Battery drain

[dstallworth]

My 2007 montana 3584sa 5th wheel is a real gem and we enjoy it a lot. However, one sticky problem I have is that every couple of days the battery is drained and i have to recharge it with a normal battery charger. The battery is only 2 ears old and I replaced the converter that is supposed to trickle charge the battery. Could it be that the trickle charge is not enough to overcome the drain. Or could there be a short somewhere? Anyone had a similar problem? Any ideas?

[chuckster57]

If the converter isn't keeping up, then either the battery is kaput or your wiring is suspect.

Time to do some testing. First take the battery out and have it load tested. If it passes, put it back in. Then with the trailer plugged into shore power measure voltage across the battery terminals. It should be at least 13VDC, and if it isn't your going to be looking at the converter.

If it passes that test, then you need to measure the load on the battery. Unplug from shore power and using an amp meter measure the draw. It shouldn't be more than about 3amps IIRC. If it's more then start pulling fuses until the load drops. That will tell you where to look.

[natedog_37]

Stupid question but you never said is it plugged into shore power?

[Hamops]

Check your propane gas detector. It is usually connected to the battery bus but not to the DC fuse panel and there is no way to turn it off. I've had the same problem on our old 5vr and suspect that our new 5vr is wired up the same way. The only way to prevent the battery from discharging is to install a switch on the battery