# Batteries Run Down



## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

1st post for me, and have a battery draw problem on my (new to me) 2004 26rs. I have 2 new batteries that were fully charged on sunday evening. On friday Night, i went in because i heard a beeping. I had power, but the meeter said the batteries were almost fully drained. I didnot have any lights on anywhere. and the only thing that i could think of is that the co2 detector and the radio that has a clock was running. The radio was not on, but the clock does draw some powere, but I would think 2 batteries with this limited draw would last longer than a week.

Any suggestion as to what could be the problem?

Tom


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Welcome...Welcome...Welcome.

Glad you found us.









Sorry, I can't make out if the Outback in storage during this time or you were camping?

Was the refrigerator on? Heater on?

If you answered no to all those, then you probably have either a short in your system somewhere (drawing power) or your batteries aren't holding a charge like they should.

You could charge both batteries....then install on (assuming these are 12v vs. 2x6volts) and test each one for how long it holds a charge. Guessing you have one bad battery that is effecting the other battery.

When you stated they were fully charged....did you charge them via the Outback or an external battery charger?


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## puffer (Aug 28, 2008)

I have heard the antenna booster can drain batteries,but i dont know if it would drain it that quick.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Check your storage compartment lights. Easy to have one of them on and drain the batteries.


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

Thank you for your greetings and your responses... I'll answer some questions...The camper was not in use this week, Ive been working on some things on the weekends, so its here a my house, but I have not been in it all week. The batteries were charged using the on board charger, Im assuming. I plugged it in to a dedicated 15 am circuit to my house, and the meter on the wall reported the batteries were full. These are supposed to be (and look) both brand new, from the RV place I bought the RV from, as no batteries were in there before I bought it. This model Does not have an RV storage light. I dont think the furnace is on, though since I have not used it I cannot tell for sure. The remote on the unit says off (no LEd display) and no lights are on where the air terminal in the ceiling is. The Fridge was not on either, I made that mistake the week before, so Now its off, and not cooling as evident when I check it inside. Does the outback charge inefficiently? Should i be charging using a regular batter charger? and how do I check for a short somewhere? Everything is working and nothing appears to be shorted. Oh, and these are 2 12v batts. I hear 2 6v batts would be better, but not sure if they would be better than 2 12v, or if I would need to have 4x 6v batts to see an improvement.

Tom


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Camp Callahan said:


> Oh, and these are 2 12v batts. I hear 2 6v batts would be better, but not sure if they would be better than 2 12v, or if I would need to have 4x 6v batts to see an improvement.


Depending on how you camp (dry or full hookups) will help you decide which is best for you. We "dry" camp about 90% of the time and I have 2x6v batteries on our Outback and they will last about 4-5 days under normal use. Now, "normal" use for us is prob less then others, we we don't spend much time in the Outback and I've replace some of the light bulb with lower rated bulbs to save power. If you camp with hookups (power) then your current setup is prob fine.

Here is a link to a great site to get more info on 12v vs. 6v battery setups.
http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The converter in the trailer is plenty good enough to maintain the battery. You may have miss interpreted the battery charge state. When plugged in the indicator will show 100 % charged even if you did not have a battery installed as the converter supplies at a minimum of 13.2 vdc and the indicator shows full for anything over 12.7.

Plug the trailer in for 2 full days then check the battery for its charge state. I also recommend that you get a voltmeter to check the batteries condition as the built in indicator are at best just a general indicator of condition.


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

Thank you for your responses. Now I'm pretty sure that I t was unplugged before I checked, But I will definately make sure before I check. Ill leave it plugged in all weekend. Is there any chance of overcharging? I do have a volt meter, and I do have a battery electrolite test kit that I will use today to be sure. Thanks again.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Camp Callahan said:


> Thank you for your responses. Now I'm pretty sure that I t was unplugged before I checked, But I will definately make sure before I check. Ill leave it plugged in all weekend. Is there any chance of overcharging? I do have a volt meter, and I do have a battery electrolite test kit that I will use today to be sure. Thanks again.


No chance of overcharging the batteries.....









Just make sure they are full and you'll be fine.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Camp Callahan said:


> Thank you for your responses. Now I'm pretty sure that I t was unplugged before I checked, But I will definately make sure before I check. Ill leave it plugged in all weekend. Is there any chance of overcharging? I do have a volt meter, and I do have a battery electrolite test kit that I will use today to be sure. Thanks again.


The converter is an automatic 3 stage charger. You would be fine to leave it plugged in all the time during the season. When you put it in storage just fully charge the batteries and take them into the basement or garage for storage.


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Camp Callahan said:


> 1st post for me, and have a battery draw problem on my (new to me) 2004 26rs. I have 2 new batteries that were fully charged on sunday evening. On friday Night, i went in because i heard a beeping. I had power, but the meeter said the batteries were almost fully drained. I didnot have any lights on anywhere. and the only thing that i could think of is that the co2 detector and the radio that has a clock was running. The radio was not on, but the clock does draw some powere, but I would think 2 batteries with this limited draw would last longer than a week.
> 
> Any suggestion as to what could be the problem?
> 
> Tom


I have read the other posts and there is lots of good information here, but, if you are doing everything correctly, it may be a short somewhere in the trailer. Did you buy this used or new?


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

rdvholtwood said:


> I have read the other posts and there is lots of good information here, but, if you are doing everything correctly, it may be a short somewhere in the trailer. Did you buy this used or new?


I bought This used, but seems like it was in good shape, from a dealer. We went through all the systems, and everything worked perfectly.

Question. What does that beep sound indicate? There is a beep coming from inside the trailer about 1 beep every 30 secods or so.

Tom


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Camp Callahan said:


> I have read the other posts and there is lots of good information here, but, if you are doing everything correctly, it may be a short somewhere in the trailer. Did you buy this used or new?


I bought This used, but seems like it was in good shape, from a dealer. We went through all the systems, and everything worked perfectly.

Question. What does that beep sound indicate? There is a beep coming from inside the trailer about 1 beep every 30 secods or so.

Tom
[/quote]

Maybe a smoke detector? Where is it coming from? I sent you a PM.


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## Northern Wind (Nov 21, 2006)

Last year I had a marker light with a short that drained everything very quickly. It took several days to locate the problem and they are extremely cheap with extra wire so it was also a pain to fix. I did put a sleeve of woven cloth over it and ended up removing all lights and putting on the sleeves. Hopefully problem solved, until the next one arises. But as I always say when we had a cottage we used to have to go to it every weekend to fix the problems, now I bring my cottage home and its much easier to fix!!

Steve


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The slow beep is most likely the Propane or CO detector. The smoke detector uses a 9vdc battery.


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

CamperAndy said:


> The slow beep is most likely the Propane or CO detector. The smoke detector uses a 9vdc battery.


Ok, so they don't beep when the battery gets low? and why exactly are these items beeping?


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> Thank you for your responses. Now I'm pretty sure that I t was unplugged before I checked, But I will definately make sure before I check. Ill leave it plugged in all weekend. Is there any chance of overcharging? I do have a volt meter, and I do have a battery electrolite test kit that I will use today to be sure. Thanks again.


The converter is an automatic 3 stage charger. You would be fine to leave it plugged in all the time during the season. When you put it in storage just fully charge the batteries and take them into the basement or garage for storage.
[/quote]
Andy, what year did the 3 stage charger go into the Outbacks? James


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

rdvholtwood said:


> The slow beep is most likely the Propane or CO detector. The smoke detector uses a 9vdc battery.


Ok, so they don't beep when the battery gets low? and why exactly are these items beeping?
[/quote]

I guess I did not spell it out. So here it is again.

The slow beep is most likely the Propane or CO detector *due to LOW VOLTAGE from the trailer battery*. The smoke detector uses a 9vdc battery *and it could also be beeping but has no relationship to the trailer battery*.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

GarethsDad said:


> Thank you for your responses. Now I'm pretty sure that I t was unplugged before I checked, But I will definately make sure before I check. Ill leave it plugged in all weekend. Is there any chance of overcharging? I do have a volt meter, and I do have a battery electrolite test kit that I will use today to be sure. Thanks again.


The converter is an automatic 3 stage charger. You would be fine to leave it plugged in all the time during the season. When you put it in storage just fully charge the batteries and take them into the basement or garage for storage.
[/quote]
Andy, what year did the 3 stage charger go into the Outbacks? James
[/quote]

05 Model year but was also in some of the 04's.


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

_So, Camp Callahan, I guess my point based on your question:

Question. What does that beep sound indicate? There is a beep coming from inside the trailer about 1 beep every 30 secods or so.

_to find out where its coming from *irregardless of the source*. My point being to determine if it is battery related or not.

I guess *my concern* here was that if it is your smoke detector, it might be a good idea to change the battery for safety.


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

I beleive your guys are right and it is the the smoke detector, but i cannot get to it at the moment cause the rear slide is in, and its parked in my driveway agains the garage. per the advise of one of the members, i pulled each fuse, and check to see if any of them sparked. One of them did, fuse # 5. It also beeped and sparked when i plugged it in. i canot tell what the beep is, but Its not the propane detector. It soulds like its coming from the fridge, and i know fuse 5 is related to the fridge, cause when i pull the fuse, the fridge inside light doesnt work. I pulled the power to the fridge from the access pannel, just to see if it beeps when i plug it back in, and it did not, so the beep relating to fuse 5 is not that.

The batteries are deep cycle batteries, and verified them to be new.

Someone mentioned there is a C02 detector, where is that? I verified that the thing below the fridge is a propane detector, so maybe the beep is coming from a co2 detector, but I have no idea where that is.


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

Northern Wind said:


> Last year I had a marker light with a short that drained everything very quickly. It took several days to locate the problem and they are extremely cheap with extra wire so it was also a pain to fix. I did put a sleeve of woven cloth over it and ended up removing all lights and putting on the sleeves. Hopefully problem solved, until the next one arises. But as I always say when we had a cottage we used to have to go to it every weekend to fix the problems, now I bring my cottage home and its much easier to fix!!
> 
> Steve


Steve, 
how did you know your marker light had a short? And This is one of those outside lights correct? Im assuming it just didnt work correcty. But your saying that everything would drain quickly, about how fast? and this was happening even though it was not plugged in from the vehicle? I always assumed the marker lights, if they are the small lights on the outside, got their power from the tow vehicle. Any more info would be great.

Tom


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Camp Callahan said:


> I beleive your guys are right and it is the the smoke detector, but i cannot get to it at the moment cause the rear slide is in, and its parked in my driveway agains the garage. per the advise of one of the members, i pulled each fuse, and check to see if any of them sparked. One of them did, fuse # 5. It also beeped and sparked when i plugged it in. i canot tell what the beep is, but Its not the propane detector. It soulds like its coming from the fridge, and i know fuse 5 is related to the fridge, cause when i pull the fuse, the fridge inside light doesnt work. I pulled the power to the fridge from the access pannel, just to see if it beeps when i plug it back in, and it did not, so the beep relating to fuse 5 is not that.
> 
> The batteries are deep cycle batteries, and verified them to be new.
> 
> Someone mentioned there is a C02 detector, where is that? I verified that the thing below the fridge is a propane detector, so maybe the beep is coming from a co2 detector, but I have no idea where that is.


Are you plugged into AC power? I believe the fridge uses either propane or electric, at least on the 250RS it does. On our camper it uses 120VAC

So, I am bit confused on why that fuse may spark and you would have a light?

Also, I am not sure if your unit would have come with a CO detector.

Maybe you could leave the fridge disconnected and see if that works??


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) is not monitored it is CO (Carbon Monoxide) that is monitored. The CO detector looks like your standard ceiling mounted Smoke detector but is mounted on the wall, typically about 5 feet off the floor. CO detectors are standard in 08 and newer trailers but may also be found in some 07 trailers.

The fridge requires 12 vdc to operate on Gas or AC as the 12vdc operates the control board for the fridge. There is no way to know what your fuse 5 goes to as there is no standard for how they wired each 12 volt leg in the trailer. The propane detector is typically been hard wired without an external fuse.

Make sure the condensate switch on the fridge is turned off.


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> CO detectors are standard in 08 and newer trailers but may also be found in some 07 trailers.


My '05 came with a CO detector. Also, it is battery powered (3 x AA).
My money is on the propane detector as the source of the beeping.

Bob


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Tom,

Not to get off topic here, but, since you noted that there was a spark on fuse #5 you may want to call your RV dealer for suggestions and/or maybe leave it unplugged, charge your battery and see if it drains. As far as the beeping, you need to listen as to where it may be coming from.

Rick


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

W4DRR said:


> CO detectors are standard in 08 and newer trailers but may also be found in some 07 trailers.


My '05 came with a CO detector. Also, it is battery powered (3 x AA).
My money is on the propane detector as the source of the beeping.

Bob
[/quote]

Bob I would guess that was a dealer added option in an 05.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

There are a variety of things that could drain the battery quickly.

- Compartment light or outdoor light left on.
- Antenna booster left on.
- Refridgerator defroster left on. It's a small switch on the inside frame at the top of the freezer door and it draws a lot of power.
- A wiring short somewhere. This is probably the one that would be the biggest problem since it could be just about anywhere. First you'll have to isolate the circuit which could take a while.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing.


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

The propane detector is mounted low, close to the floor. It will go off if low voltage is detected, but it is a shrill, continuous shriek, much different than the smoke detector. My bet is what your hearding in the smoke detector.
The converter in your RV may very well be a 2 stage converter and it may boil your batteries if you leave your unit plugged in for too long a period. But, it doesn't sound like your have been plugged in that long.
The propane detector does draw power and over time will discharge your batteries when the unit is not plugged in.
You might also have another short as others have suggested. Pull the cover off your power unit (with batteries and shore power unplugged) and check all the power connections to and from the converter and fuse block. Many members have reported loose connections. I also suggest you install a battery disconnect so you can isolate your batteries when in storage.

Good luck, Glenn


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

I have found the source of the beep when fuse 5 is connected back in. The air controller unit in the ceiling beeps when that plugs in. This makes sence though as Its always listening for the remote to turn it on, so there would be some phantom power running it. I have run my volt meter, to test the amperage draw on fuse five, and i beleive it was reading about .25 amps, I could have had my tester setup worng though as Im not an electrical expert. I have confirmed that this morning, the unit is fully charged( without being hooked up to shore power). so ill see if it holds. I may try to remove fuse 5 today and see if it holds a charge.

er longer.

-and have tripple checked. 
-no lighhts left on.
-No storage compartment lights found.
-dehuymidifier switch is off and has been.
-Fridge not on.
-air/furnace appears to be off (no lights on the over head unit on, and remote is off)
-batteries New (2x deep Cycle 12v)


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Camp Callahan said:


> I have found the source of the beep when fuse 5 is connected back in. The air controller unit in the ceiling beeps when that plugs in. This makes sence though as Its always listening for the remote to turn it on, so there would be some phantom power running it. I have run my volt meter, to test the amperage draw on fuse five, and i beleive it was reading about .25 amps, I could have had my tester setup worng though as Im not an electrical expert. I have confirmed that this morning, the unit is fully charged( without being hooked up to shore power). so ill see if it holds. I may try to remove fuse 5 today and see if it holds a charge.
> 
> er longer.
> 
> ...


So it sounds like fuse 5 does more....I would be curious to see if this is the problem?


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