Battery not staying charged when not hooked up?

[jack65]

I just bought two new Costco Interstate Group 24DC STD Marine 12 batteries and I charged both of them to full charge in the garage, both batteries were at 95% charge overnight? Is this normal? I'm going to see if they drain anymore.
These were for my 2015 StarCraft AR-ONE 14RB trailer.

I have two more new (same batteries) I got last year but haven't used and they're setting at 82% on one and 95% on the other and charging fast. I think I charged them last month sometime.

I don't know why Costco gave me the same battery for the RV and my electric raft motor? I thought they'd be different for the RV?

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by jack65

I just bought two new Costco Interstate Group 24DC STD Marine 12 batteries and I charged both of them to full charge in the garage, both batteries were at 95% charge overnight? Is this normal? I'm going to see if they drain anymore.
These were for my 2015 StarCraft AR-ONE 14RB trailer.

I have two more new (same batteries) I got last year but haven't used and they're setting at 82% on one and 95% on the other and charging fast. I think I charged them last month sometime.

I don't know why Costco gave me the same battery for the RV and my electric raft motor? I thought they'd be different for the RV?

It could just be your charger is inaccurate…test them with a voltage tester and post what the voltage reads. Your looking for 12.8-12.9 volts fully charged after sitting disconnected from the charger ..they are probably just marine combo starting/deep cycle batteries that they give to anyone looking for a marine/rv battery….and the last 5% is probably just a float charge that is barely charging

Edit borrowed this chart from Canonman

[LHaven]

Unless you're buying 6V batteries, Costco doesn't carry true deep-cycle batteries. They'll just give you the closest thing they have, which is likely the same as your trolling motor.

[jack65]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Unless you're buying 6V batteries, Costco doesn't carry true deep-cycle batteries. They'll just give you the closest thing they have, which is likely the same as your trolling motor.

Do I have a problem then? The two batteries I had last year worked fine dry camping.

[LHaven]

RVers who use 12V batteries almost never have true deep-cycle batteries. In 12V those are hard to find, expensive and extra heavy. They have compromise Marine or similar semi-deep-cycle batteries.

Purists who "boondock long time" buy true deep-cycle batteries in 6V and wire them together. Since we don't boondock unless we're forced by circumstances, it's not an issue for us.

True deep-cycle batteries have no "cranking amps" rating. This popular manufacturer appears to offer them only in 6V models. In truth, they do offer a 12V model, but you have to know about it -- you can't find it from following any of the links on their website (at least I can't). At almost $300, it's no bargain.

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by jack65

Do I have a problem then? The two batteries I had last year worked fine dry camping.

We boondocked and dry camped for years using 12v batteries. You can get by on these just fine. We used a generator and later a solar kit to recharge/top off the batteries daily. When it was time to replace the batteries in the Cougar we chose 6vdc batteries. They were about the same $$ and size so it made sense to go with real deep cycle product made for the RV application.
We still use the solar to keep the batteries topped off and to date have noticed little difference in how they perform from the 12vdc batteries.
I'd say use the 12 volt batteries you have until they need replacing. At that time go with the 6 volt option. I truly believe they are the best choice for RV's or any off grid application.

[JRTJH]

From a "dollars for watts" perspective, the 6 volt GC2 golf cart battery (two in series) is the best "bang for the buck". They typically last 6-8 years with normal use and longer with "babying them".

It's true, you can buy lithium batteries that last longer, have greater recharge cycle counts and can be used "down to zero charge", but for the average RV'er, paying $500 or more per battery vs $200 for the pair of golf cart batteries makes them too expensive on initial purchase.

The "key difference" between "deep cycle batteries" (like the GC2) and "hybrid deep cycle batteries" (like the 12 volt marine/RV type) is the discharge recommendation. GC2's can be discharged to 50% repeatedly with no damage. The "hybrid marine/RV) type can only be discharged to 70% before they start to suffer damage that is accumulative. So, they'll work well for several cycles of deeper discharge, then they start losing "full charge capacity" that keeps getting less and less capacity, until they simply won't hold a charge much above that "maximum discharge capacity" of 70%... At that point, they really start to "go bad quickly". Essentially, you're charging them to the "minimum discharge level" and then discharging them below that with every use.

Once that happens, they're no longer suitable for RV boondocking, but are OK for someone who always has shore power and the battery only needs to supply "extra power to protect the converter during slide movement or landing gear use"....

Hybrid batteries are OK for maybe a season of "deeper than 70% discharges" but then next season, you'll see them "going dead faster and faster"....

[jack65]

Ok, I have a new battery problem. I hooked them back up with full charge exactly the way I took them out... as I took a photo. With old battery the lights worked abet dimly. I did nothing else while disconnecting and hooked them back up exactly the way it was before and I have no lights, nothing? What happened?

Even though I hooked it up the same as the photo, shouldn't there be a black wire from the negative to the frame too for a ground?

Should I post this somewhere else for this problem?
I'm still a RV newbie (3rd year) as I tent camped most of my life.

[LHaven]

I see the two negative terminals wired together and no other cables on them whatsoever. Did you forget to reconnect the chassis ground lead?

I'm hoping that white lead over to the left is for your tongue jack or anything other than the chassis ground, or those batteries are toast. ...no, they won't be toast, because nothing is connected to the negative posts to cause a short.

The batteries are wired "together" correctly, but you need to find the two major cables that represent main power and ground to your trailer, and hook the power one where the white one is now and the ground one to the rightmost terminal on the other battery.

[jack65]

Originally Posted by LHaven

I see the two negative terminals wired together and no other cables on them whatsoever. Did you forget to reconnect the chassis ground lead?

I'm hoping that white lead over to the left is for your tongue jack or anything other than the chassis ground, or those batteries are toast. ...no, they won't be toast, because nothing is connected to the negative posts to cause a short.

The batteries are wired "together" correctly, but you need to find the two major cables that represent main power and ground to your trailer, and hook the power one where the white one is now and the ground one to the rightmost terminal on the other battery.

I thought so too, maybe it was already unhooked for winter, but I don't remember unhooking anything?
I took the picture before I took the old batteries out and put the new ones in the same way.

Do you or anyone else have a picture of the way it should be hooked up? I'm thinking ground wire to frame?

What is that white wire for?

[LHaven]

I can't tell you what the white wire is for. it's your rig, you'll have to see where it goes, I can't do it from here.

Yes, one end of the negative cable will be connected to the frame. You have to identify that cable, find the loose end (should have a ring terminal on it), and hook it to the negative post on the right battery.

One end of the positive cable will go through a breaker module (image) somewhere on the frame. The other end should have a ring terminal, and should go to the positive terminal on the left battery.

I'd love to see the "before" battery photo you took when you were getting dim lights, because the lashup in this photo can't possibly give you lights at all.

[{tpc}]

jack65, look around for a sticker on the frame that describes the wiring for the battery, near the battery. Might even be on the coach itself. On my old keystone, instead of black and red wires, it had black and white wires, but I am fairly certain that the sticker said black was positive and white was negative. But there was a sticker on the unit that said specifically that.

I was told it had something to do with how they wire a house. Black is always your "hot" wire in that case. The white wire in the house is "neutral" but usually bonded to ground back at the service panel.

Now in your case it may be different!! So I would look around closely for the sticker, or in the manual if you have it, or the old picture that you said you took. At this point since the negative hasn't been connected to anything, you probably haven't damaged anything yet.

And it may very well be that you have it correct right now minus the ground wire. Do you have the original photo to share with us?

[sourdough]

Jack looks like you need to do some "looking" around those battery boxes. I'd first make sure that white wire does NOT go to the frame or any other route to ground. I would also be snooping around that A frame to see if there isn't a black (maybe) cable attached to the frame that hasn't been reconnected to the negative post on the battery.

[jasin1]

Get yourself a good quality brand multimeter…fluke is what I’ve always used….this fluke I’m posting is a homeowner/ backup multimeter that is basic and will do everything you need for your home and trailer….disconnect the wires from the batteries…separate them from touching anything and set your multimeter to “continuity”. ( read instructions)

Touch both probes together…it should beep

Touch one probe from the meter to the white wire and the other probe to the frame of the rv(an unpainted section or bolt that is part of the rv frame itself around the battery compartment). The meter will “beeeep” if it is the ground wire connected to the frame. If not that wire then find which one is…

alternatively you can trace the wire back and see if it dead ends at a bolt on the frame ..you may have more then one ground wire also more then one positive wire

You can use this meter to check all of your dc voltage on the trailer ..check batteries…check all the ac voltage etc

Everyone that owns an rv should have one…if you don’t know how to use it then someone trying to help you may know and will use it

[flybouy]

Are the battery posts in the same orientation as the batteries that you removed? Group 24 batteries can come in what's called "reverse polarity" so you may have removed a battery with say positive on the right and negative on the right but if you place a battery in the box that's reversed than things will be backwards.

[jack65]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Jack looks like you need to do some "looking" around those battery boxes. I'd first make sure that white wire does NOT go to the frame or any other route to ground. I would also be snooping around that A frame to see if there isn't a black (maybe) cable attached to the frame that hasn't been reconnected to the negative post on the battery.

I appreciate all the responses! Thank you!

I think I found the problem. Some 'explaining to do. The pic I showed was the way I saw it before I took the battery out... but I forgot that was the way I hooked it back up last week after I took the batteries out for the winter. So I searched for the pic I took back then and found the correct one. Good thing as I put the white cable on the wrong post. It's suppose to be on the negative like some of you said. See new pic. I'm going to see if that white cable is attached the the frame before hooking it back up.

Now the question is, did I do any damage or trip the converter when I hooked up the white wire to the positive? I want to know what to do before I hook it back up.

[sourdough]

I suspect you didn't since the negative side of the batteries wasn't connected to anything on the trailer (thankfully!). Don't know if you checked out that white wire but I assume it is the frame ground. From the pic it sure looks like a small gauge wire.

[jack65]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I suspect you didn't since the negative side of the batteries wasn't connected to anything on the trailer (thankfully!). Don't know if you checked out that white wire but I assume it is the frame ground. From the pic it sure looks like a small gauge wire.

Compare the two pics. click on them to enlarge them. The white wire is a lot thicker than the green/orange ones. The second pic was the way it was hooked up before we took it camping last year, not last winter like I said in last post. I checked the date.

[flybouy]

The white wire looks like a typical ground when the battery cables are black and white, I don’t see a black wire connected to the battery positive terminal. There should be a positive canle larger than what you have in the picture. You need to trace out those wires and verify where they go to prevent damage.

[sourdough]

Top pic looks like a better shot of the wire; is that 8 ga. and does it go to the frame? And, does anything work now?