Battery question.

[donallen33]

2014 Passport 3180RE - after each of our last 2 trips, the battery was dead after being parked in storage for approximately 2 weeks. Is this normal? The dealer said the battery was brand new in June 2015. Is there something I should be doing or is this a bad battery?

2014 Keystone Passport 3180RE

[bsmith0404]

Batteries will drain while sitting in storage because there are several items in the trailer that continue to use battery power. Some trailers have a battery cutoff switch which helps. Is two weeks normal? Hard to say, but I wouldn't be running out to buy a new one. If your trailer doesn't have a cutoff switch, adding one will help. When I had mine stored in an open lot, I would pull the batteries if it would be sitting for a month or longer. Now I have it stored inside with power and just hook up a trickle charger.

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by donallen33

2014 Passport 3180RE - after each of our last 2 trips, the battery was dead after being parked in storage for approximately 2 weeks. Is this normal? The dealer said the battery was brand new in June 2015. Is there something I should be doing or is this a bad battery?

2014 Keystone Passport 3180RE

There are dozens of previous threads on this issue going back several years or more. The problem is parasitic or vampire drain. If you're looking for details on the whys and wherefores, a little searching will turn up plenty of answers. Several of my responses in those threads give extensive lists of parasites to be found in your 12vdc electric system.

[Javi]

Most of us do one of three things with the battery when we store our trailers.

1. keep the trailer plugged in so the converter keeps the battery charged. (I do this because we use our trailer at least once a month and we often leave the fridge stocked)

2. Disconnect the ground cable to disable the parasitic drain

3. Remove the battery and take it home where we put it on a battery minder.
(this is often be best solution for the colder parts of the country in the winter)

[zuley]

Unless you have a large parasitic draw I suggest the battery is toast. A deep cycle battery should hold a charge for a greater period than two weeks. I would recommend you take the battery to one of your local automotive service centres or a automotive supplier and having them do an electronic load test on the battery. Takes 30 seconds to do. This will give you a definitive answer as to the condition of the battery.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by Javi

Most of us do one of three things with the battery when we store our trailers.

1. keep the trailer plugged in so the converter keeps the battery charged. (I do this because we use our trailer at least once a month and we often leave the fridge stocked)

2. Disconnect the ground cable to disable the parasitic drain

3. Remove the battery and take it home where we put it on a battery minder.
(this is often be best solution for the colder parts of the country in the winter)

Javi, your comment about the Lippert leveling system going crazy if the battery dies is lodged in my brain. One of my projects "when the weather cools off" is to put a cutoff switch on one of the battery leads to stop parasitic loss. Will that send the leveling system over the edge?
My electric/electronic skills are dull. Navy ET school was a long time ago, and in San Francisco.

[cathcartww]

Ours would go dead in a couple of weeks if we didn't have a cutoff switch. We also got a little solar panel to keep the battery topped off while it is turned off and out of service. We just sit it on top of the propane tank ...

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...8628_200578628

[Javi]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Javi, your comment about the Lippert leveling system going crazy if the battery dies is lodged in my brain. One of my projects "when the weather cools off" is to put a cutoff switch on one of the battery leads to stop parasitic loss. Will that send the leveling system over the edge?
My electric/electronic skills are dull. Navy ET school was a long time ago, and in San Francisco.

From what I can tell cutting the power off to the control panel will cause the memory to dump requiring a reset of level and jack limits.

It really isn't a big deal and takes maybe 15 minutes or so to complete.
For the most part it is a non-issue as long as you don't let the battery go dead. Once power is restored the landing gear will still work in the manual mode until you get a chance to reset the limits.

Since we camp pretty much year-round I just keep the power cord plugged in and check the battery water every couple of weeks.