same problem - my batteries were down to 50% charge in a couple of weeks after I purchased my Cougar 27RLS. I discovered the clock and the propane detector were consuming several amps every day, so I pulled the fuses on the two circuits that serve them. I also had a 15 watt solar panel with a two stage regulator installed to keep the batteries fully charged. Works like a charm! Now, all I have to do is make sure the water level in the batteries is maintained. I just have to remember to re-install the two fuses when I use the RV.
__________________
2010 Keystone Cougar 27 RLS,
2007Toyota Tundra, 5.7 liter, 4 by 4
Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller[SIGPIC]
Bowline is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 03:26 PM   #10
Eckerhill
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by campingcpl View Post
Also you might want to check your water heater. Mine runs off gas or 12v to heat the water. There is a small on/off switch to the lower left of the water heater behind the ouside panel door. That will drain a battery really quick!
Yes it would! For example a 1500 watt 10 gallon tank would draw 125 Amps and that would take some serious wiring and kill a battery fast. I think you'll find its powered by 120 volt circuit.
Eckerhill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2010, 05:21 AM   #11
campingcpl
Senior Member
 
campingcpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Elkhart, Indiana
Posts: 420
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eckerhill View Post
Yes it would! For example a 1500 watt 10 gallon tank would draw 125 Amps and that would take some serious wiring and kill a battery fast. I think you'll find its powered by 120 volt circuit.
Some people have inverters in their units that use a 12v battery source to power 120v appliances.
__________________

Phil & Janine & Lady
2004.5 Chevy 2500HD Duramax LLY CC LB 4X4
2009 Keystone Sprinter 272RLS
campingcpl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2010, 07:25 AM   #12
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Quote:
Originally Posted by campingcpl View Post
Also you might want to check your water heater. Mine runs off gas or 12v to heat the water. There is a small on/off switch to the lower left of the water heater behind the ouside panel door. That will drain a battery really quick!
I believe that the HW systems in all RV's are run either by propane gas or 120V AC - not 12v as indicated in your post. The small on/off rocker switch that you referred to is to turn off the 120V supply (not 12v) to the water heater. Leaving this switch "on" will not run down the battery. Unless you have wired your HW heater so that it could somehow be run by your inverter, it won't work directly off a 12v battery.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2010, 10:13 PM   #13
mobile42
Senior Member
 
mobile42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 121
Hey Tom, I know my reply doesn't help your question but I see you have the new floor plan Cougar has put out (327RES). I've got my eyes on one and looks like I'm pretty much 100% that I going to get one . Do you like it, does it tow good and what do you tow it with?
__________________
2011 Keystone Cougar 327RES, Winegard RoadTrip MiniMax Automatic Stationary Satellite
2014 Dodge Ram MegaCab 2500 4x4, SWB, 6.7 CTD, Timbrens
2012 Dodge Citadel Hemi
4000 Watt Champion Generator

2007 Keystone Sprinter 264BHS TT
2005 Flagstaff Forest River TT
mobile42 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2010, 05:56 PM   #14
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 56
We absolutely love our 327RES. Great floor plan and the air bed is very comfortable and easy to set up and take down. The only negative is the lack of drawer space in the kitchen and the small linen closet in the bathroom but we have adapted to those drawbacks easily. We tow ours with a 2006 Ford F250, 6.0 shortbed. We did have a Trail Air hitch installed when we bought it and you can't even tell it is back there. You can't go wrong with this unit, hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours.
__________________
Tom and Kelley Crawford
Land O Lakes, FL
Cougar 327RES
Tom and Kelley Crawford is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2010, 12:09 PM   #15
66ken
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Plymouth,Ia
Posts: 109
We also have a 327RES, and are very happy with it. We think it is the nicest floor plan that we looked at. Most people who have seen it think it is a $50,000
unit. We have all the storage space we need, with some to spare.
__________________
2010 2500HD LTZ Duramax
2010 Cougar 327RES
66ken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2011, 03:44 PM   #16
DEW
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 94
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bowline View Post
I had the same problem - my batteries were down to 50% charge in a couple of weeks after I purchased my Cougar 27RLS. I discovered the clock and the propane detector were consuming several amps every day, so I pulled the fuses on the two circuits that serve them. I also had a 15 watt solar panel with a two stage regulator installed to keep the batteries fully charged. Works like a charm! Now, all I have to do is make sure the water level in the batteries is maintained. I just have to remember to re-install the two fuses when I use the RV.
I realize this post is over a half year old, but if anyone reads this, can you tell me what the 2 stage regulator is for? Can a solar panel not directly charge a battery?
__________________
2011 Keystone Laredo 291TG
2003 Avalanche 5.3L w/ 4:10 gears
Reese HP Dual Cam
DEW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2011, 04:09 PM   #17
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
A battery disconnect switch is cheap and will fix all of these issues..
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2011, 04:14 PM   #18
DEW
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Posts: 94
I have not actually recieved my new Laredo yet and I will seriously think about the switch. I was just wondering what the regulator was for. I assumed the output of a solar panel would have been designed for battery charging and no regulator would be needed.
__________________
2011 Keystone Laredo 291TG
2003 Avalanche 5.3L w/ 4:10 gears
Reese HP Dual Cam
DEW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2011, 04:22 PM   #19
Flyguy
Senior Member
 
Flyguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 863
From what little I know about it I believe the solar panels need a regulator to keep from overcharging the battery, it's like a throttle for the output of the panels or like a carburetor in what it does. JMHO Your Laredo might come with a battery cutoff switch, many of the newer models do. I just installed one on my trailer, simple to do, I switch the negative side of the battery off which IMO is safer. This is the one I installed: http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-d...tch-66789.html
__________________
2005 Springdale 249BH FW
2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.7L
Tow package
Timbrens
Flyguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.