# Batteries Not Holding Charge



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

Howdie,

Been out of the loop for a while due to a death in the family. I have a quick question regarding my deep cycle batteries.

I repleced them last summer with new ones from batteries plus. They worked great all last season. This winter, i put them in the garage hooked up to a maintainer. I installed them this season and each and every use they don't last but a day if that. I am having to charge them again with the generator.

Any ideas what I might have done to them? I have checked the water levels and they are good.

Thanks


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Are you going by the meter in the trailer or are you using a voltmeter?


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> Are you going by the meter in the trailer or are you using a voltmeter?


Both. When they are charged they will say 12.4 and I even have one that plugs into the 12v socket. I found it happens overnight as when I go to run the heat in the morning it won't come on and the meter shows like 10.4 and the indicator on the wall shows one light.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

12.4 is not fully charged. What is the voltage when connected to shore power or the generator? If it is below 13.6 when charging or 13.2 when the batteries are fully charged, then the converter is not putting out enough voltage to get them to full charge.

At rest with no load they should say 12.6 to 12.8 vdc.

Also you may have the door heater turned on on the fridge. It will kill batteries over night if it is on when not on shore power.


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> 12.4 is not fully charged. What is the voltage when connected to shore power or the generator? If it is below 13.6 when charging or 13.2 when the batteries are fully charged, then the converter is not putting out enough voltage to get them to full charge.
> 
> At rest with no load they should say 12.6 to 12.8 vdc.
> 
> Also you may have the door heater turned on on the fridge. It will kill batteries over night if it is on when not on shore power.


I will have to check that. I have taken them off and will be taking them to get tested. I was wondering if I might have something electrical going on to cause this. I don't think I have ever seen the door heater switch but will take a look at that too.


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> 12.4 is not fully charged. What is the voltage when connected to shore power or the generator? If it is below 13.6 when charging or 13.2 when the batteries are fully charged, then the converter is not putting out enough voltage to get them to full charge.
> 
> At rest with no load they should say 12.6 to 12.8 vdc.
> 
> Also you may have the door heater turned on on the fridge. It will kill batteries over night if it is on when not on shore power.


Andy, what is a door heater? I haven't read that here before. Door heater and fridge should be an oxymoron


----------



## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

If you can get the caps off, get a hydrometer and test each cell. Add distilled water if they are low. That the best way to test a batt.


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Check the water level. You can have a battery that shows good voltage but with much less than normal capacity if the plates are only partially submerged.


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

The reefer door heater is a small strip that heats up and evaporates the condensation that would appear on the outside of the reefer door. Works nicely, BUT if you are dry camping, that heater will help run down your batteries in a jiffy.

If you park the TT for a week with no shore power, and leave the reefer "on" because you're coming back in a week and want to leave stuff to stay cold, the drain from the heater becomes significant in running down your batteries. While propane-only cooling uses very little electrical power, the consumption for that heater strip becomes a significant percentage of total power consumed, even while your TT is just sitting waiting patiently for you to return.

In my case, we just leave it "off" all the time, never having been in situations where condensation on the front of the door was an issue.


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

hautevue said:


> The reefer door heater is a small strip that heats up and evaporates the condensation that would appear on the outside of the reefer door. Works nicely, BUT if you are dry camping, that heater will help run down your batteries in a jiffy.
> 
> If you park the TT for a week with no shore power, and leave the reefer "on" because you're coming back in a week and want to leave stuff to stay cold, the drain from the heater becomes significant in running down your batteries. While propane-only cooling uses very little electrical power, the consumption for that heater strip becomes a significant percentage of total power consumed, even while your TT is just sitting waiting patiently for you to return.
> 
> In my case, we just leave it "off" all the time, never having been in situations where condensation on the front of the door was an issue.


Hmmm...where is the off switch?


----------



## akdream (Mar 21, 2006)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> The reefer door heater is a small strip that heats up and evaporates the condensation that would appear on the outside of the reefer door. Works nicely, BUT if you are dry camping, that heater will help run down your batteries in a jiffy.
> 
> If you park the TT for a week with no shore power, and leave the reefer "on" because you're coming back in a week and want to leave stuff to stay cold, the drain from the heater becomes significant in running down your batteries. While propane-only cooling uses very little electrical power, the consumption for that heater strip becomes a significant percentage of total power consumed, even while your TT is just sitting waiting patiently for you to return.
> 
> In my case, we just leave it "off" all the time, never having been in situations where condensation on the front of the door was an issue.


Hmmm...where is the off switch?
[/quote]

The switch is above the freezer door on the right side, underneath the top of the door frame.


----------



## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> The reefer door heater is a small strip that heats up and evaporates the condensation that would appear on the outside of the reefer door. Works nicely, BUT if you are dry camping, that heater will help run down your batteries in a jiffy.
> 
> If you park the TT for a week with no shore power, and leave the reefer "on" because you're coming back in a week and want to leave stuff to stay cold, the drain from the heater becomes significant in running down your batteries. While propane-only cooling uses very little electrical power, the consumption for that heater strip becomes a significant percentage of total power consumed, even while your TT is just sitting waiting patiently for you to return.
> 
> In my case, we just leave it "off" all the time, never having been in situations where condensation on the front of the door was an issue.


Hmmm...where is the off switch?
[/quote]
Looks like this. James


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

GarethsDad said:


> The reefer door heater is a small strip that heats up and evaporates the condensation that would appear on the outside of the reefer door. Works nicely, BUT if you are dry camping, that heater will help run down your batteries in a jiffy.
> 
> If you park the TT for a week with no shore power, and leave the reefer "on" because you're coming back in a week and want to leave stuff to stay cold, the drain from the heater becomes significant in running down your batteries. While propane-only cooling uses very little electrical power, the consumption for that heater strip becomes a significant percentage of total power consumed, even while your TT is just sitting waiting patiently for you to return.
> 
> In my case, we just leave it "off" all the time, never having been in situations where condensation on the front of the door was an issue.


Hmmm...where is the off switch?
[/quote]
Looks like this. James








[/quote]

hmmm...never noticed! will check that today!


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

I am going to take a loot too. Maybe the wife or boy hit it by mistake at one point. I am going to take the batteries to be tested in a few days when I am off work.


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

Just to add an update, I haven't had a chance to check the camper out yet but I did take the batteries in to get checked. Result is one good, one bad. I think I found my problem. Looks like I am gonna fork out $75 to replace one.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

usmc03 said:


> Just to add an update, I haven't had a chance to check the camper out yet but I did take the batteries in to get checked. Result is one good, one bad. I think I found my problem. Looks like I am gonna fork out $75 to replace one.


A bad battery will suck a good one down in short order also. The good one tries to charge the weak one.


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

I just bought a marine deep cycle battery at Wally World for $64, minus the $9 credit for the old battery core. So the battery wound up costing me $55.

Mike


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

When you charge, the current flow follows the path of least resistance. The current goes through the good battery and bypasses the bad one if they are in parallel like with 12v batteris. This is the reason it is recommended to change your batteries in pairs. Even if you get the same brand and model as an existing battery, there can be differences in resistance caused by age and use.


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

thefulminator said:


> When you charge, the current flow follows the path of least resistance. The current goes through the good battery and bypasses the bad one if they are in parallel like with 12v batteris. This is the reason it is recommended to change your batteries in pairs. Even if you get the same brand and model as an existing battery, there can be differences in resistance caused by age and use.


That's what I originally did and one still went bad. I am just going to replace the bad one for now. I had only purchased them last Sept.


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I'm not saying it won't work. Just keep an eye on them.


----------



## usmc03 (Jun 6, 2006)

Had a busy weekend but I traded out the bad battery. The other was still under warrenty so I didn't have to pay anything and I will test it out this coming week. Guy couldn't give me a reason why it went bad. Oh well.


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

Average lifspan of a battery? Our r 5 years old, we don't dry camp, but last couple times out the electric jack has been slow.


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> Average lifspan of a battery? Our r 5 years old, we don't dry camp, but last couple times out the electric jack has been slow.


At five years, I'd call it getting my money's worth. Definitely if they're just regular 12v deep cycles and not the famous T105s or something.

If you never dry camp then you don't really need more than one.


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

BoaterDan said:


> Average lifspan of a battery? Our r 5 years old, we don't dry camp, but last couple times out the electric jack has been slow.


At five years, I'd call it getting my money's worth. Definitely if they're just regular 12v deep cycles and not the famous T105s or something.

If you never dry camp then you don't really need more than one.
[/quote]

we currently have 2 6 volt deep cycle batteries. I am confused, since we don't dry camp, should we still buy 2 6 volts? 1 6 volt? 1 12 volt? Still need to be deep cycle?


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Dox, you may not plan to dry camp but some time you might have to. What happens some day when the TV breaks down and you have to spend a week at camp walmart while it's getting fixed? I like to be prepared. I would keep the two six volt batteries.


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> we currently have 2 6 volt deep cycle batteries. I am confused, since we don't dry camp, should we still buy 2 6 volts? 1 6 volt? 1 12 volt? Still need to be deep cycle?


If you never plan to dry camp, I'd get 1 group 24 Deep cycle battery and call it good. You can still overnight in a Walmart, and acutally would last a couple days if you are careful. You'll save money and wieght on the tounge. On our new TT, we went this year with the group 24 12V. It was good for 3 nights of dry camping, but that was about it. We never needed the furnace but did run the fans. We had the solar, but were parked in the shade so it probably didn't help too much.

Whatever you do, don't get 1 6V batt since everything on the trailer needs 12V and I think the converter would damage the batt when it fed it 14V.


----------



## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

checked the prices on the 6 volt, just checked a couple places. Napa-$85 Batteries Store $149. Why so much difference and what do I need to be looking for that makes one 6 volt deep cycle different from the next? I wanna do it once and it right if ya know what I mean!


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> checked the prices on the 6 volt, just checked a couple places. Napa-$85 Batteries Store $149. Why so much difference and what do I need to be looking for that makes one 6 volt deep cycle different from the next? I wanna do it once and it right if ya know what I mean!


The number of plates and the type of construction determine the cost of a battery. (And in some cases - the name on top, too.) But as someone said earlier, if you don't dry camp, you're spending a lot of money for two 6-Volt batteries when one or two 12V deep cycle batteries would work just as well. We don't dry camp, but I do sometimes have the fridge running on propane and battery for a few days before each trip - to get the fridge cooled down before loading it up. My single 12V deep cycle battery holds up fine for this.

My dealer installed a cheap marine cranking battery when we bought our trailer new, in August of 2006. I just replaced it this summer, on our vacation. (I was having trouble with the fridge staying running on propane, and the battery was suspect - it was weak, only testing about 11.9 V when at rest.)

And as I stated in my earlier post, you can get a decent 12V deep-cycle battery (or batteries, if you think you may need two) from Wally World for about $55 each, with the return of your old battery. You can spend more, but I don't see the need, given your camping situation of not dry camping.

If you already have not done so, I also recommend installing a disconnect switch on your batteries. The propane leak detector will slowly drain the batteries over the period of several weeks. When I put my Outback in storage between trips, the last thing I do is disconnect the batteries. They will still be mostly charged after a few weeks and you're good to go!

Just my $.02.

Mike


----------



## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Seriously, I'd recommend you just go to Walmart and get their 12v deep cycle battery. I have to of them and I've gone over a week in storage many times (and I have the two helper fans behind the fridge and one in inside running off the batteries).

If you have to spend a whole week waiting for the TV to get repaired, I hope you'd find some better arrangements than the wal-mart parking lot. My opinion is that seems so unlikely it's not worth considering.

Truth be known, if you never ever dry camp and have hookups at the house (meaning the longest you'll be unhooked from a charging source is a few minutes), you really don't even need a deep cycle, but I wouldn't push that.

Just remember if you get two 12v batteries they hook up differently than two 6v ones.

[As Mike said, a disconnect is great if you leave it in storage with no power. I just went to mine yesterday to turn on the disconnect and start the fridge. It was showing 4 lights and it's been sitting there since the 5th.]


----------

