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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Battery Drain
    Posted: 20 Jun 2020 at 6:46am
Very good! Looks like I owe you a beer and happy to pay up! That's a good sign.
Next easy test is to put a known load on them (one at a time). Doing a little math you can tell if there's a basis of capacity in them. The chart (if you have no other way) can still be used. It will show if there's an issue.

Once that is done, we can safely rule out the batteries. Though I'm onboard with them probably not being the issue..

I agree with the two major draws being the frig (on battery) and that breakaway brake cable being pulled. I would think if the was a short somewhere causing this it would be noticed elsewhere as well (like something not working). Everything else is working fine?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jun 2020 at 9:17pm
It is possible for batteries to have a good resting voltage fully charged and still be low on capacity, but I agree its not likely. Assuming they are good then there are really only 4 things that can pull out around 100 amphours and fully discharge them overnight that I can think of. One is the fridge on 12V as you suspect, (2) is if the breakaway brake pin had been pulled, (3) is if the water pump ran continuously, and (4) is an intermittent short somewhere. Beyond that it would take several loads being left on I think. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jun 2020 at 10:31am
Let batteries rest, uncoupled and isolated for 24 hours.  Voltage on each was exactly the same, 12.8 volts.  Soooooo, batteries are not the issue.  Don't know what is, but will report back any further findings.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 5:42pm
This is good! 

" Checked voltage.  Both showed near 14 volt." 

Problem number one. Those batteries were not at rest. Any test placed upon batteries that haven't rested I (and I do mean I) don't trust as real. At rest they would never show that high a voltage. That's not a good read. We have not eliminated the batteries as of yet.

Please try the test I've suggested and let's hear the results. I betting a beer right now, after a 24hr rest those batteries will read about 12.3v.. Since we're talking plural, test each separately please. 


[/QUOTE]
Makes sense.  I'll eventually do that. Then proceed from there.  If batteries are bad, I'll owe you a beer!   
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 5:34pm
Originally posted by offgrid

I'm still not clear how you determined that the fridge was the culprit? 

When out for the week was the trailer connected to shore power? If so then they would have been continuously charged by the converter so there is no way to know how much capacity they actually have. You would need to disconnect from shore power for a couple of days and see. 



My bad.  Should have noted they were dry camping, no shore power.  They did report running the generator, but not much, primarily for the microwave.  Out four nights using the furnace.  Not certain fridge was the culprit except to note that the batteries stayed up when the fridge was on propane and not on shore power. Batteries remained good for the five days and four nights out.  Fridge always on propane.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 4:58pm
Originally posted by Tibof

I have not had a chance to get back to this issue.  But when batteries were tested, they were charged and isolated by a battery isolation switch and from one another. Water level perfect. Had been in garage and on Batteryminder all winter.  Checked voltage.  Both showed near 14 volt.  Did a load test.  Good.  Did a cell test with a Solar  brand  digital tester (and tested other functions that that meter tests for.).  Never thought to see what fridge was doing, since the system had been on shore power and set thus.  Then, finally set to propane, as kids were going to be leaving for trip, things went to just fine.  Out for a week, and the batteries performed flawlessly, fridge on propane all the while.

This is good! 

" Checked voltage.  Both showed near 14 volt." 

Problem number one. Those batteries were not at rest. Any test placed upon batteries that haven't rested I (and I do mean I) don't trust as real. At rest they would never show that high a voltage. That's not a good read. We have not eliminated the batteries as of yet.

Please try the test I've suggested and let's hear the results. I betting a beer right now, after a 24hr rest those batteries will read about 12.3v.. Since we're talking plural, test each separately please. 


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 2:08pm
I'm still not clear how you determined that the fridge was the culprit? 

When out for the week was the trailer connected to shore power? If so then they would have been continuously charged by the converter so there is no way to know how much capacity they actually have. You would need to disconnect from shore power for a couple of days and see. 


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 10:49am
I have not had a chance to get back to this issue.  But when batteries were tested, they were charged and isolated by a battery isolation switch and from one another. Water level perfect. Had been in garage and on Batteryminder all winter.  Checked voltage.  Both showed near 14 volt.  Did a load test.  Good.  Did a cell test with a Solar  brand  digital tester (and tested other functions that that meter tests for.).  Never thought to see what fridge was doing, since the system had been on shore power and set thus.  Then, finally set to propane, as kids were going to be leaving for trip, things went to just fine.  Out for a week, and the batteries performed flawlessly, fridge on propane all the while.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jun 2020 at 7:06am
Originally posted by Tibof

?  Glad to clarify whatever I can.  Podwerkz, glad to move on and not look back.  So, at this point, it's clearly not a battery problem.  If fridge is on propane and shore power plugged in, the batteries come up and stay up.  The only time 12 volt is used on fridge is in travel, but I've encouraged kids to travel on propane. In searching, I have encountered a vague reference to the converter switching to battery fridge mode if batteries are not fully charged, as was initially the case in this issue.

As I read this, I still hope to hear how you tested your battery too know it's okay. 

"If fridge is on propane and shore power plugged in, the batteries come up and stay up."

While you're on shore power the batteries will read =< 13.5. Reason is your reading the converter power being sent. That does not mean the batteries are good. 

"In searching, I have encountered a vague reference to the converter switching to battery fridge mode if batteries are not fully charged"

First I've heard of this.. The converter may be 'smart' yet I doubt that smart that it would change the setting on the frig panel.. 

I would like to see a step by step testing happen (and results shown here). I'd like you to start with the battery and truly eliminate that part first. Then proceed to the next step.

Please, charge your battery (by means of your choice, but state it), take a charged reading and dis-connect the battery. Let it sit for 24hrs and check the voltage again. As much as 6-12hrs can give you an indication of where this is going. Please report the findings at what time you did it.

Personally, I do believe you have a battery issue, but some testing and reports of will tell the tale.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2020 at 6:46pm
+1 to Offgrid's reply. We had new dual 6V batteries. The first night of our first trip with it, we had it on battery after driving for a few hours, so the batteries should have had a good charge. This was with a Ford Escape with tow package and I had run a good power circuit as one was not there originally. The batteries did not last all night and we woke up to a beeping refrigerator in the wee hours. We did not have shore power available, so I tried propane, but it would not light. It was when I pulled the outside cover off with a friend looking that I found that the flame was shooting out toward the orifice instead of up the flue. We interrupted our trip and backtracked a couple of hours to get to the dealer who found a wasp nest. The dealer tired to say that it happened during the week between us picking it up and the start of our trip. I doubted it very much since we bought it in December after we had been though a couple of freezes. The dealer wound up clearing out the wasp nest and ordering new wiring for igniter because the insulation on the wires was burnt. Regardless, we ended up having to use the propane on that trip and it wasn't until after we returned that the wiring was replaced.

I have been very leery of running the refrigerator on DC since. I only now feel confident that I can do so since I put in a DC to DC charger for the LiFePO4 battery I installed in place of the dual 6V batteries and ran a dedicated power circuit for it from our Frontier using a battery isolator solenoid to ensure that enough amperage would be delivered to both charge the battery and have enough surplus to power the refrigerator while underway. Still, unless I have shore power, when we are stopped I will be using propane for the refrigerator.
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