Battery Issue

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   Hi all - I could use some help from the wizards in this group on a power issue.  We  just finished out first trip of the season. Just as we  were setting out, I noticed that the battery had  discharged down to 10+ volts, after I unplugged the Pod from shore power and was running the fridge on propane just to ensure that everything was working ok. I wasn't worried about it at the moment, because we were heading to a campground with full hookups - something we rarely do. Once I connected my TV to the trailer, the voltmeter was reading 12+V so off we went. I was plugged into shore power the whole 4 days, everything was ok. Same when I plugged the trailer back into the TV, all was reading ok. As soon as I got home and got  parked and everything connected, the battery was down to 10 V and small change. 
The battery is a 12V deep charge marine, I kept it in my workshop all winter plugged into a trickle charger. I check the water levels every few months to make sure all is good. It never gets below 40 degrees, so it didn't freeze. The battery is 3 yrs old.

Where I need help is on where to start with trouble-shooting.  I assume that I need to take the battery in for a load  test.  Any other thoughts on what might be causing this? I'm pretty handy but not very literate with 12 v systems, so I am not sure whether/how to test the inverter to see if its not charging the battery. I suspect that it is, since the voltage readings are fine when connected to the TV or to shore power.

Any thoughts, Oh wise ones??

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Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Topic: Battery Issue Posted: 16 Mar 2021 at 6:59pm
	Hi all - I could use some help from the wizards in this group on a power issue. We just finished out first trip of the season. Just as we were setting out, I noticed that the battery had discharged down to 10+ volts, after I unplugged the Pod from shore power and was running the fridge on propane just to ensure that everything was working ok. I wasn't worried about it at the moment, because we were heading to a campground with full hookups - something we rarely do. Once I connected my TV to the trailer, the voltmeter was reading 12+V so off we went. I was plugged into shore power the whole 4 days, everything was ok. Same when I plugged the trailer back into the TV, all was reading ok. As soon as I got home and got parked and everything connected, the battery was down to 10 V and small change. The battery is a 12V deep charge marine, I kept it in my workshop all winter plugged into a trickle charger. I check the water levels every few months to make sure all is good. It never gets below 40 degrees, so it didn't freeze. The battery is 3 yrs old. Where I need help is on where to start with trouble-shooting. I assume that I need to take the battery in for a load test. Any other thoughts on what might be causing this? I'm pretty handy but not very literate with 12 v systems, so I am not sure whether/how to test the inverter to see if its not charging the battery. I suspect that it is, since the voltage readings are fine when connected to the TV or to shore power. Any thoughts, Oh wise ones??

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3227	Posted: 16 Mar 2021 at 8:15pm
	Do you hear the fan on the converter running when plugged into shore power? If not I would suspect the converter may be toast. Also, check the plug going into the emergency brake box located on your a-frame. If that has pulled out it will draw your battery down rather quickly. Are you able to individually check the specific gravity of each cell? That would also be a good indicator as to whether it is a battery or trailer issue.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 16 Mar 2021 at 10:08pm
	Thx Jato this is helpful and a good start. I will check tomorrow and see if I hear any fan noise from the inverter. Is that the only litmus test to see if a unit is working? I have a battery tester around somewhere and will see if the cells are all testing ok.

podwerkz Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966	Posted: 16 Mar 2021 at 10:23pm
	Initial thought is that you may have a shorted cell in the battery. Was your 'trickle charger' an old school trickle charger or was it a modern 'smart charger' or maintenance charger? I would take the battery to an auto parts store and have them load test it.
	r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 16 Mar 2021 at 10:27pm
	Not sure podwerks - its a pretty inexpensive Harbor Freight unit, so I don't think its old school but probably not top tier either. I'm thinking that I'll pull the battery and see if shore power will run the 12v stuff in the trailer. If it wont power it, then I'm thinking it is probably the power converter. But I'm no 12v electrical genius, so I will have the battery tested also.

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 17 Mar 2021 at 6:46am
	If you were on shore power for 4 days and your 12v stuff was fine then the converter (it’s not an inverter, which changes dc to ac) is probably ok. Doesn’t hurt to remove the battery and see if it will run the 12v loads without it though. What is the battery voltage while on shore power? I agree with podwerkz, sounds like a shorted battery cell, each cell is providing about 2V so one being shorted would bring you down from around 12 to 10V. Very common failure mode. Either have someone load test it or if that’s not convenient put it on your charger. Voltage should go up to 13.5 or a bit higher. Leave it for a couple of days and then disconnect the charger. If it drops back to around 10V after a couple of hours the battery is toast. If the charger won’t take it up to 13.5 or higher that could also indicate a bad cell but it could be the charger too. Try the charger on another battery to be sure it actually works. What current (amp) rating does it have? Sometimes it happens, a typical deep cycle battery lifetime is around 5 years, but they can fail sooner. You might had a little prorated warranty left on it you could recover.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 17 Mar 2021 at 9:23am
	Offgrid, on shore power the battery reads 13.7 V. I just pulled the shore power, I'll see what the battery reads in a few hours. Its not hard to pull the battery so I'll take it down for a load test and see if that's the problem.

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 17 Mar 2021 at 10:49am
	13.7 means your converter is working. Leave the battery disconnected for a couple hours so there’s no stray load on it then check the voltage again.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 17 Mar 2021 at 10:53am
	I disconnected shore power then used the battery to open the slider, voltage immediately dropped to 10 or less. So I've pulled the battery and will take it for a load test. I did this before seeing your most recent message, thanks for responding so quickly! I got my dates mixed up, this battery actually was put into service in 2016 so its not inconceivable that it would be gasping for breath...

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 17 Mar 2021 at 12:10pm
	Battery was toast, picked up a new one and should be good to go. Thanks all for your help.