# Battery Issue, Or Excessive Drain Issue?



## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

I Have a 2004 26rs.

Background info: (I have been doged by heating issues this summer but was not bad enough, until this labor day weekend in the mountains. My heater would turn on then off, without generating heat when the voltage was below 12.5v. So I read about cleaning the heater out so that the sail switch can turn on, and have done so. The heater now turns on and runs even at 12.2v.)

While I was dry camping this weekend I have been very supprised at how quickly my batteries would drop from full charge at 13.1v to 12.4v. So I wanted to run some tests and see how much drain is on the battery with no lights. I found that I have .95 Amp Hours drain, when running with the essentials.

It breaks down like this.

Running gas Fridge-300mah
Carrier AirV-not blowing. just thermostat? 530mah
Misc-Gas Sensor, Clockradio (off), not sure what else.. 120mah
Antenae Amp is off.

Is .95 AH a normal drain? I have 2 batteries, one is brand new, the other is 2 years old, tested fine. the one battery is rated at 95AH, not sure what the other is. But My batteries would be down to 12.3v after 12-15 hours of camping at very light use, even use a lantern inside to avoid draining. I have to bring a generator to refresh batteries after each day, or they would be dead after 1.5 or 2 days.

Also what voltage would be considered half full vs empty. meaning maybe 12.3v is really half full? I charged both batteries, and each took about 26AH of charge. so considdereing they should have 95ah of running, that seems like i have a long way to go, even though voltage was like 12.2 when I started charging.

Any help appriciated. 
Tom


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## Dan Borer (Feb 6, 2009)

Tom--

Check this out to find all you ever needed to know about 12 volt batteries and their care and maintenance: http://www.pssurvival.com/PS/Batteries/FAQ/The_12volt_Battery_Basics_Side_of_Life_2010.pdf

There are charts telling you state of charge based on both voltage and specific gravity plus the average load applied by many accessories. The best way to keep tabs on your batteries is to get a hydrometer and check the specific gravity of each cell. Checking it will tell you the true condition of each individual cell.

Dan


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

Dan Borer said:


> Tom--
> 
> Check this out to find all you ever needed to know about 12 volt batteries and their care and maintenance: http://www.pssurvival.com/PS/Batteries/FAQ/The_12volt_Battery_Basics_Side_of_Life_2010.pdf
> 
> ...


This is a great document, Im already going through it and learning a-lot. I'm wondering from other outback owners though if .95Ah seems like excessive for a trailer that essentially resting. I'm not seeing that in the document, though there is certainly plenty of other useful knowledge in there.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Around 1/2-1 amp per hour sounds about right. Don't forget the propane detector, as that's hard-wired too. Enough intentional and parasitic loads to kill a battery or two in less than a week as many have discovered the hard way. When I'm dry camping, my batteries rarely stay at anything greater than 12.6 volts for long, even if they've been charged recently. They drop fairly quickly to 12.2-12.3 volts, hang out there for a while, then depending on my loads, will gradually drop to 11.6-11.8 volts. I usually consider anything less than 11.8 volts as time to recharge, just to be safe. The biggest loads are usually lighting, water pump and furnace. You can save a bunch of amp-hours by switching to LED lights, but it will cost a bit depending on the brand of bulb you get.


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## Camp Callahan (Oct 17, 2008)

Insomniak said:


> Around 1/2-1 amp per hour sounds about right. Don't forget the propane detector, as that's hard-wired too. Enough intentional and parasitic loads to kill a battery or two in less than y, i was rhinking a week as many have discovered the hard way. When I'm dry camping, my batteries rarely stay at anything greater than 12.6 volts for long, even if they've been charged recently. They drop fairly quickly to 12.2-12.3 volts, hang out there for a while, then depending on my loads, will gradually drop to 11.6-11.8 volts. I usually consider anything less than 11.8 volts as time to recharge, just to be safe. The biggest loads are usually lighting, water pump and furnace. You can save a bunch of amp-hours by switching to LED lights, but it will cost a bit depending on the brand of bulb you get.


Thanks for your info. Iafter hearing what your saying, and the doc above, I don't think my bats were draining any faster than anyone else
. And now I know that 12.2 is not almost dead. But because my heater was dirty and not running on much below 12.5, I was thinking my batteries were needing to be charged. By batteries are normal. Thanks again.

Tom


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