# Battery Level



## Tortoise (Sep 29, 2011)

Hello. Been awhile since I've posted. Hope all is well. Been spending some time de-winterizing and noticed that the battery level always shows low. One out of four lights on the panel. I'm hooked up to house power. The camper is a '11 250rs. All stock in the power mgt area.

Is this odd? Symptom of something?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

It could indicate a couple of things but first you need to check the electrolyte level in the battery to start.

Are you having any other indications such as dim lights, slow fan speed or failure of the furnace to start? Do you have a meter to check the voltage?


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## Tortoise (Sep 29, 2011)

Hmmn....I did not check the water level. Good point. Thank you. No, have not noticed any dim lights or anything like that.


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Best way to check is with a multi-meter, trailer disconnected from shore power, and all electrical appliances turned off. Battery should show 12.4 volts or higher. Anything less means the battery is either very low on charge or the battery is damaged beyond repair. This happens frequently when connected to shore power all the time due to the cheaper converters they typically put in trailers. They're not smart enough to trickle charge correctly, so they essentially "cook" the battery.

FWIW, I went through three batteries in three years before I figured this out... If you're going to be hooked up to shore power all the time, you may want to invest in a better converter


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## Tortoise (Sep 29, 2011)

Ok. I did a few things....checked water level and voltage. All good. I swapped out the battery with my spare (checked water and voltage too), and the same result with house power and no house power. I decided to clean both batt's terminals and the +/- leads. Also, I have a Husky tongue jack that has a fuse that goes to the + side. What I did not tell you is that my Husky was dead when pulling out of storage. The lights lit up on the jack, but not the motor. I was going to deal with that next. Anyway......after have cleaned the leads, etc. I re-connect and now the Husky works again!?? I can get 1/3 LED on the wall monitor to light up for the battery level...but that's it. Even though voltage was ok. All odd.

Justman....I thought all the newer converters were ok to leave the trailer hooked up to house power all the time? Mine's an '11. Now, I know there are much better converters than what is stock, and there good discussions on this board about swapping them out....but I thought I'm ok leaving it hooked up as I have not ever cooked a battery. Open for discussion on that.

So the moral of the story is.....clean those leads and terminals....even if they don't look bad (they didn't)!!

As always...thank you, all, for your assistance.


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

If the battery is good and you still only get 1 LED out of 3 to light up, I suspect the battery monitor is acting up. I'm not sure exactly how they work, but I would think they would go off of voltage---lower voltage = less lights. Readings on a trusted multi-meter are what I would use as the truth.

As far as the newer converters, I'm not sure about any improvements in the 2011 year models. They may have started using a higher quality converter as stock, but that would be a substantial change to their business model. Have you researched your specific converter? Mine is stock and doesn't have a stellar reputation. I'd like to swap it out for a fan-less higher quality one, but alas...other things must come first.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The stock WFCO converters are not generally bad, they have 3 output levels and as long as they are working normally you will be fine. I have the same batteries in my trailer I installed in 2008 and I leave the trailer plugged in 24/7 when not dry camping. Never had an issue but as they say your mileage may vary.

As for the monitor. Check for loose wires on the back of the monitor, there are a lot back there so be careful when you pull the monitor off to check them.


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## wolverine (Mar 5, 2009)

Justman said:


> Best way to check is with a multi-meter, trailer disconnected from shore power, and all electrical appliances turned off. Battery should show 12.4 volts or higher. Anything less means the battery is either very low on charge or the battery is damaged beyond repair. This happens frequently when connected to shore power all the time due to the cheaper converters they typically put in trailers. They're not smart enough to trickle charge correctly, so they essentially "cook" the battery.
> 
> FWIW, I went through three batteries in three years before I figured this out... If you're going to be hooked up to shore power all the time, you may want to invest in a better converter


FYI! A battery with 12.4 volts is about 80% charged. I always disconnect my battery when I am hooked up to shore power. I charge my 6 volt batteries using a portable battery charger and they top out at around 12.6 volts. These batteries are going on 5 years old now.


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## 2011 210RS (May 27, 2010)

Tip: for winter, charge batteries and disconnect. Even a trickle charge can cause the batteries to fail. If not boiling out the water and cause the cells to be exposed and break down, you could change the the chemistry which changes how it takes a charge, holds a charge, and discharges. I cooked two by plugging up to shore and not disconnecting the batteries. It ended well , I now have two 6v. Check the specific gravity of the water. You can likely bring them to a boat place or a battery dealer to be tested. Oh, don't store them on cement flooring, place them on wood.


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## Tortoise (Sep 29, 2011)

CamperAndy said:


> The stock WFCO converters are not generally bad, they have 3 output levels and as long as they are working normally you will be fine. I have the same batteries in my trailer I installed in 2008 and I leave the trailer plugged in 24/7 when not dry camping. Never had an issue but as they say your mileage may vary.
> 
> As for the monitor. Check for loose wires on the back of the monitor, there are a lot back there so be careful when you pull the monitor off to check them.


Just to clarify....you mean the wall monitor for Batt/Black/Grey/Fresh levels? I had not gotten that far.

I did get higher voltages than 12.4...so that's good....seems the converter/charge it doing it's job. I always pull my battery in the fall, before storing the camper. I have a Battery Tender Plus to top the off from time to time.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Tortoise said:


> The stock WFCO converters are not generally bad, they have 3 output levels and as long as they are working normally you will be fine. I have the same batteries in my trailer I installed in 2008 and I leave the trailer plugged in 24/7 when not dry camping. Never had an issue but as they say your mileage may vary.
> 
> As for the monitor. Check for loose wires on the back of the monitor, there are a lot back there so be careful when you pull the monitor off to check them.


Just to clarify....you mean the wall monitor for Batt/Black/Grey/Fresh levels? I had not gotten that far.

I did get higher voltages than 12.4...so that's good....seems the converter/charge it doing it's job. I always pull my battery in the fall, before storing the camper. I have a Battery Tender Plus to top the off from time to time.
[/quote]

Yes the wiring behind the monitor. There are a bunch of them and they are not always carefully connected as they should.


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