AMP Draw Issues
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 ...
Forum Discussion
Good morning;
It is truly impressive to see the range of comments and recommendations for why this fellow's battery seems to drop down after only a few hours with what he has measured as only a 650ma load current
While I also have some questions about the test equipment and the measurement technique, BankerRae has been consistent in the value that he has reported, and it is similar to the "OFF" or parasitic current draw for the control systems involved as reported by others. He has also stated that when taken to a battery shop, the subject battery failed the load test, and he has installed a new battery, and now he will be trying the new battery to see how it performs in the circuit.
Still, the discussion on the topic does demonstrate that there are many people on the forum with knowledge and experience with the electrical systems for a motor home. This is a valuable resource for the RV community.
One suggestion I can offer for long term storage of a motor home is to connect at least a 10 Watt Silicon solar panel to the coach battery system, and leave the solar panel on the front dash behind the windshield with the motor home facing south so that the solar panel is exposed to sunlight. The 10 Watt solar panel will have right about a 625ma output current during the middle part of the day, and that should be enough for most motor homes to keep the battery charged while in storage, but not be too much to over charge the battery. A small "charge controller" {an alternative energy industry phrase for a special purpose voltage regulator) can be added between the solar panel and the battery to alleviate any concerns about overcharging, but with the size solar panel involved in this case, that is not a serious problem.
Enjoy;
Ralph,
Latté Land, Washington
It is truly impressive to see the range of comments and recommendations for why this fellow's battery seems to drop down after only a few hours with what he has measured as only a 650ma load current
While I also have some questions about the test equipment and the measurement technique, BankerRae has been consistent in the value that he has reported, and it is similar to the "OFF" or parasitic current draw for the control systems involved as reported by others. He has also stated that when taken to a battery shop, the subject battery failed the load test, and he has installed a new battery, and now he will be trying the new battery to see how it performs in the circuit.
Still, the discussion on the topic does demonstrate that there are many people on the forum with knowledge and experience with the electrical systems for a motor home. This is a valuable resource for the RV community.
One suggestion I can offer for long term storage of a motor home is to connect at least a 10 Watt Silicon solar panel to the coach battery system, and leave the solar panel on the front dash behind the windshield with the motor home facing south so that the solar panel is exposed to sunlight. The 10 Watt solar panel will have right about a 625ma output current during the middle part of the day, and that should be enough for most motor homes to keep the battery charged while in storage, but not be too much to over charge the battery. A small "charge controller" {an alternative energy industry phrase for a special purpose voltage regulator) can be added between the solar panel and the battery to alleviate any concerns about overcharging, but with the size solar panel involved in this case, that is not a serious problem.
Enjoy;
Ralph,
Latté Land, Washington
