Battery Issues Part 2- Lance 650
Hello again everyone! I posted a topic describing some battery issues about a month ago with my Lance 650. Your feedback was helpful and helped me make it through a trip without my battery going de...
Forum Discussion
I have a camper of a similar size with a single battery (which I believe you have as well) and have no issues with my single battery. BUT, I have been Rving for a long time and understand the whole 12 volt thing, amp hours, and what draws down a battery and how fast. With you having solar (unknown wattage) to help charge, there must be something either drawing down your battery unknowingly, or you just are not up to speed on how careful you need to be with a single battery. Another possibility is that your solar setup is far too small and not doing what you thought it could do. These are not faults, just some knowledge you need to learn.
Nobody on these forums were born with the knowledge of how our rigs run, they either were shown or learned from their own mistakes. Me included.
So, in my opinion you should check to see if your battery is toast and if it is replace it again. But, if it is being drawn down by something you are unaware of, you need to find out what that is right away. That can be as simple as a light on in a storage compartment. Otherwise you may kill another battery again very soon.
Next, you really need to understand amp hours, how much is being used with each part of your camper (lights, furnace, pump,etc) and gauge your usage accordingly.
Lastly, to help with understanding your battery levels and what you are using you should consider getting a good quality battery monitoring system. (ex: Trimetric meter, Victron, etc) They tell you an amazing amount of battery info with very accurate readings. No more wondering what the battery status is. Turn something on, get immediate results of what is being used. It will also keep track of whats going back into the batteries while charging from any source. Think of it like a gas gauge in your truck. This is the single most important piece of equipment in my camper while camping without hookups.
Good luck.
Nobody on these forums were born with the knowledge of how our rigs run, they either were shown or learned from their own mistakes. Me included.
So, in my opinion you should check to see if your battery is toast and if it is replace it again. But, if it is being drawn down by something you are unaware of, you need to find out what that is right away. That can be as simple as a light on in a storage compartment. Otherwise you may kill another battery again very soon.
Next, you really need to understand amp hours, how much is being used with each part of your camper (lights, furnace, pump,etc) and gauge your usage accordingly.
Lastly, to help with understanding your battery levels and what you are using you should consider getting a good quality battery monitoring system. (ex: Trimetric meter, Victron, etc) They tell you an amazing amount of battery info with very accurate readings. No more wondering what the battery status is. Turn something on, get immediate results of what is being used. It will also keep track of whats going back into the batteries while charging from any source. Think of it like a gas gauge in your truck. This is the single most important piece of equipment in my camper while camping without hookups.
Good luck.
