Good morning Folks! I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction...We have a 2005 Keystone Outback 26RS travel trailer and did our first dry camping last week. When the heat quit about 1:00am I knew something was not right :)I just did an amp draw test and here is what I came up with:Using a VOM meter set on the 10amp settingwith the power cord unlplugged and testing through the negative battery cable with everything turned on I was getting a .65 amp draw reading... after taking each fuse out one at a time here is what I found:The 15amp fuse tied to the LP leak detector (may be powering other items too?) was pulling .08 ampThe 15amp fuse for the fridge (the fridge was turned off, however when I would put the fuse back in it would let out a loud beep) was drawing .54When I tookt he fuse out for the fridge and the LP leak detector I was left with .03 amp drawSo there's the data, just not sure what it all means!Thank you in advance for your help!

The fan on the furnace would be drawing of the order 20 times the 'parasitic' currents you are measuring, and that is a likely candidate for wearing down the battery (I'm assuming since you noticed it then it is clod enough it was running a fair amount).There are lots of questions to ask if you want to narrow it down more, such as when was the battery fully charged and what is your battery capacity (including any ageing effects) etc..

Why are you testing the current draws with things turned OFF ??And I don't see where you tested the furnace.Also see no indication if the furnace failed or if the battery voltage actually went LOW.If the voltage went low, you should test the furnace (just for curiosity) and then check your batteries and charging system.I have found that my batteries need to be fully charged (or real close) to run my furnace through a night below 45 with the stat set to about 65.

The one thing I forgot to add is that it drains very quickly when sitting. When we returned home the battery went dead (from a full charge after being on a 30amp hook up) within 2 hours. I was thinking of adding a second battery to help us get through the night for the furnace but knew I should figure out this issue first. Any previous camper we have had has never had an issue with the battery draining this fast. Any idea what would be causing the draw coming from the fridge?

How old is the battery?BTW - don't use that methoud for testing current with the furnace on, you will overload the multimeter (current draw on startup of the fans could be 30 or 40 amps easy.

Sounds like you need to replace the battery.

AMP Draw Issues | Good Sam Community

red31
Explorer
Nov 04, 2016
to answer a rhetorical question. OP's batt life sucked and eventually had it load tested = bad, replaced. The question was to be pointed the correct way!!!!
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Nov 04, 2016
Jeez what wuz the question?

:)
harold1946
Explorer
Nov 04, 2016
Sam Spade wrote:
harold1946 wrote:

Go to batteryuniversity.com and study some more.

It should read 12.24. at 100 percent charge.

And then things just get worse.

Would you care to correct that number so that I don't have to look like the bad guy again ???

[COLOR=]Don't get your panties in a twist.
It was a typo, that's all. As a matter of fact I did it twice.
As for making you look like the bad guy, you do not need my help, you do a fine job by yourself.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
theoldwizard1 wrote:

Does any one know where to buy those sacrificial probes ?

Never heard such a term.

On the old style batteries all you needed to test individual cell voltage was a SHARP probe to stab through the insulation that covered the raised inter-cell connecting straps.

With modern design, I'm not sure how you would do it.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
harold1946 wrote:

As you stated it depends on the chemistry and construction.

I think you need your glasses checked.

Your first post said 12.24.
That is twelve point TWO FOUR.

I'm sure that is a simple typo but it is simply wrong.

But once again you would rather throw rocks at me than be helpful to others.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Nov 03, 2016
Almost 50 years ago, I worked installing/testing batteries at Sears. At that time, they were the largest retail seller of automotive batteries. They did offer free testing, but a lot of folks just bought a new battery the first cold day when the engine did not start. We rarely used a hydrometer, but the test we did quickly sorted out bad cells.

The battery was removed from the car. Terminals were cleaned and it was placed on a high current charger for about 5 minutes (I don't recall the charge rate, but liquid was boiling after 5 minutes !). Then a simple volt meter with sacrificial probes (not sure what the were made of) was used to test the voltage between each cell. Dead/weak cells were easily detected, by having >10% cell-to-cell difference. A "good" battery would have 2.1V-2.2V per cell.

Cleaning the terminals and post when installing/re-installing a battery made a big difference.

Does any one know where to buy those sacrificial probes ?
azrving
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
harold1946 wrote:
rjxj wrote:
12.24 is time to recharge. What are we missing here?

My mistake :o Should have been 12.73, depending upon which manufacturer one wants to quote.

Got it and you aren't alone. It's a whirlwind of info at times. :)
harold1946
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
rjxj wrote:
12.24 is time to recharge. What are we missing here?

My mistake :o Should have been 12.73, depending upon which manufacturer one wants to quote.
azrving
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
12.24 is time to recharge. What are we missing here?
mike-s
Explorer
Nov 03, 2016
harold1946 wrote:
Also Trojan does not state when the battery reading was taken. If not after a minimum of 6 hours, preferably 12 hours, the SOC is not regarded as accurate.
For accurate voltage readings, batteries must remain idle (no charging, no discharging) for at least 6 hrs, preferably 24 hrs.
-Trojan (and it's for their flooded deep cycle batteries)

Where did your number come from?

Forum Discussion

AMP Draw Issues

About Technical Issues

Related Content

Fridge On Propane Battery Amp Hr Draw??? How Much

Battery draw

Battery Draw down

Benefit of 50 amp over 30 amp

100 amp service