Using shore power with bad batteries

DutchmenSport wrote:
The battery on my camper has been failing for about the last 6 months. I noticed it failing the first time when the electric awning did not retract as fast as it use to. I was not plugged into shore power.

Since then, I noticed the charge was not holding as long as it use to. Just last week, I unplugged from shore power to hitch up using the electric tongue jack and all the jack did was make a couple click sounds and that was it. I plugged into the truck and the jack worked then, OK for me to hitch up.

I then took off (in the car) and went and finally got a new battery. Working OK now.

I never noticed any harm to the power converter inside the camper, and since the battery was already failing, I saw no damage, over boiling, or anything on the battery.

Mind you, we've used the TT continuously for months and months now. As long as we were plugged into shore power, you'd never know anything was wrong with the batteries. However, I notice sometimes the house lights would be a bit dimmer than normal, but eventually brighten up again. The dim light was subtle, but I noticed it.

New battery cost $109. I got it from my local RV dealership down the road from us about 5 miles rather than going to WalMart and getting one there. I figure the dealership would stand behind the new battery better and with less hassle than WalMart. I was able to get an identical "umph" battery as the original factory supplied one. If I would have tried to figure it all out at WalMart, I would have been there for hours trying to figure out which one I needed. Sometimes, It's just much simpler to go and get it right the first time.

Day after I got the battery, we were on the road for South Carolina. I put the battery off long enough. It was time for a new one.

Some flawed logic..

Batteries come in standard "sizes", your battery will have a "Group size" number on it somewhere.

Take that number and go to any store selling automotive batteries and select the group size number that you have.

No guessing, no looking up and no hassle.

If you can't find the group number (not sure why though, every battery I have owned has had a group size number), you can take measurements of your battery and compare it to the chart in the link below..

Battery BCI Group Number Chart

Just make sure the Pos and Neg terminals are not reversed if manually selecting from that chart.

Secondly, I am puzzled as to why anyone would go to a RV dealer for a off the shelf part like a 12V lead acid battery..

Most RVs are typically supplied with a single Group 24 (small), sometimes a Group 27 (bit bigger)

Walmart, you most likely would have paid $70 for a Group 24 battery and perhaps $80 for a Group 27..

Or, you could go to Sams Club or Cosco and gotten it for even less..