Help battery issues/solar panel

I know that the propane detector will scream at you if your voltage drops too low which is pretty much what you have going on with that toasted battery. It going off with the fan is kinda scary but could be that at that point the voltage was too low even for the alarm.

Who knows what capacity solar panel they gave you so I can't say if it will keep up with your power use off grid but I'm pretty sure it is a no. It is certainly better than no solar panel though.

You get the fridge cold before leaving for a trip by turning it on at least 24 hours before leaving.

As far as that whole battery thing:

As you found, the 1 hour drive was not enough to charge the battery. When you used it anyhow without hooking up the solar panels, you put a hurting on it. The panels by themselves don't seem very powerful and the battery had nothing left in it to take over when you exceeded their capacity when you tried to run 2 12v systems at once.

Any chance you could report any model numbers or anything from the solar panels?

You need to get that battery charged as soon as possible. Either plug in the rig and let the converter do it OR take it out, bring home and put a auto charger on it. Come to think of it, call the dealer and tell him the panels didn't work and you want a properly charged battery. Not one damaged from the start.

For a low power user with LED lighting and little furnace use, a 85w panel could be useful. Maybe not keep up but at least extend the time before you have to recharge.

The OP has got to study a little to understand what is going on. smkettner's link is an excellent beginning.

RV's, Camping, and Batteries, is not a plug-n-play area.

Like learning a different language or how to operate a computer it takes effort. A disheartening percentage of RV'ers reject the prospect of learning how to do things correctly. You see them on this forum occasionally. They show up, ask a technical question want immediate gratification, then they disappear.

And por favor NICOLATWIG.......the comments above have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with you or your post. I just finished helping someone, maybe two hours of typing hints and troubleshooting technique, and they ended up arguing with me. And it wasn't someone from this forum. So right now, I am a little touchy, and had to vent.

I hope you take the "learning" option here and return. There are a lot of very experienced folks participating and I among others would love to help in any way I can.

Panels too small, battery not charged, low voltage triggers the propane detector alarm,..... yes they are all related.

BTW the battery will not last long if it is left in storage with a partial charge. Might already have lost significant capacity or is shot.

You need to get a little more prepared before the next trip. Or find a camp where you can plug in and not worry about stuff while you figure out how it all works.

Fill the fridge with cold food and it should get cold plenty fast. However the fridge controls do need 12v power to operate properly.

Read more here:
The 12 Volt Side of Life

Moved from Roads and Routes to Tech Issues

nicolatwig wrote:
Any help would be appreciated and sorry if the questions are stupid! I have just purchased an Aliner Sport

My dealer was going to charge my battery before our camping trip but forgot. The 1 hour to the mountains would not charge the battery so he gave me solar panels. They seemed to work but did not fully charge the battery. We hardly used the lights, fans or water but the battery completely drained but the panels were not connected.

Then during the night the propane/carbon monoxide kept going off even though we had windows open. If I turned on the fan then the propane/carbon monoxide turned off. It was scary.

Then if the solar panels were connected we could only use lights or fan or water pump but not any two at the same time.

Any idea if these problems are related?

And I guess if I charge the battery fully(by plugging in or driving 6 hrs)then the solar panels would be good just as a top up?

How do I get the fridge cold before leaving on a trip?

Thanks
Nicky

First, your dealer did you a dis service and that is inexcusable action on their part. Not knowing what the wattage the solar panel you are using one can't calculate your supplied power, example: 85 watt panel under perfect conditions product appox. 7 amps.

Unless you have a fully manual 2/3 way refrigerator your not going to get that refrigerator running till the battery charged up or connect to a outside power source. Your propane/carbon monoxide was reacting to low 12Vdc, mine does this under low battery voltage condition.

Unfortunately many dealers don't inform customers on the ins and out of their new rig, I've seen this too many times on the road especially in the RV rental area.

Hi - you'd likely get more comments if this was posted under the "tech Issues" section as compared to "Roads and Routes"... That said, yes - charge the battery. If you have actually completely drained it you may actually have damaged it (batteries shouldn't go below 50% of their charge as a rule) - talk to your dealer to have it tested. Solar panels come in MANY sizes, which equates to various power output from them. If you had a lot of solar, that would certainly charge the battery, but a smaller panel may only maintain a charge once the battery is full. If the propane and CO detector are powered from the battery, as compared to running off their own internal batteries, the fact that you had low voltage could make them act erratically. You don't say if you have any propane appliances in the Aliner, and if they were running. Carbon monoxide is only created if you are "burning" something - furnace, hot water heater, etc. Propane is heavier than air, so the fact you were getting a possible propane alarm even thou you had windows open isn't a surprise - windows are up high, propane settles into low places. Since it sounds like a new unit, take it back to your dealer or at least give them a call. Until you are sure you do not have a propane leak (did you smell anything?) or a CO issue, I'd reccomend you not camp in it until it is checked! ST