Forum Discussion

rhudson1111's avatar
rhudson1111
Explorer
Aug 15, 2020

Draining RV battery

Hello everyone, I hope your all doing well. New to RVing and recently purchased a class A 1994 Ford Fleetwood Southwind. I'm full-time in the RV.

The RV was disconnected from shore power about a week ago. I don't drive it very much and it's often sitting parked for 12+ hours a day. I went to start it last night and engine would not start. I learned by accident what an Auxiliary Start button is for (thank God ??) and was able to start the RV.

The fridge runs AC & propane. Mostly using propane. I usually run generator each day to charge outlets (power laptop). Besides water pump, I'm not usually using much electrical power at all.

I have a few questions about my batteries being drained/charged:

Is charging my cell via cigarette lighter draining too much battery?

Will this emergency auxiliary start button work every time I need it?

Is battery having problems due to being parked all day?

If I turn off the LP Gas Detector to save some battery, will this cause the propane for fridge to stop working?

I've searched online and have not found answers to these questions. Any help/guidance you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Robin
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Could be bad batteries as 2oldman said, bad or corroded connections,not charging the battery fully before you disconnect, something draining your battery etc. Start by posting the type, age and number of batteries you have in the MH. What type of charger do you have and how many amps does it charge at? Is it just your starting battery that goes dead or your house batteries also? If you answer these questions you will get more help in narrowing down your problem. Charging your cell phone is not your problem or being parked all day. Will good batteries you should be able to go 5 -7 days with just refer and water pump. Your aux start switch will work if your house batteries are good and fully charged or closed to being fully charged.
  • Having this kind of battery problem means you likely bought old batteries. LP detectors use a miniscule amount of juice. No, it won't affect the propane.