The title says it all.... I returned from a weekend camping trip about 5 weeks ago. I was fully charged when I pulled into my driveway, unhitched, and put everything away.Today, I went into the trailer to get ready for our next weekend trip, and had no power. The battery monitor in the power panel showed 1 light (out of four). But none of the lights would turn on (although all the indicators on my panel for water, black/gray tank, etc, all work.)This is the original OEM battery. We purchased our HTT new in Oct. I know there are some parasite drains, even when everything is turned off and I'm planning to install a battery disconnect.DW and I are complete newbies and have no point of reference.... Is it normal for a battery to last only 5 weeks when parked?

Never leave my rig for more than a day or so unless I disconnect the battery.

Sounds about right. There are parasitic draws all over the RV. Install a battery disconnect or plug it in are the only choices.

ricks99 wrote:Is it normal for a battery to last only 5 weeks when parked?No, actually much less than 5 weeks. Probably 100 to 500 milliamps or 5 to 15 amp/hrs drain per day. Battery holds maybe 90 of which you should only use 50 percent or 45. So you need to plug in every 3 to 9 days. Or disconnect a cable and you are good for 3 to 6 months. Even disconnected you need to start tip-top 100 percent charged.The 12 Volt Side of Life

I completely disconnect my fully charged battery bank when parked here over the winter months... It starts out reading around 12.6-7VDC and usually only drops down to around 12.4-5VDC over NOV DEC and JAN...During the winter months I can read my batteries with only my Battery monitor meter connected and I usually check on it ever two or three weeks...Sometimes when it gets down to 12.5VDC I will hookup my trickle charge for a day or two... This next winter season I will have my 10WATT small solar panel hooked up all the time giving the batteries a slow continuous trickle charge.If you let them set you have to pull one of the battery terminals otherwise the parasitic drains will run them down in just a week.. Its best to install a disconnect switch as removing and replacing the battery terminal may or may not keep you with a good solid connection depending how tightly you install the terminal each time...Hopefully your batteries are not damaged. Once they go below 12.0VDC it is like driving a nail in their coffin... Do a slow long charge on them using a smart mode charging mode charger. Do it two or threes time in a roll...Got to take care of the batteries as they are your lifeline for trailers.AT least once a month when sitting here between trips I do a walk around and read the sitting battery voltage. I like to always read at least 12.5VDC or more. Then I switch in the batteries to the trailer and hook up to my garage receptacle which turns on the converter/charger unit and then I look at the battery terminals DC VOLTAGE again and I want to see it jump up to the 13.6VDC or higher depending what smart mode the charger jumps up to. If I don't see the DC VOLTAGE jump up then that tells me my Battery charging system is not working... Roy Ken

How long should my battery last (when not in use)?

25 Replies

RoyB
Explorer II
May 03, 2017
I completely disconnect my fully charged battery bank when parked here over the winter months... It starts out reading around 12.6-7VDC and usually only drops down to around 12.4-5VDC over NOV DEC and JAN...

During the winter months I can read my batteries with only my Battery monitor meter connected and I usually check on it ever two or three weeks...

Sometimes when it gets down to 12.5VDC I will hookup my trickle charge for a day or two... This next winter season I will have my 10WATT small solar panel hooked up all the time giving the batteries a slow continuous trickle charge.

If you let them set you have to pull one of the battery terminals otherwise the parasitic drains will run them down in just a week.. Its best to install a disconnect switch as removing and replacing the battery terminal may or may not keep you with a good solid connection depending how tightly you install the terminal each time...

Hopefully your batteries are not damaged. Once they go below 12.0VDC it is like driving a nail in their coffin... Do a slow long charge on them using a smart mode charging mode charger. Do it two or threes time in a roll...

Got to take care of the batteries as they are your lifeline for trailers.

AT least once a month when sitting here between trips I do a walk around and read the sitting battery voltage. I like to always read at least 12.5VDC or more. Then I switch in the batteries to the trailer and hook up to my garage receptacle which turns on the converter/charger unit and then I look at the battery terminals DC VOLTAGE again and I want to see it jump up to the 13.6VDC or higher depending what smart mode the charger jumps up to. If I don't see the DC VOLTAGE jump up then that tells me my Battery charging system is not working...

Roy Ken
time2roll
Nomad
May 03, 2017
ricks99 wrote:
Is it normal for a battery to last only 5 weeks when parked?
No, actually much less than 5 weeks. Probably 100 to 500 milliamps or 5 to 15 amp/hrs drain per day. Battery holds maybe 90 of which you should only use 50 percent or 45. So you need to plug in every 3 to 9 days. Or disconnect a cable and you are good for 3 to 6 months. Even disconnected you need to start tip-top 100 percent charged.

The 12 Volt Side of Life
ScottG
Nomad
May 03, 2017
Sounds about right. There are parasitic draws all over the RV. Install a battery disconnect or plug it in are the only choices.
bdpreece
Explorer II
May 03, 2017
Never leave my rig for more than a day or so unless I disconnect the battery.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 03, 2017
yep.

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How long should my battery last (when not in use)?

25 Replies

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